Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Az Zubayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $656 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Az Zubayr

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Az Zubayr actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $656 in Az Zubayr.

Phuket $1,278
Az Zubayr $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,021 in Az Zubayr.

Phuket $2,216
Az Zubayr $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,387 in Az Zubayr.

Phuket $3,154
Az Zubayr $1,387

Living in Phuket is roughly 95% more expensive than in Az Zubayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Az Zubayr 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.37 IQD 6,602

2.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$19.52 IQD 29.5K

66.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.58 IQD 8,436

57.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.65 IQD 4,001

6.79%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.33 IQD 497

163.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.20 IQD 297

145.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.38 IQD 5,107

-24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.28 IQD 3,447

61.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.00 IQD 1,513

66.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.76 IQD 1,152

92.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.59 IQD 2,399

-5.66%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.46 IQD 2,203

43.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.38 IQD 6,621

335.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.43 IQD 5,189

-3.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.09 IQD 18.3K

-9.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.07 IQD 1,623

173.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.99 IQD 1,502

70.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.03 IQD 1,561

118.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.66 IQD 994

215.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.57 IQD 855

164.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.67 IQD 1,012

105.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.56 IQD 852

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.44 IQD 671

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.47 IQD 2,225

185.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.27 IQD 17.0K

66.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.42 IQD 2,149

28.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.62 IQD 2,450

75.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.32 IQD 479

353.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.68 IQD 2,543

79.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.12 IQD 1,698

-8.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.39 IQD 8,146

-31.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.53 IQD 803

177.36%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$15.9K IQD 24.0M

68.75%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

62.06%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.4 ฿3,251

$94.9 IQD 143.4K

1.55%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.26 ฿380

$11.70 IQD 17.7K

-3.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.28 IQD 41.2K

-38.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$39.31 IQD 59.4K

71.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.83 IQD 11.8K

-4.21%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$476 ฿16.1K

$137 IQD 206.7K

247.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,772 IQD 4.2M

306.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$18.27 IQD 27.6K

241.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$21.75 IQD 32.9K

30.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$53.7 IQD 81.2K

75.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$39.29 IQD 59.4K

118.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$200 IQD 302.7K

257.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$133 IQD 200.3K

270.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$418 IQD 631.5K

361.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$315 IQD 476.0K

354.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$833 IQD 1.3M

401.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$479 IQD 723.6K

535.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.12

35.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Az Zubayr: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Az Zubayr

$133 20.2% 73% $358

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Az Zubayr

$159 24.2% 40.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Az Zubayr

$134 20.4% 7.5% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Az Zubayr

$60 9.1% 50.9% $62

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Az Zubayr

$107 16.3% 12% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Az Zubayr

$55 8.4% 33.2% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Az Zubayr

$8.6 * 1.3% 87.9% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Az Zubayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $159 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

370,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Az Zubayr 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Az Zubayr

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Az Zubayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $656 in Az Zubayr, so Az Zubayr is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $983 in Az Zubayr to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $200 in Az Zubayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $656 in Az Zubayr – Az Zubayr is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $656 in Az Zubayr versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Az Zubayr but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Az Zubayr the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.