Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baghdad

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,048 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Baghdad

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 Baghdad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,048 in Baghdad.

Phuket $1,278
Baghdad $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,508 in Baghdad.

Phuket $2,216
Baghdad $1,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,968 in Baghdad.

Phuket $3,154
Baghdad $1,968

Living in Phuket is roughly 22% more expensive than in Baghdad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Baghdad 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.54 IQD 6,866

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$26.64 IQD 40.3K

21.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.47 IQD 9,781

36.17%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.68 IQD 4,054

5.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.39 IQD 584

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.20 IQD 302

145.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.31 IQD 5,009

-22.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.22 IQD 4,866

14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.92 IQD 1,390

80.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.71 IQD 1,078

105.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.32 IQD 1,999

13.64%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.71 IQD 2,577

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$3.30 IQD 4,989

477.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.15 IQD 6,269

-20.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.24 IQD 18.5K

-10.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.00 IQD 1,513

193.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.98 IQD 1,487

72.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.95 IQD 1,440

136.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.68 IQD 1,021

205.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.58 IQD 877

160.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.57 IQD 854

142.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.60 IQD 903

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.61 IQD 927

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.67 IQD 2,531

151.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.64 IQD 17.6K

61.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.99 IQD 3,005

-8.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.96 IQD 2,962

44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.32 IQD 480

353.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$20.04 IQD 30.3K

182.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.02 IQD 3,045

49.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.30 IQD 1,964

-21.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.67 IQD 10.1K

-44.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.58 IQD 870

153.45%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

61.93%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$16.7K IQD 25.2M

59.82%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$188 IQD 284.5K

-48.84%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.25 IQD 29.1K

-41.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$37.51 IQD 56.7K

-55.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$39.97 IQD 60.4K

68.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.38 IQD 27.8K

-41.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.70 IQD 14.7K

-22.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$145 IQD 219.6K

227.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$3,297 IQD 5.0M

241.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$25.60 IQD 38.7K

143.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.32 IQD 50.3K

-14.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$60.2 IQD 90.9K

56.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$41.85 IQD 63.2K

105.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$537 IQD 811.6K

33.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$364 IQD 550.5K

34.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$963 IQD 1.5M

100.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$624 IQD 943.1K

129.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,276 IQD 6.5M

-2.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,379 IQD 2.1M

120.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$518 IQD 782.8K

-3.05%

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 Baghdad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Baghdad

$364 34.8% 25.8% $127

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Baghdad

$164 15.6% 38.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Baghdad

$245 23.4% 96.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baghdad

$72 6.9% 40.6% $49

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baghdad

$113 10.8% 6.9% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Baghdad

$59 5.7% 27.8% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Baghdad

$30 2.9% 57.7% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $537 in Baghdad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baghdad pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $27 in Baghdad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $164 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,216,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Baghdad 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Baghdad

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 Baghdad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $537 in Baghdad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baghdad runs roughly 65% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $145 in Baghdad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Baghdad is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.