Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baghdadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdadi: $640 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Baghdadi, Iraq
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Baghdadi
🇮🇶 Iraq
$640
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Baghdadi

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $640 in Baghdadi, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Baghdadi $640

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $974 in Baghdadi, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Baghdadi $974

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,308 in Baghdadi, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Baghdadi $1,308

Phuket costs about 100% more than Baghdadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Baghdadi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Baghdadi 53% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$4.20 IQD 6,342
6.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$14.09 IQD 21.3K
130.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$6.28 IQD 9,486
40.29%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$1.93 IQD 2,917
46.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.39 IQD 583
123.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.22 IQD 333
122.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$3.57 IQD 5,399
-28.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.38 IQD 3,591
54.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.02 IQD 1,548
62.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$0.49 IQD 735
197.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$2.63 IQD 3,980
-42.97%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.81 IQD 2,740
15.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$3.90 IQD 5,896
388.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.24 IQD 4,892
1.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$8.07 IQD 12.2K
35.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$0.94 IQD 1,426
211.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$0.98 IQD 1,488
72.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$0.90 IQD 1,363
150.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$0.63 IQD 951
230.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.54 IQD 823
179.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$0.64 IQD 962
115.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$0.48 IQD 732
122.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.54 IQD 815
-3.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$1.72 IQD 2,594
144.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$11.12 IQD 16.8K
68.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.55 IQD 2,336
17.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.67 IQD 2,528
70.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$0.34 IQD 518
326.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.80 IQD 2,717
67.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.20 IQD 1,818
-15.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$5.54 IQD 8,366
-33.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$0.54 IQD 819
172.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$16.4K IQD 24.7M
63.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$14.4K IQD 21.7M
85.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$85.6 IQD 129.3K
12.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$11.61 IQD 17.5K
-3.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$28.37 IQD 42.9K
-40.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$36.26 IQD 54.8K
85.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$9.25 IQD 14.0K
-18.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$146 IQD 220.8K
225.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$2,812 IQD 4.2M
300.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$21.15 IQD 32.0K
194.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$21.56 IQD 32.6K
31.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$59.6 IQD 90.1K
58.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$37.21 IQD 56.2K
130.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$211 IQD 318.8K
239.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$140 IQD 211.6K
250.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$378 IQD 571.2K
409.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$313 IQD 472.2K
357.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$872 IQD 1.3M
379.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$492 IQD 743.8K
518.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Baghdadi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$491 IQD 741.5K
2.35%
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 Baghdadi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Baghdadi
$140 71.5% $351
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Baghdadi
$147 44.8% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Baghdadi
$126 0.9% $1.1
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Baghdadi
$63 48.5% $59
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Baghdadi
$101 17.3% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Baghdadi
$55 33.4% $27
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Baghdadi
$9.2 * 87% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $211 in Baghdadi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $14 in Baghdadi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $147 – making Baghdadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇶 Baghdadi
🕒 Local time
03:27 3:27 AM
23:27 11:27 PM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Baghdadi 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Baghdadi

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 Baghdadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Baghdadi cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 100%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $960 in Baghdadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Baghdadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Baghdadi?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $14 in Baghdadi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Baghdadi?
Groceries cost about 81% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Baghdadi?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Baghdadi, where all-in costs run around $640, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Baghdadi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phuket or Baghdadi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Baghdadi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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