Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kalar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalar: $500 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kalar
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Kalar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kalar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kalar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $500 in Kalar.

Phuket $1,278
Kalar $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $745 in Kalar.

Phuket $2,216
Kalar $745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $991 in Kalar.

Phuket $3,154
Kalar $991

Living in Phuket is roughly 156% more expensive than in Kalar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kalar 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.18 IQD 6,309

6.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$10.53 IQD 15.9K

207.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.07 IQD 4,643

186.97%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$0.85 IQD 1,283

232.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.45 IQD 682

93.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.14 IQD 214

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$5.49 IQD 8,284

-53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.93 IQD 5,936

-6.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.92 IQD 1,387

80.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.72 IQD 1,090

102.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.29 IQD 1,945

16.28%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.12 IQD 1,697

86.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$2.90 IQD 4,373

557.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.00 IQD 3,018

65.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.87 IQD 16.4K

0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$0.81 IQD 1,218

261.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.97 IQD 1,461

74.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$0.85 IQD 1,285

164.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.70 IQD 1,052

197.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.58 IQD 873

160.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.63 IQD 948

119.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.60 IQD 908

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.39 IQD 585

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.09 IQD 3,163

100.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.72 IQD 16.2K

75.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.46 IQD 2,212

24.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.86 IQD 2,813

52.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.49 IQD 739

195.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$26.14 IQD 39.5K

116.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.67 IQD 2,524

80.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.55 IQD 2,345

-34.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$3.34 IQD 5,036

10.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.54 IQD 814

172.22%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$14.6K IQD 22.1M

83.06%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

62.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$46.19 IQD 69.7K

108.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.71 IQD 17.7K

-3.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$20.88 IQD 31.5K

-19.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$16.77 IQD 25.3K

300.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$32.49 IQD 49.1K

-66.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.74 IQD 10.2K

11.28%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$43.60 IQD 65.8K

991.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$1,306 IQD 2.0M

762.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$10.86 IQD 16.4K

474.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

136.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$22.98 IQD 34.7K

310.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$28.22 IQD 42.6K

204.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$151 IQD 227.8K

374.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$92.5 IQD 139.7K

430.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$246 IQD 371.3K

683.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$126 IQD 189.6K

1039.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$874 IQD 1.3M

377.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$392 IQD 591.3K

677.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$300 IQD 453.1K

67.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.53

120.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kalar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kalar

$93 18.5% 81.1% $398

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kalar

$137 27.4% 48.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kalar

$79 15.8% 36.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kalar

$33 6.7% 72.6% $89

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kalar

$91 18.1% 25.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kalar

$30 6.1% 63.2% $52

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kalar

$38 7.5% 46.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $151 in Kalar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 67% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $11 in Kalar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $137 per month, with Kalar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Kalar

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

08:04 8:04 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

250,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,510 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,681 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kalar 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kalar

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 Kalar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalar is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $151 in Kalar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kalar – a meal for two runs $11 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $500 in Kalar – Kalar is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $500 in Kalar versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kalar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kalar 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.

Expats usually find Kalar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.