Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mashhad, Iraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $756 in Mashhad.

Phuket $1,294
Mashhad $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,119 in Mashhad.

Phuket $2,204
Mashhad $1,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,481 in Mashhad.

Phuket $3,115
Mashhad $1,481

Living in Phuket is roughly 71% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Mashhad 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$4.49 IQD 6,781

-2.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

20.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

29.27%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.71 IQD 4,100

0.37%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.36 IQD 542

158.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.20 IQD 302

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.37 IQD 5,090

-24.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.39 IQD 5,126

7.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.91 IQD 1,368

91.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.73 IQD 1,106

98.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.32 IQD 1,997

13.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$0.82 IQD 1,242

164.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$3.41 IQD 5,157

459.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$1.98 IQD 2,985

71.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$2.95 IQD 4,463

269.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.03 IQD 1,556

185.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.91 IQD 1,377

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.87 IQD 1,321

151.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$0.64 IQD 971

231.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$0.59 IQD 898

147.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.56 IQD 840

144.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.31 IQD 474

248.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.21 IQD 321

161.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$0.77 IQD 1,168

475.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

54.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.92 IQD 2,898

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.87 IQD 2,832

54.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.34 IQD 520

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.96 IQD 2,965

-22.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$1.31 IQD 1,972

-40.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$6.42 IQD 9,699

-40.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.54 IQD 810

175.93%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

60.07%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

59.43%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$191 IQD 288.5K

-48.78%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

-41.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

-55.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

85.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

-23.32%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$143 IQD 215.6K

271.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

488.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

141.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

-16.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

63.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

104.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$212 IQD 319.9K

240.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$139 IQD 210.6K

265.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$378 IQD 571.7K

415.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$319 IQD 482.6K

337.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$862 IQD 1.3M

386.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$491 IQD 742.5K

571.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Mashhad

$139 18.4% 72.6% $369

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Mashhad

$115 15.2% 56.9% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Mashhad

$249 32.9% 97.1% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Mashhad

$72 9.6% 41% $50

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Mashhad

$115 15.1% 4.2% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Mashhad

$56 7.4% 32.5% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3% 85.1% $56

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 $721 in Phuket and $212 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $27 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $115 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

11:16 11:16 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mashhad 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $756 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,134 in Mashhad 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: $721 in Phuket versus $212 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $143 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Mashhad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.