Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sinjar

For one person, living is cheaper in Sinjar: $540 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Sinjar
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Sinjar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sinjar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sinjar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $540 in Sinjar.

Phuket $1,278
Sinjar $540

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $842 in Sinjar.

Phuket $2,216
Sinjar $842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,145 in Sinjar.

Phuket $3,154
Sinjar $1,145

Living in Phuket is roughly 137% more expensive than in Sinjar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sinjar 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.07 IQD 6,152

9.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$7.72 IQD 11.7K

319.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

23.39%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$0.68 IQD 1,023

316.18%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.34 IQD 519

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.17 IQD 263

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.97 IQD 1,470

163.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.69 IQD 2,557

117.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.69 IQD 1,041

140.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.69 IQD 1,037

111.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.63 IQD 955

138.10%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.57 IQD 2,374

33.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$2.00 IQD 3,030

853.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.05 IQD 6,124

-18.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.39 IQD 15.7K

5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$0.69 IQD 1,037

324.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.67 IQD 1,017

152.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.63 IQD 952

257.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.68 IQD 1,024

205.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.65 IQD 977

132.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.59 IQD 894

133.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.66 IQD 993

62.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.32 IQD 477

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.63 IQD 2,458

157.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.44 IQD 9,726

191.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.01 IQD 1,522

80.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.63 IQD 2,466

74.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.30 IQD 456

383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.62 IQD 2,443

86.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.53 IQD 2,318

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.51 IQD 8,319

-33.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.29 IQD 437

406.90%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

65.11%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

55.90%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$39.11 IQD 59.1K

146.36%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

-8.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$24.36 IQD 36.8K

-30.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$37.27 IQD 56.3K

80.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$33.40 IQD 50.5K

-67.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

-23.16%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$292 IQD 441.8K

62.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,747 IQD 4.2M

309.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

511.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$9.82 IQD 14.8K

189.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

58.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

45.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$211 IQD 318.4K

239.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$138 IQD 208.5K

255.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$412 IQD 623.1K

367.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$281 IQD 424.3K

409.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$733 IQD 1.1M

469.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$552 IQD 834.2K

451.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$197 IQD 297.0K

155.56%

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 Sinjar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sinjar

$138 25.6% 71.9% $353

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sinjar

$124 23% 53.4% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sinjar

$76 14% 39.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sinjar

$62 11.5% 49% $60

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sinjar

$72 13.4% 40.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sinjar

$57 10.5% 30.9% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sinjar

$11 * 1.9% 85.1% $60

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 $211 in Sinjar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $8 in Sinjar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $124 per month, with Sinjar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Sinjar

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

88,023

💱 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 = 37.58 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sinjar 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sinjar

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 Sinjar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sinjar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. The 137% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.6 times higher, 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 $211 in Sinjar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $292 in Sinjar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sinjar – a meal for two runs $8 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $540 in Sinjar versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sinjar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sinjar 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sinjar wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.