Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $725 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zakho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $725 in Zakho.

Phuket $1,278
Zakho $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,158 in Zakho.

Phuket $2,216
Zakho $1,158

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,591 in Zakho.

Phuket $3,154
Zakho $1,591

Living in Phuket is roughly 76% more expensive than in Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Zakho 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.18 IQD 6,310

6.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$36.97 IQD 55.9K

-12.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

23.39%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.21 IQD 4,856

-11.84%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.83 IQD 1,256

4.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.33 IQD 506

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.65 IQD 8,535

-54.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.94 IQD 5,960

-6.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.10 IQD 1,669

50.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.68 IQD 1,023

114.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.50 IQD 2,271

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.58 IQD 2,382

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.88 IQD 10.4K

177.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.26 IQD 6,440

-22.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.69 IQD 19.2K

-14.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$0.98 IQD 1,484

198.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.94 IQD 1,414

79.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.02 IQD 1,536

120.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.65 IQD 986

220.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.61 IQD 920

147.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.59 IQD 895

133.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.61 IQD 926

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.51 IQD 775

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.18 IQD 3,300

92.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.80 IQD 16.3K

73.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.46 IQD 2,213

24.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.81 IQD 2,737

56.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.29 IQD 439

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.68 IQD 2,546

79.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.61 IQD 2,440

-36.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.65 IQD 8,531

-34.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.59 IQD 886

149.15%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

62.63%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$17.1K IQD 25.8M

56.25%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$115 IQD 173.5K

-16.09%

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 ฿568

$24.28 IQD 36.7K

-30.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$39.56 IQD 59.8K

69.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.75 IQD 14.7K

-23.08%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$298 IQD 450.7K

59.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,742 IQD 4.1M

310.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$26.56 IQD 40.1K

134.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$19.78 IQD 29.9K

43.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$49.59 IQD 74.9K

90.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$39.81 IQD 60.1K

115.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$207 IQD 313.3K

245.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$136 IQD 205.0K

261.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$370 IQD 558.5K

421.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$319 IQD 482.7K

347.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$888 IQD 1.3M

370.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$551 IQD 833.0K

452.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$660 IQD 997.8K

-23.94%

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 Zakho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Zakho

$136 18.7% 72.4% $355

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Zakho

$172 23.8% 35.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Zakho

$151 20.9% 21.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zakho

$61 8.4% 49.9% $61

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zakho

$134 18.5% 10.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Zakho

$59 8.2% 28.2% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Zakho

$11 * 1.5% 84.5% $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 $207 in Zakho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakho pays 31% 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 $37 in Zakho. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $172, with Zakho cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

197,163

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.93 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Zakho 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zakho

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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zakho is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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 $207 in Zakho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $298 in Zakho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $37 in Zakho. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $725 in Zakho versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zakho but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zakho 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 Zakho are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.