Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sinjar and Phuket

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.

26

Cost of Living Index in Sinjar
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Sinjar Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sinjar

🇮🇶 Iraq

$540

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sinjar and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sinjar and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Sinjar $540
Phuket $1,278

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

Sinjar $842
Phuket $2,216

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

Sinjar $1,145
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sinjar costs roughly 58% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 IQD 6,152

$4.47 ฿151

-8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.72 IQD 11.7K

$32.41 ฿1,094

-76.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 IQD 10.8K

$8.81 ฿297

-18.96%

Cappuccino

$0.68 IQD 1,023

$2.83 ฿95.5

-75.97%

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

$0.34 IQD 519

$0.87 ฿29.43

-60.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 IQD 263

$0.49 ฿16.67

-65.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 IQD 1,470

$2.56 ฿86.4

-62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 IQD 2,557

$3.68 ฿124

-54.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 IQD 1,041

$1.66 ฿56.0

-58.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$1.46 ฿49.35

-52.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 955

$1.50 ฿50.6

-58.00%

Eggs

$1.57 IQD 2,374

$2.09 ฿70.5

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.00 IQD 3,030

$19.07 ฿644

-89.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 IQD 6,124

$3.30 ฿111

22.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 IQD 15.7K

$10.91 ฿368

-4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,037

$2.93 ฿99.0

-76.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 IQD 1,017

$1.69 ฿57.1

-60.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 952

$2.25 ฿75.8

-72.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 IQD 1,024

$2.08 ฿70.1

-67.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 IQD 977

$1.51 ฿51.0

-56.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 894

$1.38 ฿46.56

-57.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 IQD 993

$1.07 ฿35.99

-38.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 IQD 477

$0.52 ฿17.52

-38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 IQD 2,458

$4.20 ฿142

-61.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 IQD 9,726

$18.79 ฿634

-65.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 IQD 1,522

$1.82 ฿61.5

-44.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 IQD 2,466

$2.84 ฿95.9

-42.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 IQD 456

$1.45 ฿49.03

-79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 IQD 2,443

$3.02 ฿102

-46.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 IQD 2,318

$1.02 ฿34.36

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 IQD 8,319

$3.69 ฿125

49.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.29 IQD 437

$1.47 ฿49.81

-80.27%

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

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-39.43%

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

$17.1K IQD 25.9M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-35.86%

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

$39.11 IQD 59.1K

$96.4 ฿3,254

-59.41%

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

$12.27 IQD 18.5K

$11.26 ฿380

8.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 IQD 36.8K

$16.85 ฿569

44.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.27 IQD 56.3K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-44.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.40 IQD 50.5K

$10.73 ฿362

211.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 IQD 14.7K

$7.50 ฿253

30.13%

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

$292 IQD 441.8K

$476 ฿16.1K

-38.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,747 IQD 4.2M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-75.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.19 IQD 15.4K

$62.4 ฿2,106

-83.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.82 IQD 14.8K

$28.41 ฿959

-65.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 IQD 89.7K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-37.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-31.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 IQD 318.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-70.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.5K

$491 ฿16.6K

-71.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 IQD 623.1K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-78.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 IQD 424.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-80.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$733 IQD 1.1M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-82.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$552 IQD 834.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-81.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$197 IQD 297.0K

$502 ฿17.0K

-60.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

5.57

-54.58%

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

Last update for Sinjar: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sinjar

$138 25.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 256% $353

Groceries & Markets

Sinjar

$124 23%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 115% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sinjar

$76 14%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 64.3% $49

Eating Out

Sinjar

$72 13.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 68% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Sinjar

$62 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 96.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Sinjar

$57 10.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 44.8% $25

Getting Around

Sinjar

$11 * 1.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 572% $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 $211 in Sinjar and $716 in Phuket. 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: $8 in Sinjar vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $266 per month, with Sinjar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Sinjar

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

4 h ahead of Sinjar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,023

79,308

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

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).

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).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sinjar Phuket 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sinjar
Phuket

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

Sinjar vs Phuket: 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.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Sinjar. 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: $211 in Sinjar versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $292 in Sinjar versus $476 in Phuket. 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.