Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Airolo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,536 in Airolo, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
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Airolo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,536

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Airolo 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 Airolo and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,536 per month in Airolo vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Airolo $3,536
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $5,247 per month in Airolo vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Airolo $5,247
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $6,958 per month in Airolo vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Airolo $6,958
Phuket $3,115

Airolo costs about 173% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Airolo sits 162% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.81 CHF 25.97

$4.39 ฿147

624.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 CHF 93.9

$32.31 ฿1,085

256.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.32 CHF 16.59

$8.70 ฿292

133.56%

Cappuccino

$6.50 CHF 5.31

$2.72 ฿91.5

138.97%

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

$6.11 CHF 4.99

$0.93 ฿31.25

556.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 CHF 4.58

$0.50 ฿16.78

1022.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.60 CHF 7.84

$2.53 ฿85.0

279.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 CHF 5.38

$3.63 ฿122

81.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CHF 1.53

$1.74 ฿58.4

8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.91 CHF 3.19

$1.45 ฿48.73

169.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 CHF 3.50

$1.50 ฿50.5

186.00%

Eggs

$7.18 CHF 5.86

$2.17 ฿73.0

230.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.80 CHF 20.24

$19.09 ฿641

29.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.99 CHF 22.04

$3.40 ฿114

693.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.28 CHF 31.25

$10.90 ฿366

251.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 CHF 2.70

$2.94 ฿98.8

12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.75

$1.69 ฿56.8

26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 CHF 2.10

$2.19 ฿73.7

17.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 CHF 3.37

$2.12 ฿71.4

94.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.71

$1.46 ฿48.99

43.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CHF 1.77

$1.37 ฿45.95

58.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CHF 2.02

$1.08 ฿36.14

128.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 CHF 1.14

$0.55 ฿18.32

154.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 CHF 9.68

$4.43 ฿149

167.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.57 CHF 9.44

$18.25 ฿613

-36.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CHF 2.52

$1.77 ฿59.5

74.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 CHF 2.84

$2.88 ฿96.8

20.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.72 CHF 3.85

$1.45 ฿48.62

225.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.6 CHF 76.4

$54.9 ฿1,844

70.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 CHF 5.91

$1.51 ฿50.8

379.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.28 CHF 4.31

$0.78 ฿26.06

576.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.2 CHF 66.3

$3.84 ฿129

2015.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 CHF 2.12

$1.49 ฿49.96

73.83%

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

$37.1K CHF 30.3K

$26.9K ฿902.9K

38.07%

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

$45.4K CHF 37.1K

$26.3K ฿884.9K

72.36%

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

$269 CHF 219

$97.8 ฿3,285

174.68%

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

$31.34 CHF 25.59

$11.29 ฿379

177.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 CHF 47.90

$17.19 ฿577

241.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.1 CHF 72.8

$68.3 ฿2,295

30.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.65 CHF 37.27

$10.92 ฿367

318.04%

Cinema Ticket

$26.14 CHF 21.34

$7.43 ฿250

251.82%

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

$2,802 CHF 2,288

$530 ฿17.8K

428.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.5K CHF 30.6K

$18.8K ฿630.9K

99.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 117

$61.7 ฿2,072

132.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 CHF 53.6

$28.25 ฿949

132.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$177 CHF 144

$96.0 ฿3,225

83.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$209 CHF 171

$86.8 ฿2,916

140.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 CHF 1,278

$721 ฿24.2K

117.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,550 CHF 1,265

$509 ฿17.1K

204.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,873 CHF 2,345

$1,950 ฿65.5K

47.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 CHF 1,971

$1,397 ฿46.9K

72.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K CHF 11.3K

$4,192 ฿140.8K

229.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K CHF 9,196

$3,298 ฿110.8K

241.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

5.57

-63.55%

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

Last update for Airolo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Airolo

$1.5K 43.8%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 67.2% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Airolo

$571 16.2%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 53.3% $304

Eating Out

Airolo

$502 14.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 76.2% $382

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Airolo

$359 10.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 64.8% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Airolo

$267 7.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 54.1% $145

Getting Around

Airolo

$146 4.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 54.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Airolo

$141 4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 41.2% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,565 in Airolo versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $115 in Airolo versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $571 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Airolo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

16:20 4:20 PM

6 h ahead of Airolo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Airolo Phuket 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Airolo
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

Airolo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Airolo costs about 173% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,304 per month in Airolo and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,565 in Airolo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,536 in Airolo and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Airolo at $3,536. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Airolo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.