Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Phuket $2,867

Arbon costs about 187% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arbon sits 157% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$4.58 ฿153

544.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$32.48 ฿1,086

341.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$8.55 ฿286

121.64%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$2.72 ฿91.0

124.63%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$0.94 ฿31.25

510.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$0.49 ฿16.39

938.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$2.59 ฿86.6

247.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$3.83 ฿128

61.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.74 ฿58.1

24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$1.43 ฿47.82

120.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$1.53 ฿51.0

147.71%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$2.17 ฿72.7

263.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$19.15 ฿640

31.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$3.30 ฿110

761.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$11.14 ฿372

268.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$2.95 ฿98.5

15.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$1.68 ฿56.1

19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.30 ฿76.8

3.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$2.13 ฿71.3

147.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.53 ฿51.1

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.36 ฿45.55

61.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.12 ฿37.44

103.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$0.55 ฿18.24

121.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$4.26 ฿142

149.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$18.19 ฿608

-9.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.74 ฿58.2

21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.79 ฿93.3

-19.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$2.22 ฿74.1

116.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$22.06 ฿737

335.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$2.91 ฿97.3

123.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$1.01 ฿33.79

368.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$3.83 ฿128

844.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.49 ฿49.85

53.69%

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

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

29.13%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

47.08%

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

$275 CHF 227

$99.4 ฿3,321

177.14%

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

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$11.28 ฿377

237.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$17.36 ฿580

213.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$52.3 ฿1,747

72.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$10.85 ฿362

260.00%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$7.57 ฿253

209.51%

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

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$558 ฿18.7K

302.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

172.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$62.9 ฿2,102

127.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$28.58 ฿955

127.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$96.1 ฿3,213

49.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$88.1 ฿2,943

101.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$729 ฿24.4K

113.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$460 ฿15.4K

230.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$2,096 ฿70.0K

38.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$1,222 ฿40.8K

89.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

302.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

448.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$493 ฿16.5K

2146.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

5.57

-65.89%

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

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 69.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 54.5% $321

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 74% $346

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 65.2% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 47.9% $114

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 73.3% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 50.7% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2147% higher in Arbon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $144 in Arbon versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

16:28 4:28 PM

5 h ahead of Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

79,308

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arbon Phuket 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arbon
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

Arbon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,464 in Arbon, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 187% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon and $1,811 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,464 in Arbon and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 187%.

Public transport costs about 335% 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 $1,207, than in Arbon at $3,464. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.