Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Honolulu, HI

For one person, living is cheaper in Buchs: $3,009 a month against $3,963 in Honolulu, HI, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
Learn more

Buchs Living Index
190

Cost of Living Index in Honolulu, HI
Learn more

Honolulu, HI Living Index

Jump to prices

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Honolulu, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buchs and in Honolulu, HI

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $3,963 in Honolulu, HI.

Buchs $3,009
Honolulu, HI $3,963

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $6,161 in Honolulu, HI.

Buchs $4,535
Honolulu, HI $6,161

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $8,359 in Honolulu, HI.

Buchs $6,062
Honolulu, HI $8,359

Living in Buchs costs roughly 24% less than in Honolulu, HI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buchs 122% above, Honolulu, HI 193% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$28.50 $28.50

-17.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$143 $143

-40.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$15.25 $15.25

0.72%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$10.44 $10.44

-54.89%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$5.06 $5.06

-25.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$3.50 $3.50

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$10.40 $10.40

-41.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$11.66 $11.66

-53.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$2.19 $2.19

-8.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$7.54 $7.54

-47.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$10.02 $10.02

-53.69%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$8.50 $8.50

-13.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$28.23 $28.23

14.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$20.21 $20.21

-8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$21.80 $21.80

48.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$8.28 $8.28

-57.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$5.36 $5.36

-60.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$7.04 $7.04

-55.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$9.80 $9.80

-31.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$4.84 $4.84

-63.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$4.87 $4.87

-47.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$5.30 $5.30

-53.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$3.04 $3.04

-60.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$13.26 $13.26

-18.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$17.77 $17.77

-28.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$2.68 $2.68

22.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$5.68 $5.68

-31.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$2.94 $2.94

75.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 $90.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$3.56 $3.56

50.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$2.56 $2.56

35.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$45.20 $45.20

35.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.38 $1.38

61.59%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$36.1K $36.1K

17.71%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$26.2K $26.2K

50.85%

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

$184 CHF 152

$256 $256

-27.84%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$67.4 $67.4

-53.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$66.5 $66.5

1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 $64.9

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.37 $31.37

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$20.22 $20.22

-24.83%

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

$611 CHF 503

$2,123 $2,123

-71.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$26.7K $26.7K

-22.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$62.8 $62.8

70.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$45.82 $45.82

-48.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$101 $101

-5.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$133 $133

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$2,941 $2,941

-37.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$1,972 $1,972

-20.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$5,026 $5,026

-46.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$3,687 $3,687

-25.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,589 $8,589

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,339 $7,339

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$4,099 $4,099

106.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

6.7

-71.19%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Honolulu, HI: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Honolulu, HI

$2K 49.7% 26.3% $411

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Honolulu, HI

$716 18.1% 29% $161

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Honolulu, HI

$509 12.8% 41.6% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Honolulu, HI

$389 9.8% 37.7% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Honolulu, HI

$154 3.9% 13.4% $24

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Honolulu, HI

$119 3% 175% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Honolulu, HI

$105 2.7% 247% $75

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 $1,828 in Buchs and $2,941 in Honolulu, HI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 107% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84.0 in Buchs vs $143 in Honolulu, HI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $716 per month, with Buchs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇺🇸 Honolulu, HI

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

00:16 12:16 AM

12 h behind Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

350,964

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buchs Honolulu, HI 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buchs
Honolulu, HI

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

Buchs vs Honolulu, HI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs and Honolulu, HI differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $3,963 including rent). Buchs is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 107% higher in Buchs, 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: $1,828 in Buchs versus $2,941 in Honolulu, HI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $2,123 in Honolulu, HI. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buchs – a meal for two runs $84.0 versus $143 in Honolulu, HI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Buchs is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Buchs and Honolulu, HI are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buchs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Honolulu, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.