Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Buchs $3,009
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Buchs $4,535
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Buchs $6,062
Phuket $2,845

Living in Buchs is roughly 149% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buchs is 122% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$4.40 ฿147

432.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$32.26 ฿1,078

161.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$8.76 ฿293

75.34%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$2.83 ฿94.5

66.43%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$0.90 ฿30.14

318.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$0.47 ฿15.56

580.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$2.55 ฿85.2

140.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$3.83 ฿128

40.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$1.73 ฿57.7

16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$1.47 ฿49.11

168.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$1.51 ฿50.6

207.28%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$2.17 ฿72.7

237.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$19.70 ฿658

63.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$3.34 ฿112

454.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$11.16 ฿373

190.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$2.85 ฿95.1

23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.70 ฿56.9

25.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$2.19 ฿73.3

43.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$2.05 ฿68.4

226.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$1.45 ฿48.57

22.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$1.38 ฿46.16

84.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.07 ฿35.69

128.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$0.51 ฿16.91

137.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$4.26 ฿142

154.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$18.58 ฿621

-31.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$1.78 ฿59.7

84.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$2.85 ฿95.2

37.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$2.26 ฿75.6

128.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$3.01 ฿101

78.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$1.06 ฿35.34

226.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$3.86 ฿129

1484.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.45 ฿48.45

53.79%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

61.59%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

46.86%

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

$184 CHF 152

$96.4 ฿3,221

91.33%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$11.04 ฿369

182.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$17.14 ฿573

292.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$7.81 ฿261

94.62%

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

$611 CHF 503

$556 ฿18.6K

9.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

78.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$64.2 ฿2,146

66.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$28.69 ฿959

-17.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$95.4 ฿3,187

-0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$88.0 ฿2,940

92.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$737 ฿24.6K

147.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$462 ฿15.5K

237.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$2,095 ฿70.0K

28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$1,201 ฿40.1K

128.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$501 ฿16.7K

1593.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

5.57

-65.35%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 70.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 51.6% $286

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 66.3% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 56% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 30.1% $54

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 8.9% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 123% $37

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 $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 1594% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Buchs vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

5 h ahead of Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

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 22, 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 22, 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

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Between locations

Buchs Phuket 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buchs
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

Buchs vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buchs and Phuket differ by about 149% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1594% 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 $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $556 in Phuket. 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 $32.00 versus $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,009 in Buchs, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Buchs. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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, Buchs and Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.