Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,528 in Cham versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,360 in Cham versus $2,276 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,192 in Cham versus $3,291 in Phuket.

Living in Cham is roughly 180% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cham is 164% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.86 CHF 25.23

$4.53 ฿153

581.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 CHF 121

$46.36 ฿1,562

217.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.66 CHF 16.08

$8.65 ฿291

127.28%

Cappuccino

$6.74 CHF 5.51

$3.09 ฿104

118.12%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.51

$0.68 ฿22.85

710.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 CHF 4.07

$0.37 ฿12.41

1245.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.05 CHF 8.22

$2.42 ฿81.4

315.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.68 CHF 6.28

$3.81 ฿128

101.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.83

$2.18 ฿73.4

2.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 CHF 2.72

$1.82 ฿61.2

82.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 CHF 3.39

$2.18 ฿73.3

90.37%

Eggs

$7.22 CHF 5.91

$2.24 ฿75.3

222.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.77 CHF 23.52

$19.93 ฿671

44.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.10 CHF 27.07

$3.64 ฿123

809.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$44.54 CHF 36.42

$13.56 ฿457

228.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.29

$3.29 ฿111

22.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 CHF 2.22

$1.69 ฿56.8

60.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 CHF 2.44

$2.33 ฿78.6

27.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.05 CHF 4.13

$2.03 ฿68.3

148.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CHF 2.34

$1.60 ฿53.9

79.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 CHF 1.88

$1.49 ฿50.4

54.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CHF 2.10

$1.01 ฿34.11

154.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CHF 1.24

$0.48 ฿16.06

216.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.20 CHF 9.16

$4.45 ฿150

151.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.01 CHF 10.64

$18.63 ฿628

-30.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CHF 1.94

$1.79 ฿60.2

32.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 CHF 2.59

$2.80 ฿94.2

13.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.88 CHF 3.17

$1.42 ฿47.81

173.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.1 CHF 81.0

$11.33 ฿382

774.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 CHF 6.35

$3.09 ฿104

151.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.15 CHF 3.40

$1.04 ฿35.13

299.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.3 CHF 70.6

$13.63 ฿459

533.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.84

$1.31 ฿44.15

71.76%

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

$41.1K CHF 33.6K

$27.3K ฿919.1K

50.76%

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

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

20.04%

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

$255 CHF 209

$123 ฿4,149

107.37%

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

$35.13 CHF 28.73

$13.81 ฿465

154.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 CHF 48.16

$18.52 ฿624

218.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$86.2 CHF 70.5

$60.4 ฿2,034

42.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 ฿566

Cinema Ticket

$22.76 CHF 18.61

$8.89 ฿299

156.02%

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

$2,609 CHF 2,133

$687 ฿23.1K

279.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.0K CHF 27.8K

$15.6K ฿523.9K

118.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$132 CHF 108

$57.6 ฿1,942

128.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.6 CHF 49.57

$34.66 ฿1,168

74.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 CHF 121

$115 ฿3,872

28.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 CHF 167

$84.9 ฿2,860

140.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 CHF 1,394

$618 ฿20.8K

176.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 CHF 1,201

$443 ฿14.9K

231.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 CHF 2,310

$2,047 ฿69.0K

38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,506 CHF 2,049

$1,506 ฿50.7K

66.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 13.8K

$3,568 ฿120.2K

373.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.1K CHF 11.5K

$2,511 ฿84.6K

460.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.09

5.33

-60.79%

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

Last update for Cham: July 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,705 in Cham and $618 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $147 in Cham vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $646 vs $292 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Cham vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment. The 180% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,293 in Cham and $1,891 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,705 in Cham versus $618 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,609 in Cham versus $687 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 122% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $3,528 in Cham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cham. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cham 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 180% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.