Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,575 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,575 in Cham versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cham $3,575
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,453 in Cham versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cham $5,453
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,331 in Cham versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cham $7,331
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cham is roughly 180% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cham is 163% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.74 CHF 24.67

$4.47 ฿151

565.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$32.41 ฿1,094

275.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.87

$8.81 ฿297

103.52%

Cappuccino

$5.82 CHF 4.83

$2.83 ฿95.5

105.65%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.42

$0.87 ฿29.43

511.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 CHF 4.04

$0.49 ฿16.67

893.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CHF 7.01

$2.56 ฿86.4

230.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 CHF 5.42

$3.68 ฿124

77.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.66 ฿56.0

28.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$1.46 ฿49.35

157.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 3.00

$1.50 ฿50.6

141.33%

Eggs

$7.27 CHF 6.03

$2.09 ฿70.5

247.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.38 CHF 21.88

$19.07 ฿644

38.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.65 CHF 23.77

$3.30 ฿111

768.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.06 CHF 34.89

$10.91 ฿368

285.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CHF 3.25

$2.93 ฿99.0

33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$1.69 ฿57.1

27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$2.25 ฿75.8

37.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.80

$2.08 ฿70.1

120.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 CHF 1.87

$1.51 ฿51.0

49.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.38 ฿46.56

62.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 CHF 1.98

$1.07 ฿35.99

123.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$0.52 ฿17.52

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 CHF 9.15

$4.20 ฿142

162.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 CHF 10.02

$18.79 ฿634

-35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 CHF 2.34

$1.82 ฿61.5

54.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CHF 2.58

$2.84 ฿95.9

9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.13 CHF 4.26

$1.45 ฿49.03

253.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 CHF 121

$56.7 ฿1,913

157.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 CHF 3.69

$3.02 ฿102

47.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 CHF 2.45

$1.02 ฿34.36

190.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.7 CHF 49.49

$3.69 ฿125

1516.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$1.47 ฿49.81

48.98%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

48.17%

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

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

49.54%

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

$286 CHF 237

$96.4 ฿3,254

196.82%

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

$29.15 CHF 24.18

$11.26 ฿380

158.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.49

$16.85 ฿569

225.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 CHF 70.7

$67.2 ฿2,270

26.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.01 CHF 33.19

$10.73 ฿362

272.88%

Cinema Ticket

$22.10 CHF 18.34

$7.50 ฿253

194.67%

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

$1,488 CHF 1,234

$476 ฿16.1K

212.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

119.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 114

$62.4 ฿2,106

119.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 CHF 44.76

$28.41 ฿959

89.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 CHF 130

$94.3 ฿3,184

66.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$85.8 ฿2,898

189.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 CHF 1,477

$716 ฿24.2K

148.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 CHF 1,299

$491 ฿16.6K

219.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,896 CHF 2,402

$1,927 ฿65.1K

50.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 CHF 2,243

$1,431 ฿48.3K

89.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

211.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.7K CHF 9,730

$3,045 ฿102.8K

285.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Cham: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cham

$1.6K 43.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 68.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$597 16.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 55.4% $331

Eating Out

Cham

$458 12.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 73.4% $336

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$370 10.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.4% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$268 7.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.6% $147

Getting Around

Cham

$186 5.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 62% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$129 3.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 36.5% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,780 in Cham and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $597 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

6 h ahead of Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

79,308

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cham Phuket 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cham
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

Cham vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 180% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,362 in Cham and $1,917 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: $1,780 in Cham versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,488 in Cham versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 124% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,575 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.

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, 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 64% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.