Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,763 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $29,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Arbon

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $3,763 in Arbon, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Arbon $3,763

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $5,707 in Arbon, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Arbon $5,707

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $7,651 in Arbon, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Arbon $7,651

Phuket is about 66% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Arbon is 178% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$30.86 CHF 25.19

-85.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$144 CHF 117

-77.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$19.65 CHF 16.04

-55.73%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$5.98 CHF 4.88

-54.52%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$5.82 CHF 4.75

-84.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$5.11 CHF 4.17

-90.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$9.19 CHF 7.50

-72.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$6.25 CHF 5.11

-41.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-20.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.12 CHF 2.55

-53.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.68 CHF 3.00

-59.24%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$8.00 CHF 6.53

-72.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$25.26 CHF 20.62

-24.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$28.83 CHF 23.54

-88.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$41.88 CHF 34.19

-73.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$3.48 CHF 2.84

-15.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$2.03 CHF 1.66

-16.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$2.43 CHF 1.98

-9.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$5.44 CHF 4.44

-61.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$2.04 CHF 1.67

-28.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$2.12 CHF 1.73

-35.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$2.32 CHF 1.89

-53.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.20 CHF 0.98

-54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$11.07 CHF 9.04

-59.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$16.77 CHF 13.69

8.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.34 CHF 1.91

23.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-70.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$100 CHF 82.0

-45.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$6.88 CHF 5.61

-78.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$4.89 CHF 3.99

-84.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$36.81 CHF 30.05

-89.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$2.37 CHF 1.93

-37.13%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$40.1K CHF 32.7K

-32.95%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$40.3K CHF 32.9K

-34.57%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$321 CHF 262

-69.50%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$38.33 CHF 31.29

-70.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$54.5 CHF 44.52

-68.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$90.8 CHF 74.2

-24.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$41.46 CHF 33.85

-73.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$24.19 CHF 19.75

-69.28%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$2,284 CHF 1,865

-76.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$33.0K CHF 26.9K

-43.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$146 CHF 119

-57.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$65.1 CHF 53.1

-56.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$144 CHF 118

-33.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$187 CHF 152

-53.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$2,023 CHF 1,652

-64.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,740 CHF 1,420

-70.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$2,949 CHF 2,408

-33.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$2,929 CHF 2,392

-52.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$14.0K CHF 11.4K

-70.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$11.5K CHF 9,391

-71.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$11.3K CHF 9,239

-95.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.9

193.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arbon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Arbon

$1.7K 46.2% 242% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Arbon

$595 15.8% 123% $329

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Arbon

$414 11% 227% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Arbon

$244 6.5% 98.7% $121

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Arbon

$480 12.8% 301% $360

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Arbon

$139 3.7% 67.4% $56

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Arbon

$152 4% 129% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $2,023 in Arbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arbon are about 23 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $595 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

09:33 9:33 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,853

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Arbon 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Arbon

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

Phuket vs Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $3,763 in Arbon – Phuket comes out roughly 66% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $5,645 in Arbon. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $2,023 in Arbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $3,763 in Arbon. That makes Phuket about 66% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% 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 $1,294, than in Arbon at $3,763. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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