Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baden

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,825 in Baden, rent and utilities included – about $31,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
186

Cost of Living Index in Baden
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Baden Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Baden

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Baden

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 Baden actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $3,825 in Baden, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Baden $3,825

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $5,558 in Baden, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Baden $5,558

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $7,291 in Baden, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Baden $7,291

Phuket is about 68% cheaper than Baden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Baden is 183% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$34.26 CHF 28.22

-86.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$124 CHF 102

-73.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$17.62 CHF 14.51

-51.48%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$6.10 CHF 5.03

-55.41%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$5.87 CHF 4.84

-83.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$5.18 CHF 4.26

-90.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$9.41 CHF 7.75

-72.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.44 CHF 6.95

-54.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-20.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-56.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.85 CHF 3.17

-60.26%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$7.93 CHF 6.53

-72.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$27.14 CHF 22.35

-29.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$28.23 CHF 23.25

-88.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$47.66 CHF 39.26

-76.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.99 CHF 3.28

-26.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.71 CHF 2.23

-38.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.03 CHF 2.49

-24.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$4.68 CHF 3.85

-54.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-38.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.17 CHF 1.78

-37.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-53.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.26 CHF 1.04

-56.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$10.86 CHF 8.95

-60.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$12.03 CHF 9.91

51.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-28.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.93 CHF 2.41

-4.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$3.56 CHF 2.94

-37.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$106 CHF 87.4

-79.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$7.93 CHF 6.53

-63.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-78.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$88.1 CHF 72.5

-95.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.37 CHF 1.96

-37.13%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$40.4K CHF 33.3K

-33.98%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

-32.35%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$278 CHF 229

-64.28%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$46.12 CHF 37.99

-75.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$64.0 CHF 52.7

-72.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$154 CHF 127

-66.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$48.23 CHF 39.72

-77.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$23.12 CHF 19.04

-67.26%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$3,492 CHF 2,876

-84.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$32.6K CHF 26.9K

-64.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$143 CHF 118

-55.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$77.9 CHF 64.2

-63.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$163 CHF 134

-40.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$194 CHF 160

-54.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$2,004 CHF 1,651

-63.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,699 CHF 1,399

-72.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$3,310 CHF 2,726

-36.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$2,391 CHF 1,969

-48.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$17.0K CHF 14.0K

-79.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$13.2K CHF 10.9K

-81.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$8,919 CHF 7,346

-94.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.42

130.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Baden: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Baden

$1.7K 44.4% 269% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Baden

$618 16.2% 131% $350

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Baden

$388 10.2% 203% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Baden

$260 6.8% 110% $136

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Baden

$508 13.3% 319% $387

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Baden

$201 5.2% 197% $133

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Baden

$151 4% 289% $113

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $2,004 in Baden. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1709% higher in Baden, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $124 in Baden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $618 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇭 Baden

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

21:59 9:59 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

19,168

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Baden 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Baden

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 Baden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Baden is pricier by about 217%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $5,738 in Baden. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 131% more in Baden, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $124 in Baden. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Baden at $3,825. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Baden 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 have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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