Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,524 in Bern, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bern

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,524 in Bern.

Phuket $1,278
Bern $3,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $5,348 in Bern.

Phuket $2,216
Bern $5,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $7,171 in Bern.

Phuket $3,154
Bern $7,171

Living in Phuket costs roughly 64% less than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Bern is 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$28.73 CHF 23.70

-84.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$123 CHF 101

-73.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$15.88 CHF 13.10

-44.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$6.89 CHF 5.69

-58.93%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$6.13 CHF 5.06

-85.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$6.96 CHF 5.74

-92.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$9.11 CHF 7.51

-71.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.06 CHF 6.65

-54.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.21 CHF 1.83

-24.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.92 CHF 2.41

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.17 CHF 2.61

-52.68%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$7.70 CHF 6.35

-72.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$24.56 CHF 20.26

-22.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$29.33 CHF 24.20

-88.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$38.43 CHF 31.70

-71.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.80 CHF 3.13

-22.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-15.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.60 CHF 2.14

-13.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-54.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.65 CHF 1.37

-8.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-32.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.21 CHF 1.83

-51.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.28 CHF 1.06

-59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.13 CHF 9.18

-62.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.91 CHF 9.83

57.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-20.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.02 CHF 2.49

-5.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$6.35 CHF 5.24

-77.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$97.9 CHF 80.7

-42.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$7.99 CHF 6.59

-62.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$4.66 CHF 3.84

-78.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$110 CHF 90.8

-96.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-37.71%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$38.5K CHF 31.8K

-30.49%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$39.6K CHF 32.7K

-32.60%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$272 CHF 224

-64.55%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$28.10 CHF 23.18

-59.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$54.0 CHF 44.57

-68.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$85.2 CHF 70.3

-21.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$47.65 CHF 39.31

-77.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$25.53 CHF 21.06

-70.62%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$3,123 CHF 2,576

-84.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$30.5K CHF 25.2K

-63.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$144 CHF 119

-56.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$61.4 CHF 50.6

-53.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$155 CHF 128

-39.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$198 CHF 163

-56.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$2,102 CHF 1,734

-65.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,584 CHF 1,307

-69.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$3,558 CHF 2,935

-45.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,670 CHF 2,202

-46.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$18.2K CHF 15.0K

-77.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

-78.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$6,701 CHF 5,528

-92.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.46

126.42%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bern

$1.6K 45% 223% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bern

$570 16.2% 114% $303

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bern

$354 10% 184% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bern

$251 7.1% 106% $129

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bern

$474 13.5% 290% $353

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bern

$136 3.9% 65.7% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bern

$155 4.4% 119% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $2,102 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $123 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $570 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

128,848 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Bern 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bern

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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Bern. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 93% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $2,102 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $123 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $3,524 in Bern – Phuket is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,524 in Bern, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bern. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bern are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Bern. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.