Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buchs

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buchs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,009 in Buchs.

Phuket $1,208
Buchs $3,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $4,535 in Buchs.

Phuket $2,027
Buchs $4,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $6,062 in Buchs.

Phuket $2,845
Buchs $6,062

Living in Phuket costs roughly 60% less than in Buchs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Buchs is 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$23.43 CHF 19.30

-81.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$84.3 CHF 69.4

-61.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$15.36 CHF 12.65

-42.97%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.71 CHF 3.88

-39.92%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$3.77 CHF 3.10

-76.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$3.20 CHF 2.63

-85.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.13 CHF 5.04

-58.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-28.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-13.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-62.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-67.46%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-70.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$32.21 CHF 26.53

-38.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$18.51 CHF 15.24

-81.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-65.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.53 CHF 2.91

-19.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-20.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-30.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$6.70 CHF 5.52

-69.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.54 CHF 2.10

-45.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-56.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.21 CHF 1.00

-57.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$10.84 CHF 8.92

-60.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.70 CHF 10.46

46.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-45.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.91 CHF 3.22

-27.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$5.17 CHF 4.25

-56.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.36 CHF 4.42

-43.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$3.46 CHF 2.85

-69.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$61.2 CHF 50.4

-93.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-34.98%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

-38.11%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-31.91%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$184 CHF 152

-47.73%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$31.24 CHF 25.73

-64.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$67.2 CHF 55.4

-74.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$15.20 CHF 12.52

-48.62%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$611 CHF 503

-9.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

-43.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$107 CHF 88.0

-39.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$23.70 CHF 19.52

21.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$95.2 CHF 78.4

0.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$170 CHF 140

-48.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,828 CHF 1,505

-59.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,561 CHF 1,285

-70.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,690 CHF 2,216

-22.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$2,746 CHF 2,261

-56.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$8,480 CHF 6,984

-94.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

1.93

188.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9% 238% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Buchs

$555 18.4% 107% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Buchs

$283 9.4% 127% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Buchs

$178 5.9% 43.1% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Buchs

$359 11.9% 196% $238

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Buchs

$30 * 1% 55.2% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Buchs

$43 * 1.4% 9.8% $3.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,828 in Buchs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 1594% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $84.0 in Buchs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $555 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇭 Buchs

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

12:16 12:16 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,187

💱 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Phuket Buchs 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buchs

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 Buchs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Buchs differ by about 149% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $3,009 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1594% lower in Buchs. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,828 in Buchs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $611 in Buchs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,009 in Buchs, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Buchs. 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, Phuket and Buchs 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 149% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.