Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buochs

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,415 in Buochs, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Buochs, Switzerland
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Buochs
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,415
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buochs

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $3,415 in Buochs, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Buochs $3,415

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $5,026 in Buochs, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Buochs $5,026

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $6,637 in Buochs, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Buochs $6,637

Phuket is about 62% cheaper than Buochs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Buochs is 153% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$31.08 CHF 25.37
-85.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,085
$121 CHF 98.6
-73.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿292
$16.78 CHF 13.70
-48.15%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.5
$5.91 CHF 4.82
-53.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.25
$5.40 CHF 4.41
-82.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.78
$4.93 CHF 4.03
-89.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.0
$8.79 CHF 7.18
-71.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$6.56 CHF 5.36
-44.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.4
$2.22 CHF 1.81
-21.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.73
$3.34 CHF 2.72
-56.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$4.25 CHF 3.47
-64.71%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$7.11 CHF 5.81
-69.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿641
$26.50 CHF 21.64
-27.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$26.04 CHF 21.26
-86.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$41.18 CHF 33.62
-73.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.8
$3.61 CHF 2.95
-18.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.8
$2.09 CHF 1.71
-19.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.7
$2.60 CHF 2.12
-15.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$4.64 CHF 3.79
-54.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.99
$2.03 CHF 1.65
-28.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.95
$2.31 CHF 1.89
-40.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.14
$2.33 CHF 1.91
-53.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.32
$1.11 CHF 0.91
-50.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$10.91 CHF 8.91
-59.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿613
$12.12 CHF 9.89
50.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.5
$2.87 CHF 2.34
-38.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$3.05 CHF 2.49
-5.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.62
$4.59 CHF 3.75
-68.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,844
$99.9 CHF 81.5
-45.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.8
$4.69 CHF 3.83
-67.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.06
$2.91 CHF 2.38
-73.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$62.2 CHF 50.8
-93.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.96
$2.25 CHF 1.83
-33.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿902.9K
$38.9K CHF 31.7K
-30.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿884.9K
$39.6K CHF 32.3K
-33.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,285
$235 CHF 192
-58.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿379
$29.28 CHF 23.91
-61.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿577
$65.7 CHF 53.6
-73.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,295
$79.1 CHF 64.6
-13.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
$46.35 CHF 37.84
-76.44%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$21.59 CHF 17.63
-65.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$1,546 CHF 1,262
-65.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿630.9K
$25.1K CHF 20.5K
-25.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,072
$140 CHF 115
-56.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿949
$89.6 CHF 73.1
-68.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,225
$149 CHF 121
-35.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,916
$172 CHF 141
-49.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$1,830 CHF 1,494
-60.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$1,533 CHF 1,252
-66.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.5K
$3,141 CHF 2,564
-37.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.9K
$2,234 CHF 1,824
-37.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.8K
$14.4K CHF 11.7K
-70.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.8K
$10.7K CHF 8,704
-69.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Buochs
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
1.72
223.84%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Buochs: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Buochs
$1.5K 201% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Buochs
$577 116% $310
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Buochs
$330 161% $203
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Buochs
$248 102% $125
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Buochs
$468 292% $349
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Buochs
$122 47% $39
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Buochs
$137 108% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $1,830 in Buochs. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $121 in Buochs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $577 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇨🇭 Buochs
🕒 Local time
15:20 3:20 PM
09:20 9:20 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
5,500
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Buochs 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Buochs

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 Buochs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Buochs compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $3,415 in Buochs – Phuket comes out roughly 62% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Buochs?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $5,123 in Buochs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Buochs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,830 in Buochs.
How do commuting costs compare in Phuket and in Buochs?
Public transport costs about 45% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Buochs?
Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $1,546 in Buochs. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Buochs at $3,415. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buochs it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Phuket or Buochs?
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.
Is Phuket or Buochs safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Where should expats move: Phuket or Buochs?
For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 62% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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