Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $3,516 in Lachen, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Lachen
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Lachen Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lachen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,516 in Lachen.

Phuket $1,294
Lachen $3,516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $5,284 in Lachen.

Phuket $2,204
Lachen $5,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $7,052 in Lachen.

Phuket $3,115
Lachen $7,052

Living in Phuket costs roughly 63% less than in Lachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Lachen is 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$33.64 CHF 27.46

-86.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$124 CHF 101

-74.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$16.24 CHF 13.26

-46.43%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$6.30 CHF 5.15

-56.83%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$5.67 CHF 4.63

-83.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$5.08 CHF 4.15

-90.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$8.64 CHF 7.05

-70.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$9.61 CHF 7.85

-62.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.18 CHF 1.78

-20.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.42 CHF 2.79

-57.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.43 CHF 3.61

-66.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$7.62 CHF 6.22

-71.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$26.92 CHF 21.98

-29.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$26.45 CHF 21.60

-87.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$40.42 CHF 33.00

-73.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$3.64 CHF 2.97

-19.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$2.08 CHF 1.70

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$2.71 CHF 2.21

-19.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.75 CHF 3.88

-55.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.98 CHF 1.62

-26.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-37.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$2.45 CHF 2.00

-55.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.42 CHF 1.16

-61.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$10.83 CHF 8.84

-59.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$13.20 CHF 10.78

38.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$2.89 CHF 2.36

-38.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.48 CHF 2.84

-17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$4.23 CHF 3.46

-65.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$86.3 CHF 70.5

-36.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$8.19 CHF 6.69

-81.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$4.75 CHF 3.88

-83.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$87.0 CHF 71.1

-95.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-34.65%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$40.1K CHF 32.7K

-32.96%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

-32.49%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$240 CHF 196

-59.20%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$31.91 CHF 26.05

-64.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$65.5 CHF 53.4

-73.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$85.2 CHF 69.6

-19.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$48.54 CHF 39.63

-77.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$21.89 CHF 17.87

-66.06%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$2,982 CHF 2,434

-82.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$37.3K CHF 30.5K

-49.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$142 CHF 116

-56.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$89.7 CHF 73.2

-68.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$147 CHF 120

-34.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$175 CHF 143

-50.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,855 CHF 1,515

-61.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,578 CHF 1,289

-67.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$2,967 CHF 2,422

-34.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$2,518 CHF 2,056

-44.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$14.9K CHF 12.2K

-71.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$11.1K CHF 9,072

-70.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$9,845 CHF 8,038

-95.01%

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 Lachen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Lachen

$1.6K 44.9% 210% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Lachen

$589 16.7% 121% $322

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Lachen

$337 9.6% 167% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Lachen

$249 7.1% 103% $126

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Lachen

$499 14.2% 317% $379

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Lachen

$129 3.7% 55.1% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Lachen

$135 3.9% 105% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,855 in Lachen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lachen pays about 20 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $124 in Lachen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $589 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇭 Lachen

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

02:18 2:18 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lachen 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lachen

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 Lachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Lachen. 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 95% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,855 in Lachen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 36% less than in Lachen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $2,982 in Lachen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $3,516 in Lachen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lachen. 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 Lachen 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 63% less than in Lachen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.