Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,284 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $24,100 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,284 in Sion.

Phuket $1,278
Sion $3,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,915 in Sion.

Phuket $2,216
Sion $4,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $6,546 in Sion.

Phuket $3,154
Sion $6,546

Living in Phuket costs roughly 61% less than in Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Sion is 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$29.93 CHF 24.83

-85.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$90.2 CHF 74.8

-64.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$19.21 CHF 15.94

-54.14%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.66 CHF 3.86

-39.27%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$5.39 CHF 4.47

-83.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$4.17 CHF 3.46

-88.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$7.32 CHF 6.08

-65.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.40 CHF 6.14

-50.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.02 CHF 1.68

-17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.71 CHF 3.08

-60.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.02 CHF 3.33

-62.69%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$7.23 CHF 5.99

-71.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$25.77 CHF 21.38

-26.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$22.80 CHF 18.91

-85.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$39.58 CHF 32.83

-72.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.28 CHF 2.72

-10.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.70 CHF 1.41

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.54 CHF 2.11

-11.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.35 CHF 5.27

-67.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.81 CHF 1.50

-16.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.15 CHF 1.79

-35.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.45 CHF 2.03

-56.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.17 CHF 0.97

-55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.96 CHF 9.10

-61.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.59 CHF 12.10

28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.79 CHF 1.49

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.88 CHF 1.56

51.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$5.17 CHF 4.29

-71.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$179 CHF 148

-68.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.93 CHF 4.92

-49.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$5.39 CHF 4.47

-81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$49.11 CHF 40.74

-92.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-36.09%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

-32.07%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$37.6K CHF 31.2K

-28.99%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$309 CHF 256

-68.84%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.35 CHF 21.03

-55.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$48.26 CHF 40.03

-65.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$137 CHF 114

-50.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$55.4 CHF 45.98

-80.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$20.33 CHF 16.87

-63.11%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$974 CHF 808

-51.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$38.2K CHF 31.7K

-70.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$110 CHF 91.5

-43.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$49.30 CHF 40.90

-42.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$165 CHF 137

-43.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$172 CHF 143

-50.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,231 CHF 1,021

-41.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,269 CHF 1,053

-61.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,308 CHF 1,915

-16.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,091 CHF 1,734

-31.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$7,526 CHF 6,244

-44.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,552 CHF 4,606

-45.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$5,816 CHF 4,825

-91.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.15

159.07%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sion

$1.3K 38.6% 159% $778

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sion

$556 16.9% 109% $290

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sion

$383 11.7% 208% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sion

$224 6.8% 83.6% $102

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sion

$443 13.5% 264% $321

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sion

$178 5.4% 116% $96

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sion

$232 7.1% 229% $162

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,231 in Sion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sion pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $90 in Sion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $556 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

22:19 10:19 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,599

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sion 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sion

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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 91% 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 $1,231 in Sion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $974 in Sion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 109% higher in Sion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,284 in Sion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sion. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Sion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.