Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sion and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,235 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sion and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sion and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,235 in Sion versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Sion $3,235
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Sion versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Sion $4,857
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,479 in Sion versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Sion $6,479
Phuket $2,867

Living in Sion is roughly 168% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sion is 140% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.97 CHF 23.86

$4.58 ฿153

532.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$32.48 ฿1,086

175.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.15 CHF 15.77

$8.55 ฿286

123.98%

Cappuccino

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$2.72 ฿91.0

69.12%

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

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$0.94 ฿31.25

441.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$0.49 ฿16.39

773.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$2.59 ฿86.6

184.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CHF 6.00

$3.83 ฿128

90.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.74 ฿58.1

11.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$1.43 ฿47.82

147.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 CHF 3.45

$1.53 ฿51.0

173.86%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$2.17 ฿72.7

228.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.01 CHF 21.42

$19.15 ฿640

35.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.69 CHF 18.69

$3.30 ฿110

587.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 33.02

$11.14 ฿372

259.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$2.95 ฿98.5

6.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$1.68 ฿56.1

1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.09

$2.30 ฿76.8

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 CHF 5.11

$2.13 ฿71.3

191.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CHF 1.53

$1.53 ฿51.1

20.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.36 ฿45.55

58.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$1.12 ฿37.44

116.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CHF 0.97

$0.55 ฿18.24

112.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.94

$4.26 ฿142

154.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.74

$18.19 ฿608

-21.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$1.74 ฿58.2

1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$2.79 ฿93.3

-31.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.24 CHF 4.32

$2.22 ฿74.1

136.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 CHF 148

$22.06 ฿737

713.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 CHF 4.89

$2.91 ฿97.3

104.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$1.01 ฿33.79

423.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.12 CHF 39.63

$3.83 ฿128

1156.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.49 ฿49.85

48.32%

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

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

28.34%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

40.86%

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

$308 CHF 254

$99.4 ฿3,321

210.13%

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

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$11.28 ฿377

120.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.64 CHF 40.89

$17.36 ฿580

185.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$135 CHF 111

$52.3 ฿1,747

157.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.5 CHF 44.88

$10.85 ฿362

402.21%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 CHF 16.70

$7.57 ฿253

167.90%

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

$953 CHF 785

$558 ฿18.7K

70.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

228.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 89.7

$62.9 ฿2,102

73.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 CHF 39.71

$28.58 ฿955

68.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$96.1 ฿3,213

67.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$88.1 ฿2,943

87.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 CHF 1,005

$729 ฿24.4K

67.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,021

$460 ฿15.4K

169.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CHF 1,913

$2,096 ฿70.0K

10.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 CHF 1,707

$1,222 ฿40.8K

69.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 CHF 6,045

$3,459 ฿115.6K

112.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,532 CHF 4,556

$2,489 ฿83.2K

122.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,826 CHF 4,798

$493 ฿16.5K

1081.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.15

5.57

-61.40%

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

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sion

$1.2K 38.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 62.9% $780

Groceries & Markets

Sion

$554 17.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 51.7% $286

Eating Out

Sion

$433 13.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 72% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sion

$383 11.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 66.5% $255

Getting Around

Sion

$233 7.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 83.3% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Sion

$217 6.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 42.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Sion

$175 5.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 61.6% $108

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,221 in Sion and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sion pays 1082% 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: $90.0 in Sion vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $554 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Sion

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

12:00 12:00 PM

5 h ahead of Sion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,599

79,308

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sion Phuket 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sion
Phuket

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

Sion vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 168% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1082% higher in Sion, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,221 in Sion versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $953 in Sion versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in Sion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,235 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.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sion, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sion and Phuket 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 168% less than in Sion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.