Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colonia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,527 in Colonia, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Colonia
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Colonia Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Colonia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,527

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colonia 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 Colonia and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Colonia versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Colonia $1,527
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,494 in Colonia versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Colonia $2,494
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,462 in Colonia versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Colonia $3,462
Phuket $3,154

Living in Colonia is roughly 19% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Colonia is 12% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.42 UYU 660

$4.47 ฿151

267.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 UYU 2,986

$32.41 ฿1,094

129.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.02 UYU 523

$8.81 ฿297

47.79%

Cappuccino

$6.04 UYU 243

$2.83 ฿95.4

113.43%

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

$1.94 UYU 78.1

$0.87 ฿29.42

122.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 UYU 56.4

$0.49 ฿16.66

185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 UYU 202

$2.56 ฿86.3

96.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 UYU 197

$3.68 ฿124

32.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 UYU 47.51

$1.66 ฿56.0

-28.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.46 ฿49.32

52.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 UYU 49.67

$1.50 ฿50.5

-17.33%

Eggs

$3.53 UYU 142

$2.09 ฿70.5

68.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 UYU 396

$19.07 ฿643

-48.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.66 UYU 509

$3.30 ฿111

283.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 UYU 445

$10.91 ฿368

1.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 UYU 88.5

$2.93 ฿98.9

-24.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 UYU 73.8

$1.69 ฿57.0

8.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 UYU 49.63

$2.25 ฿75.8

-45.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 UYU 224

$2.08 ฿70.1

167.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 UYU 82.1

$1.51 ฿51.0

35.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 UYU 81.0

$1.38 ฿46.54

45.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 UYU 51.6

$1.07 ฿35.97

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 UYU 50.9

$0.52 ฿17.51

144.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 UYU 292

$4.20 ฿142

72.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 UYU 497

$18.79 ฿634

-34.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 UYU 184

$1.82 ฿61.5

152.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 UYU 103

$2.84 ฿95.9

-10.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 UYU 39.72

$1.45 ฿49.00

-31.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 UYU 37.19

$3.02 ฿102

-69.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 UYU 97.7

$1.02 ฿34.34

138.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 UYU 82.7

$1.47 ฿49.78

40.14%

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

$32.3K UYU 1.3M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

20.48%

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

$40.4K UYU 1.6M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

51.54%

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

$127 UYU 5,089

$96.4 ฿3,252

31.42%

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

$18.64 UYU 749

$11.26 ฿380

65.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.38 UYU 1,583

$16.85 ฿569

133.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.76 UYU 1,679

$67.2 ฿2,269

-37.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.44 UYU 500

$10.73 ฿362

15.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 UYU 316

$7.50 ฿253

4.80%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 UYU 2,320

$62.4 ฿2,105

-7.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 UYU 2,021

$28.41 ฿959

76.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 UYU 4,542

$94.3 ฿3,182

19.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$200 UYU 8,030

$85.8 ฿2,896

132.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 UYU 24.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

-13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 UYU 18.9K

$491 ฿16.6K

-4.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,134 UYU 45.6K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-41.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 UYU 40.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-30.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Colonia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colonia

$470 30.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 4.5% $21

Groceries & Markets

Colonia

$317 20.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16.1% $51

Eating Out

Colonia

$291 19.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 58.2% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Colonia

$189 12.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colonia

$185 12.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Colonia

$57 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 43.1% $25

Getting Around

Colonia

$17 * 1.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 314% $54

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 $617 in Colonia and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74 in Colonia vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Colonia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

11:45 11:45 AM

10 h ahead of Colonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,231

79,308

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 40.19 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.88 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colonia Phuket 16,190 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Colonia
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

Colonia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Colonia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,290 in Colonia and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $617 in Colonia versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,527 per month in Colonia versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Colonia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,527 in Colonia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Colonia. 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, Colonia and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.