Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Montevideo vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Montevideo $2,784
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,797 per month in Montevideo vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Montevideo $3,797
Phuket $3,154

Montevideo costs about 39% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 30% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 UYU 629

$4.47 ฿151

249.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 UYU 2,812

$32.41 ฿1,094

115.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.51 UYU 584

$8.81 ฿297

64.70%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$2.83 ฿95.5

56.54%

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

$2.49 UYU 100

$0.87 ฿29.43

186.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.5

$0.49 ฿16.67

297.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 UYU 192

$2.56 ฿86.4

86.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 148

$3.68 ฿124

-0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UYU 50.6

$1.66 ฿56.0

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 UYU 120

$1.46 ฿49.35

104.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.1

$1.50 ฿50.6

16.00%

Eggs

$4.80 UYU 193

$2.09 ฿70.5

129.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 UYU 565

$19.07 ฿644

-26.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 UYU 457

$3.30 ฿111

243.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$10.91 ฿368

11.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.93 ฿99.0

-6.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$1.69 ฿57.1

67.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.4

$2.25 ฿75.8

-27.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 UYU 128

$2.08 ฿70.1

52.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.1

$1.51 ฿51.0

33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.5

$1.38 ฿46.56

54.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 UYU 56.0

$1.07 ฿35.99

29.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 78.2

$0.52 ฿17.52

273.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 215

$4.20 ฿142

27.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$18.79 ฿634

-55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 UYU 94.3

$1.82 ฿61.5

29.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 113

$2.84 ฿95.9

-1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 UYU 62.4

$1.45 ฿49.03

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,013

$56.7 ฿1,913

32.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.9

$3.02 ฿102

-36.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.55

$1.02 ฿34.36

-59.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 UYU 417

$3.69 ฿125

181.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.5

$1.47 ฿49.81

51.70%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-0.90%

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

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

34.32%

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

$184 UYU 7,392

$96.4 ฿3,254

90.78%

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

$20.15 UYU 810

$11.26 ฿380

78.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 UYU 1,739

$16.85 ฿569

156.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 UYU 1,949

$67.2 ฿2,270

-27.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 UYU 792

$10.73 ฿362

83.69%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 UYU 487

$7.50 ฿253

61.47%

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

$636 UYU 25.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

33.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-2.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,050

$62.4 ฿2,106

61.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,289

$28.41 ฿959

100.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,937

$94.3 ฿3,184

30.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,241

$85.8 ฿2,898

51.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 UYU 30.0K

$716 ฿24.2K

4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

18.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-33.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-21.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-12.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-33.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$502 ฿17.0K

155.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

5.57

1.44%

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

Last update for Montevideo: 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

Montevideo

$581 32.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 15.4% $90

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19.4% $64

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.1% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$247 14%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 49.7% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$185 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 34.1% $63

Getting Around

Montevideo

$85 4.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 17.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 13.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Montevideo versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Montevideo are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Montevideo versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

05:03 5:03 AM

10 h ahead of Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

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 = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.77 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

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).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Phuket 16,050 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
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

Montevideo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,657 per month in Montevideo and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $747 in Montevideo and $716 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Montevideo and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Montevideo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.