Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Montevideo

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Montevideo

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

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

Phuket $1,278
Montevideo $1,771

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

Phuket $2,216
Montevideo $2,784

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

Phuket $3,154
Montevideo $3,797

Phuket is about 28% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.63 UYU 629

-71.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$69.9 UYU 2,812

-53.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$14.51 UYU 584

-39.28%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.43 UYU 178

-36.12%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.49 UYU 100

-65.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.95 UYU 78.5

-74.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.78 UYU 192

-46.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.67 UYU 148

0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.26 UYU 50.6

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.98 UYU 120

-51.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.74 UYU 70.1

-13.79%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.80 UYU 193

-56.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$14.06 UYU 565

35.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.35 UYU 457

-70.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.16 UYU 489

-10.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.74 UYU 110

6.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.83 UYU 114

-40.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.63 UYU 65.4

38.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.18 UYU 128

-34.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.02 UYU 81.1

-25.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.13 UYU 85.5

-35.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.39 UYU 56.0

-23.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.94 UYU 78.2

-73.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.34 UYU 215

-21.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.31 UYU 334

126.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.35 UYU 94.3

-22.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.80 UYU 113

1.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.55 UYU 62.4

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$74.9 UYU 3,013

-24.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.91 UYU 76.9

58.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.41 UYU 16.55

148.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$10.38 UYU 417

-64.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.23 UYU 89.5

-34.08%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

0.91%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

-25.55%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$184 UYU 7,392

-47.58%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.15 UYU 810

-44.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$43.24 UYU 1,739

-61.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$48.47 UYU 1,949

38.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$19.71 UYU 792

-45.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.11 UYU 487

-38.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$636 UYU 25.6K

-25.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

2.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$101 UYU 4,050

-38.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$56.9 UYU 2,289

-50.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$123 UYU 4,937

-23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$130 UYU 5,241

-34.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$747 UYU 30.0K

-4.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$581 UYU 23.3K

-15.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

50.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

27.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

14.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

50.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

-60.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.65

-1.42%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Montevideo

$581 32.8% 18.3% $90

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Montevideo

$330 18.6% 24% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Montevideo

$247 14% 98.6% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Montevideo

$185 10.4% 51.6% $63

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Montevideo

$271 15.3% 123% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Montevideo

$73 4.1% 11.6% $9.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Montevideo

$85 4.8% 20.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $747 in Montevideo. 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 $32 in Phuket versus $70 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $330 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

19:06 7:06 PM

10 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, 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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Montevideo 16,050 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Montevideo

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 Montevideo: 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 $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,657 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $636 in Montevideo. 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.