Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salto and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,332 in Salto, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,332

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,332 in Salto versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Salto $1,332
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,921 in Salto versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Salto $1,921
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,510 in Salto versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Salto $2,510
Phuket $2,822

Living in Salto is roughly 12% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Salto 1% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.98 UYU 643

$4.35 ฿146

267.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.19 UYU 1,495

$32.45 ฿1,087

14.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 UYU 477

$8.42 ฿282

40.86%

Cappuccino

$3.26 UYU 131

$2.81 ฿94.0

16.01%

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

$2.21 UYU 89.0

$0.87 ฿29.29

154.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 UYU 63.1

$0.46 ฿15.39

241.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 UYU 184

$2.59 ฿86.6

76.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 UYU 124

$3.64 ฿122

-15.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 UYU 56.2

$1.71 ฿57.2

-18.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 UYU 85.1

$1.45 ฿48.42

46.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 UYU 60.3

$1.56 ฿52.3

-3.85%

Eggs

$5.34 UYU 215

$2.10 ฿70.3

154.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 UYU 605

$19.53 ฿654

-22.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 UYU 351

$3.40 ฿114

156.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 UYU 397

$11.14 ฿373

-11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 UYU 51.0

$2.83 ฿94.8

-55.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.7

$1.62 ฿54.3

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 UYU 49.93

$2.22 ฿74.5

-44.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 UYU 74.8

$2.15 ฿71.9

-13.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 UYU 36.05

$1.49 ฿49.95

-39.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 UYU 66.8

$1.33 ฿44.40

24.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 UYU 35.78

$1.07 ฿35.72

-16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 UYU 61.4

$0.51 ฿17.01

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 UYU 213

$4.38 ฿147

20.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 UYU 303

$18.77 ฿629

-59.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 UYU 76.9

$1.74 ฿58.3

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 UYU 105

$2.78 ฿92.9

-6.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 UYU 23.98

$2.17 ฿72.6

-72.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.75 UYU 1,196

$22.28 ฿746

33.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.61 UYU 145

$1.06 ฿35.43

240.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 UYU 78.3

$1.43 ฿47.88

36.36%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

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

$200 UYU 8,032

$96.7 ฿3,236

106.66%

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

$21.70 UYU 872

$11.41 ฿382

90.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.62 UYU 1,191

$17.11 ฿573

73.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 UYU 1,478

$52.8 ฿1,768

-30.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.46 UYU 501

$11.07 ฿371

12.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.93 UYU 399

$7.65 ฿256

29.80%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 UYU 179.4K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-60.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 UYU 3,437

$63.4 ฿2,123

34.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 UYU 2,247

$28.61 ฿958

95.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 UYU 4,576

$96.7 ฿3,238

17.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 UYU 2,697

$88.6 ฿2,967

-24.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 UYU 17.6K

$735 ฿24.6K

-40.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 UYU 12.1K

$458 ฿15.3K

-34.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$749 UYU 30.1K

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-64.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 UYU 16.8K

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-64.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$628 UYU 25.3K

$501 ฿16.8K

25.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Salto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salto

$300 22.7%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 52.6% $158

Groceries & Markets

Salto

$272 20.6%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 1.5% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salto

$251 19%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 50.1% $126

Eating Out

Salto

$247 18.7%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 51.7% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Salto

$145 11%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 13.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Salto

$57 4.3%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 20.3% $11

Getting Around

Salto

$50 * 3.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 21.8% $11

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 $438 in Salto and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salto pays 25% 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: $37.00 in Salto vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Salto

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

20:05 8:05 PM

10 h ahead of Salto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,028

79,308

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salto Phuket 16,430 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Salto
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

Salto vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Salto, 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: $438 in Salto versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $37.00 in Salto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 34% less than in Salto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,332 in Salto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Salto. 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 Salto, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Salto 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 12% less than in Salto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.