Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lanzhou and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $719 in Lanzhou versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Lanzhou $719
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,143 in Lanzhou versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Lanzhou $1,143
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,567 in Lanzhou versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Lanzhou $1,567
Phuket $2,867

Living in Lanzhou costs roughly 40% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lanzhou 47% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ¥13.80

$4.58 ฿153

-55.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.34 ¥189

$32.48 ฿1,086

-12.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 ¥39.15

$8.55 ฿286

-31.46%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥20.89

$2.72 ฿91.0

14.71%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.94 ฿31.25

-48.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.49 ฿16.39

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$2.59 ฿86.6

-57.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.83 ฿128

-47.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$1.74 ฿58.1

1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.43 ฿47.82

12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.53 ฿51.0

-37.25%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.72

$2.17 ฿72.7

-26.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 ¥88.4

$19.15 ฿640

-30.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.92

$3.30 ฿110

3.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ¥81.0

$11.14 ฿372

8.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$2.95 ฿98.5

-38.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$1.68 ฿56.1

-23.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$2.30 ฿76.8

-35.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$2.13 ฿71.3

-41.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.53 ฿51.1

-54.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.36 ฿45.55

-31.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.12 ฿37.44

-46.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$0.55 ฿18.24

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.19

$4.26 ฿142

-11.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 ¥77.0

$18.19 ฿608

-36.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.74 ฿58.2

-52.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$2.79 ฿93.3

-45.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$2.22 ฿74.1

-86.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$22.06 ฿737

-18.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$2.91 ฿97.3

-49.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$1.01 ฿33.79

-68.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.12 ¥47.58

$3.83 ฿128

85.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.73

$1.49 ฿49.85

-2.01%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-34.29%

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

$15.0K ¥100.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-43.81%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$99.4 ฿3,321

-41.62%

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

$8.79 ¥58.8

$11.28 ฿377

-22.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$17.36 ฿580

-35.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.33 ¥283

$52.3 ฿1,747

-19.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$10.85 ฿362

35.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ¥42.06

$7.57 ฿253

-16.91%

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

$412 ¥2,756

$558 ฿18.7K

-26.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

53.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.85 ¥287

$62.9 ฿2,102

-31.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 ¥224

$28.58 ฿955

17.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥505

$96.1 ฿3,213

-21.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ¥495

$88.1 ฿2,943

-15.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$729 ฿24.4K

-59.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,126

$460 ฿15.4K

-63.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,186

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-70.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,986

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-75.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 ¥17.9K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-22.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 ¥10.8K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-35.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$953 ¥6,375

$493 ฿16.5K

93.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lanzhou

$209 29.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 27.9% $58

Accommodation & Living

Lanzhou

$168 23.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 173% $292

Clothing & Footwear

Lanzhou

$102 14.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 22% $22

Eating Out

Lanzhou

$84 11.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 44.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lanzhou

$78 10.9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 64.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Lanzhou

$55 7.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 22.8% $13

Getting Around

Lanzhou

$22 3.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 74.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $295 in Lanzhou and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lanzhou pays 93% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28.00 in Lanzhou vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $268 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h behind Lanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,688,400

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lanzhou Phuket 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lanzhou
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

Lanzhou vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lanzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 93% higher in Lanzhou, 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: $295 in Lanzhou versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $412 in Lanzhou 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 28% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $719 in Lanzhou versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lanzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.