Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lanzhou

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lanzhou

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

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

Phuket $1,207
Lanzhou $719

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

Phuket $2,037
Lanzhou $1,143

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

Phuket $2,867
Lanzhou $1,567

Living in Phuket is roughly 68% more expensive than in Lanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.06 ¥13.80

122.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$28.34 ¥189

14.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.86 ¥39.15

45.90%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.12 ¥20.89

-12.82%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.48 ¥3.19

95.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.29 ¥1.93

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.10 ¥7.35

135.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.02 ¥13.54

89.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.77 ¥11.81

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.61 ¥10.75

-11.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.96 ¥6.40

59.38%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.60 ¥10.72

35.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$13.22 ¥88.4

44.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.43 ¥22.92

-3.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$12.11 ¥81.0

-8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.81 ¥12.09

62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.28 ¥8.56

31.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.49 ¥9.97

54.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.24 ¥8.32

71.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.70 ¥4.70

118.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.93 ¥6.21

46.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.60 ¥3.99

86.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.55 ¥3.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.77 ¥25.19

13.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$11.52 ¥77.0

57.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.83 ¥5.52

109.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.53 ¥10.25

82.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.29 ¥1.92

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$18.07 ¥121

22.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.48 ¥9.91

96.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.32 ¥2.17

215.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.12 ¥47.58

-46.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.46 ¥9.73

2.05%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$17.5K ¥117.2K

52.18%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$15.0K ¥100.4K

77.96%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$58.0 ¥388

71.30%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$8.79 ¥58.8

28.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.18 ¥74.8

55.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$42.33 ¥283

23.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$14.69 ¥98.2

-26.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$6.29 ¥42.06

20.35%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$412 ¥2,756

35.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

-34.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$42.85 ¥287

46.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$33.44 ¥224

-14.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$75.6 ¥505

27.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$74.1 ¥495

18.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$295 ¥1,971

147.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$168 ¥1,126

173.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$626 ¥4,186

234.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$297 ¥1,986

311.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,671 ¥17.9K

29.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,611 ¥10.8K

54.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$953 ¥6,375

-48.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Lanzhou

$168 23.4% 63.4% $292

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Lanzhou

$209 29.1% 21.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Lanzhou

$78 10.9% 39.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Lanzhou

$102 14.2% 18% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Lanzhou

$84 11.7% 30.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Lanzhou

$55 7.6% 18.6% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Lanzhou

$22 3.1% 42.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $295 in Lanzhou. 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $28.00 in Lanzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $209 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

16:32 4:32 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,688,400

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Phuket
Lanzhou

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 Lanzhou: 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.

On paper, salaries run 93% lower in Lanzhou. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $295 in Lanzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $412 in Lanzhou. 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, Phuket and Lanzhou 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.