Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Luoyang Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Luoyang

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $616 in Luoyang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,003 in Luoyang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,390 in Luoyang.

Living in Phuket is roughly 106% more expensive than Luoyang, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Luoyang 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$3.47 ¥23.50

35.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$28.21 ¥191

60.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$5.31 ¥35.94

58.76%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$3.47 ¥23.51

-15.56%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.44 ¥2.96

56.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.23 ¥1.56

60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.16 ¥7.88

107.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.83 ¥19.14

31.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$1.79 ¥12.12

24.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$2.13 ¥14.46

-14.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$1.01 ¥6.85

114.85%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.39 ¥9.40

58.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$12.75 ¥86.4

54.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$3.23 ¥21.86

12.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$8.51 ¥57.6

58.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$0.95 ¥6.45

245.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.25 ¥8.44

28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.36 ¥9.24

77.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.13 ¥7.67

84.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$0.71 ¥4.81

115.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$0.90 ¥6.12

64.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$0.40 ¥2.73

147.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.74 ¥5.03

-31.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$1.57 ¥10.62

180.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$13.26 ¥89.8

46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.41 ¥2.76

334.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$2.09 ¥14.15

29.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$0.27 ¥1.83

407.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$16.54 ¥112

-31.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.08 ¥7.34

179.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.35 ¥2.40

182.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$6.53 ¥44.23

115.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.19 ¥8.06

14.29%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$19.6K ¥132.8K

43.78%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.6K ¥112.3K

98.45%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$39.94 ¥271

204.71%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$5.65 ¥38.24

140.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$9.65 ¥65.3

89.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$21.28 ¥144

182.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$11.26 ¥76.3

52.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$5.27 ¥35.69

64.90%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$184 ¥1,250

275.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$17.1K ¥115.7K

-8.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$46.56 ¥315

27.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$27.86 ¥189

24.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$60.4 ¥409

89.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$74.5 ¥505

11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$176 ¥1,191

248.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$118 ¥802

269.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$410 ¥2,779

410.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$212 ¥1,437

611.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$2,081 ¥14.1K

80.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$1,414 ¥9,575

85.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$619 ¥4,194

-17.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.45

19.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $176 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luoyang pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $28.00 in Luoyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $199 per month, with Luoyang cheaper across the board.

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 Luoyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luoyang wins on cost – living expenses run 106% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Luoyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Luoyang earns 22% less. 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: $613 in Phuket versus $176 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $184 in Luoyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $616 in Luoyang versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Luoyang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Luoyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Luoyang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $616 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Luoyang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Luoyang 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 Luoyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.