Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Luoyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Luoyang: $661 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Luoyang
Learn more

Luoyang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Luoyang

🇨🇳 China

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Luoyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $661 in Luoyang.

Phuket $1,278
Luoyang $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,068 in Luoyang.

Phuket $2,216
Luoyang $1,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,476 in Luoyang.

Phuket $3,154
Luoyang $1,476

Living in Phuket is roughly 93% more expensive than in Luoyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Luoyang 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.73 ¥24.81

19.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$30.26 ¥201

7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.69 ¥37.87

54.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.57 ¥23.75

-20.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.47 ¥3.11

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.25 ¥1.66

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.31 ¥8.70

95.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.97 ¥19.79

23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.87 ¥12.47

-11.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.30 ¥15.28

-36.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.02 ¥6.81

47.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.43 ¥9.51

46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$13.09 ¥87.1

45.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.42 ¥22.78

-3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.85 ¥58.9

23.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$0.95 ¥6.30

208.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.36 ¥9.05

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.51 ¥10.02

49.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.33 ¥8.88

56.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.75 ¥5.02

101.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.97 ¥6.47

42.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.46 ¥3.08

132.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.84 ¥5.56

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.75 ¥11.66

140.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$13.66 ¥90.9

37.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.43 ¥2.89

323.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.25 ¥15.00

26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.31 ¥2.09

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$18.10 ¥120

213.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.18 ¥7.88

155.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.36 ¥2.37

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$7.26 ¥48.32

-49.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.27 ¥8.45

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.6K ¥130.1K

36.94%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$18.0K ¥119.7K

48.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$42.16 ¥281

128.53%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.03 ¥40.10

86.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$10.44 ¥69.5

61.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$22.06 ¥147

204.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$12.20 ¥81.2

-12.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.71 ¥37.98

31.35%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$191 ¥1,273

148.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$18.6K ¥123.5K

-39.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$49.85 ¥332

25.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$29.86 ¥199

-4.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$66.3 ¥441

42.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$80.5 ¥536

6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$192 ¥1,277

273.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$129 ¥861

279.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$441 ¥2,937

336.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$225 ¥1,495

536.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,135 ¥14.2K

95.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,390 ¥9,251

119.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$644 ¥4,288

-22.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.45

25.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Luoyang

$129 19.6% 73.7% $362

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Luoyang

$210 31.8% 21.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Luoyang

$59 8.9% 52.9% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Luoyang

$102 15.4% 16.4% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Luoyang

$105 15.9% 13.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Luoyang

$33 5.1% 59.3% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Luoyang

$22 3.4% 68.4% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $192 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luoyang pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Luoyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $210 per month, with Luoyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Luoyang

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,926,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Luoyang 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Luoyang

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 Luoyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luoyang wins on cost – living expenses run 48% 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, salaries run 22% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $192 in Luoyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $191 in Luoyang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $661 in Luoyang versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 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 cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Luoyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.