Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Kunming vs Lucknow

Kunming vs Lucknow

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Lucknow 45% cheaper Kunming +183 Mbps N/A / N/A

Kunming

Wanghao SANG/Unsplash

Lucknow

Rhythmic Creations/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$1,502

Kunming

$830

Lucknow

Internet

244

Mbps

Safety

N/A

Kunming

N/A

Lucknow

Air Quality

5/5

Kunming

5/5

Lucknow

Healthcare

N/A

Kunming

N/A

Lucknow

Population

3.0m

Kunming

2.9m

Lucknow

Kunming (China) and Lucknow (India) are both in Asia, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

The monthly savings are substantial — Lucknow at $830/mo costs 45% less than Kunming at $1502/mo, adding up to $8064 over a year.

For families, Kunming costs $2493.130633744401/mo compared to Lucknow's $668.408773077319/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

For bandwidth-intensive work, Kunming has a clear edge at 244 Mbps (#0 globally) compared to Lucknow's 61 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

Both Kunming and Lucknow share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Kunming and Lucknow.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Kunming is April (around 22 degrees, 0mm rain, score 390), while Lucknow peaks in February (23 degrees, 0mm rain, score 375). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

KunmingLucknow

Nomad$1,502/mo$830/mo

Expat$982/mo$484/mo

Local$712/mo$191/mo

Family$2,493/mo$668/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

KunmingLucknow

City Speed

244 Mbps

61 Mbps

Country Speed244 Mbps61 Mbps

Environment & Health

KunmingLucknow

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionN/AN/A

ClimateN/AN/A

Humidity5918

Quality of Life

KunmingLucknow

SafetyN/AN/A

HealthcareN/AN/A

Monthly Weather Comparison

Kunming

Lucknow

Jan

9°

0mm328

19°

0mm335

Feb

13°

0mm350

23°

0mm375

Mar

17°

0mm370

30°

0mm375

Apr

22°

0mm390

38°

0mm325

May

23°

2mm318

42°

0mm315

Jun

25°

4mm191

44°

0mm315

Jul

25°

5mm175

40°

6mm191

Aug

25°

3mm278

38°

7mm196

Sep

23°

2mm278

37°

2mm303

Oct

19°

1mm288

36°

0mm375

Nov

14°

0mm340

29°

0mm375

Dec

13°

0mm340

22°

0mm355

Who Should Choose Kunming?

Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 244 Mbps
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $2493.130633744401/mo for families
Major city energy with 3.0m residents
Peak season in April — 22 degrees, score 390

Who Should Choose Lucknow?

Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $830
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $668.408773077319/mo for families
Major city energy with 2.9m residents
Peak season in February — 23 degrees, score 375

Overall Verdict

The data favors Kunming as the more well-rounded choice. At $1502/mo versus Lucknow's $830/mo, that is a 45% saving that adds up significantly on an extended stay.

Granular Price Comparison

Kunming Lucknow

ItemKunmingLucknowDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$2.49$3.07

19%

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$28.47$12.28

57%

McMeal or equivalent combo$5.34$3.07

43%

Cappuccino (regular)$3.38$1.57

54%

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$1.07$1.84

42%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$2.14$3.68

42%

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$0.52$0.35

33%

Water (0.33L)$0.25$0.18

28%

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$1.89$0.68

64%

White bread (500g)$2.73$0.45

84%

White rice (1kg)$1.78$0.71

60%

Eggs (12)$1.71$1.03

40%

Chicken fillets (1kg)$5.37$3.48

35%

Beef round (1kg)$10.5$6.52

38%

Local cheese (1kg)$14.71$3.96

73%

Apples (1kg)$1.64$1.49

Bananas (1kg)$1$0.58

42%

Oranges (1kg)$1.49$0.82

45%

Tomatoes (1kg)$1.61$0.43

73%

Potatoes (1kg)$0.93$0.25

73%

Onions (1kg)$1.19$0.35

71%

Lettuce (1 head)$0.66$0.43

35%

Water (1.5L bottle)$0.71$0.35

51%

Wine, mid-range bottle$8.54$6.14

28%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$0.71$1.81

61%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$1.57$3.39

54%

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$2.85$4.05

30%

🚌Transport8 items

One-way local transport ticket$0.43$0.43

Monthly transport pass$42.71$12.28

71%

Taxi start (normal tariff)$1.14$0.61

46%

Taxi per 1km$0.43$0.15

65%

Taxi 1hr waiting$7.12$1.23

83%

Gasoline (1L)$1.18$1.25

Volkswagen Golf (new)$17,082.58$14,738.11

14%

Toyota Corolla (new)$18,980.64$24,393.62

22%

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$47.45$47.83

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$12.46$8.66

30%

Mobile prepaid per minute$0.02$0.02

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$23.73$19.96

16%

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$11.39$10.23

10%

Cinema, 1 ticket$7.12$3.68

48%

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo$260.98$51.34

80%

International primary school/yr—$1,271.16

—

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$68.84$27.55

60%

Summer dress (chain store)$30.89$34.39

10%

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$93.9$40.91

56%

Men's leather business shoes$128.12$38.92

70%

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre$212.96$122.82

42%

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$226.63$77.99

66%

3-bedroom apartment, city centre$365.57$305.51

16%

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$361.01$180.13

50%

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre$5,517.93$1,067.19

81%

Price per m², outside centre$3,892.4$599.7

85%

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary$949.44$569.74

40%

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$5.25$8.47

38%

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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