Objective To explore the feasibility and safety of daytime laparoscopic cholecystectomy in high-altitude areas. Methods Clinical data of patients with gallstones undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy admitted to Qinghai Red Cross Hospital between January and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. Patients were divided into daytime surgery group and routine surgery group according to their hospitalization method. The gender, age, ethnicity, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, comorbidities, postoperative pain, postoperative indwelling drainage tube, postoperative nausea and vomiting, overall satisfaction, length of hospital stay, and hospitalization costs of the two groups of patients were compared. Results A total of 95 patients who underwent daytime surgery and 186 patients who underwent routine surgery were included. There was no statistically significant difference in gender, age, comorbidities, or American Society of Anesthesiologists classification between the two groups of patients (P>0.05). The proportion of Han patients in the daytime surgery group was higher than that in the routine surgery group (69.5% vs. 34.4%, P<0.05). All patients successfully completed the surgery without any serious complication. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative indwelling drainage tube, postoperative nausea and vomiting, postoperative pain, or overall satisfaction between the two groups of patients (P>0.05). The length of hospital stay [(1.03±0.17) vs. (5.30±1.53) d] and hospitalization expenses [(8104.97±660.65) vs. (8947.82±746.19) yuan] in the daytime surgery group were lower than those in the routine surgery group (P<0.05). Conclusion Daytime laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe and feasible for patients in high-altitude areas without comorbidities or with stable control of comorbidities, and is beneficial for reducing the medical burden on patients.