Cost of living comparison
compared to
Laos vs. China Cost of Living Summary
Laos is 43.6% more expensive than China overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 30.3% more in Laos
- Groceries
-
pay 50.8% more in Laos
- Transportation
-
pay 98.8% more in Laos
- Housing
-
pay 2.4 times more in Laos
- Childcare
-
pay 32.1% less in Laos
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.3% less in Laos
- Clothing
-
pay 19.6% more in Laos
The cost of housing, transportation, groceries, restaurants, and clothing in Laos are more expensive than in China. Expenses including childcare and entertainment and sports are lower in Laos. Notably, housing and transportation are significantly more expensive in Laos.
Laos vs. China Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Laos instead of China, you would:
pay 30.3% more for restaurants
|
China
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.90
CN¥20.40
|
$2.08
LAK44,996
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.02
CN¥35.32
|
$5.54
LAK119,989
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
CN¥3.34
|
$0.76
LAK16,453
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.28
CN¥1.95
|
$0.50
LAK10,726
|
|
China vs. Laos - Cost of restaurants
pay 50.8% more for groceries
|
China
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.63
CN¥11.46
|
$1.13
LAK24,579
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.32
CN¥44.49
|
$13.26
LAK287,223
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.70
CN¥47.21
|
$6.91
LAK149,696
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.56
CN¥11.00
|
$2.11
LAK45,613
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.52
CN¥10.73
|
$2.10
LAK45,399
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.74
CN¥5.23
|
$0.76
LAK16,415
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
CN¥3.84
|
$0.75
LAK16,248
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.62
CN¥4.39
|
$0.97
LAK20,998
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
CN¥3.55
|
$1.30
LAK28,239
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
CN¥2.12
|
$0.70
LAK15,270
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.39
CN¥2.78
|
$0.46
LAK9,913
|
|
China vs. Laos - Cost of groceries
pay 98.8% more for transportation
|
China
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
CN¥30.53
|
$4.72
LAK102,292
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.32
CN¥143.09
|
$54.89
LAK1,188,824
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,143.98
CN¥134,794.71
|
$28,639.89
LAK620,324,112
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.94
CN¥27.76
|
$10.51
LAK227,584
|
|
China vs. Laos - Cost of transportation
pay 2.4 times more for housing
|
China
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$11.18
CN¥78.70
|
$9.16
LAK198,316
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$304.90
CN¥2,146.80
|
$1,004.64
LAK21,759,951
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$195.65
CN¥1,377.56
|
$817.42
LAK17,704,963
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.04
CN¥288.99
|
$59.90
LAK1,297,492
|
|
China vs. Laos - Cost of housing
pay 32.1% less for childcare
|
China
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$390.25
CN¥2,747.78
|
$296.67
LAK6,425,605
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,493.57
CN¥109,091.78
|
$9,267.93
LAK200,738,321
|
|
China vs. Laos - Cost of childcare
pay 6.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
China
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.04
CN¥7.33
|
$1.42
LAK30,745
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.84
CN¥19.97
|
$1.66
LAK35,871
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.36
CN¥23.65
|
$1.98
LAK42,910
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.13
CN¥289.59
|
$67.50
LAK1,462,021
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.98
CN¥42.13
|
$3.02
LAK65,469
|
|
China vs. Laos - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.6% more for clothing
|
China
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
CN¥323.38
|
$50.20
LAK1,087,403
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.93
CN¥217.79
|
$65.21
LAK1,412,374
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.26
CN¥501.74
|
$66.39
LAK1,437,906
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.88
CN¥513.16
|
$47.52
LAK1,029,342
|
|
China vs. Laos - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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