Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sri Lanka vs. Laos Cost of Living Summary
Sri Lanka is 15.7% cheaper than Laos overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.8% more in Sri Lanka
- Groceries
-
pay 7.2% more in Sri Lanka
- Transportation
-
pay 44.6% less in Sri Lanka
- Housing
-
pay 39.1% less in Sri Lanka
- Childcare
-
pay 91.8% less in Sri Lanka
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 76.8% more in Sri Lanka
- Clothing
-
pay 39.0% less in Sri Lanka
The cost of entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Sri Lanka are more expensive than in Laos. Expenses including childcare, transportation, housing, and clothing are lower in Sri Lanka. Notably, entertainment and sports is significantly more expensive in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka vs. Laos Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Laos, you would:
pay 20.8% more for restaurants
|
Laos
|
Sri Lanka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.08
LAK44,969
|
$3.63
LKR1,116.85
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.54
LAK119,918
|
$7.90
LKR2,426.61
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.76
LAK16,444
|
$0.73
LKR224.32
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
LAK10,719
|
$0.35
LKR106.15
|
|
Laos vs. Sri Lanka - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 7.2% more for groceries
|
Laos
|
Sri Lanka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.13
LAK24,565
|
$0.48
LKR147.07
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$13.26
LAK287,052
|
$5.72
LKR1,758.02
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.91
LAK149,607
|
$6.01
LKR1,847.59
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.11
LAK45,585
|
$1.94
LKR597.37
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.10
LAK45,372
|
$2.05
LKR629.94
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.76
LAK16,405
|
$2.40
LKR736.93
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
LAK16,239
|
$0.44
LKR136.48
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.97
LAK20,985
|
$2.17
LKR665.91
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
LAK28,222
|
$0.55
LKR168.43
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
LAK15,261
|
$0.45
LKR139.78
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.46
LAK9,907
|
$0.51
LKR155.98
|
|
Laos vs. Sri Lanka - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 44.6% less for transportation
|
Laos
|
Sri Lanka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.72
LAK102,231
|
$4.12
LKR1,264.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.89
LAK1,188,115
|
$10.74
LKR3,299.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,639.89
LAK619,954,342
|
$24,680.98
LKR7,584,425.30
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.51
LAK227,448
|
$3.00
LKR921.91
|
|
Laos vs. Sri Lanka - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 39.1% less for housing
|
Laos
|
Sri Lanka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$9.16
LAK198,197
|
$12.84
LKR3,944.37
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,004.64
LAK21,746,980
|
$289.17
LKR88,862.02
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$817.42
LAK17,694,410
|
$178.38
LKR54,816.88
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$59.90
LAK1,296,718
|
$31.64
LKR9,722.89
|
|
Laos vs. Sri Lanka - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 91.8% less for childcare
|
Laos
|
Sri Lanka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$296.67
LAK6,421,775
|
$33.87
LKR10,407.01
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,267.93
LAK200,618,663
|
$466.09
LKR143,227.52
|
|
Laos vs. Sri Lanka - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 76.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Laos
|
Sri Lanka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.42
LAK30,727
|
$2.08
LKR639.65
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.66
LAK35,850
|
$2.39
LKR735.74
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.98
LAK42,885
|
$9.25
LKR2,842.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$67.50
LAK1,461,149
|
$15.04
LKR4,620.30
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.02
LAK65,430
|
$3.12
LKR959.48
|
|
Laos vs. Sri Lanka - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 39.0% less for clothing
|
Laos
|
Sri Lanka
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.20
LAK1,086,754
|
$25.05
LKR7,697.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$65.21
LAK1,411,532
|
$17.03
LKR5,232.27
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$66.39
LAK1,437,049
|
$62.69
LKR19,264.32
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$47.52
LAK1,028,728
|
$35.07
LKR10,776.88
|
|
Laos vs. Sri Lanka - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sri Lanka or Laos. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.