Cost of living comparison
compared to
Laos vs. Maldives Cost of Living Summary
Laos is 3.4% more expensive than Maldives overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.8% less in Laos
- Groceries
-
pay 2.9% less in Laos
- Transportation
-
pay 17.6% more in Laos
- Housing
-
pay 30.2% less in Laos
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in Laos
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 56.3% less in Laos
- Clothing
-
pay 0.8% less in Laos
The cost of childcare and transportation in Laos are more expensive than in Maldives. Expenses including entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, groceries, and clothing are lower in Laos. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Laos.
Laos vs. Maldives Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Laos instead of Maldives, you would:
pay 22.8% less for restaurants
|
Maldives
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.56
MVR85.56
|
$2.08
LAK44,966
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.80
MVR150.98
|
$5.54
LAK119,908
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.45
MVR22.29
|
$0.76
LAK16,442
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
MVR4.70
|
$0.50
LAK10,718
|
|
Maldives vs. Laos - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.9% less for groceries
|
Maldives
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.59
MVR24.49
|
$1.13
LAK24,563
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.58
MVR70.46
|
$13.26
LAK287,030
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.95
MVR107.00
|
$6.91
LAK149,595
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.67
MVR25.67
|
$2.11
LAK45,582
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.82
MVR43.37
|
$2.10
LAK45,369
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.84
MVR28.31
|
$0.76
LAK16,404
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.73
MVR26.63
|
$0.75
LAK16,237
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.96
MVR30.25
|
$0.97
LAK20,984
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.48
MVR22.83
|
$1.30
LAK28,220
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
MVR10.77
|
$0.70
LAK15,259
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
MVR8.45
|
$0.46
LAK9,907
|
|
Maldives vs. Laos - Cost of groceries
pay 17.6% more for transportation
|
Maldives
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.54
MVR54.53
|
$4.72
LAK102,223
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$28.91
MVR445.28
|
$54.89
LAK1,188,021
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,679.74
MVR503,267.97
|
$28,639.89
LAK619,905,563
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.65
MVR271.76
|
$10.51
LAK227,430
|
|
Maldives vs. Laos - Cost of transportation
pay 30.2% less for housing
|
Maldives
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.82
MVR952.02
|
$9.16
LAK198,182
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,136.53
MVR17,502.54
|
$1,004.64
LAK21,745,269
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$731.21
MVR11,260.62
|
$817.42
LAK17,693,017
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$93.30
MVR1,436.78
|
$59.90
LAK1,296,616
|
|
Maldives vs. Laos - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Maldives
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$164.38
MVR2,531.44
|
$296.67
LAK6,421,270
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,587.42
MVR55,246.24
|
$9,267.93
LAK200,602,878
|
|
Maldives vs. Laos - Cost of childcare
pay 56.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Maldives
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.74
MVR72.97
|
$1.42
LAK30,724
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.31
MVR50.96
|
$1.66
LAK35,847
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.07
MVR201.31
|
$1.98
LAK42,881
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$72.98
MVR1,123.97
|
$67.50
LAK1,461,034
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.80
MVR150.98
|
$3.02
LAK65,425
|
|
Maldives vs. Laos - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.8% less for clothing
|
Maldives
|
Laos
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.03
MVR662.64
|
$50.20
LAK1,086,669
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$56.86
MVR875.69
|
$65.21
LAK1,411,421
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.20
MVR1,389.02
|
$66.39
LAK1,436,936
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$51.74
MVR796.84
|
$47.52
LAK1,028,648
|
|
Maldives 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
Change currency:
Compare by city
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 Laos or Maldives. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.