Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Laos

Name: Laos
Address: LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Laos: $1,154 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
Learn more

Australia Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Laos
Learn more

Laos Living Index

Jump to prices

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Laos

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Laos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,154 in Laos, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Laos $1,154

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $1,755 in Laos, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Laos $1,755

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $2,356 in Laos, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Laos $2,356

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Laos ($1,076–$1,393), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 127% higher than in Laos on average.

Australia sits 93% above the global median, while Laos is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.08

$2.27 LAK 50.9K

677.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$17.46 LAK 391.3K

388.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.76

$5.18 LAK 116.1K

114.09%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$1.77 LAK 39.5K

120.34%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 A$4.05

$0.76 LAK 17.1K

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.40 LAK 8,996

477.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

$1.25 LAK 28.0K

502.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.20

$1.74 LAK 39.1K

393.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.99 LAK 44.5K

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

142.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$1.01 LAK 22.5K

121.78%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$1.91 LAK 42.9K

162.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.02

$23.05 LAK 516.4K

-57.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.24

$6.31 LAK 141.3K

47.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.13

$6.66 LAK 149.3K

123.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.42

$1.75 LAK 39.1K

118.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$1.15 LAK 25.8K

153.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$2.55 LAK 57.2K

22.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.83

$1.56 LAK 35.0K

208.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$1.48 LAK 33.1K

89.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$1.05 LAK 23.5K

126.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$1.07 LAK 24.1K

121.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$0.52 LAK 11.7K

217.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$1.74 LAK 39.0K

2148.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

$10.16 LAK 227.6K

37.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

327.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$1.74 LAK 38.9K

197.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.49 LAK 11.0K

393.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$58.4 LAK 1.3M

62.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$1.20 LAK 26.9K

190.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.98 LAK 21.9K

63.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.6

$4.36 LAK 97.6K

813.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.41 LAK 31.6K

-1.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.0K A$42.7K

$28.9K LAK 647.6M

3.82%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.8K A$36.6K

$29.2K LAK 654.6M

-11.85%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$205 A$291

$86.5 LAK 1.9M

137.10%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.33 A$40.27

$19.89 LAK 445.7K

42.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.5

$11.01 LAK 246.7K

433.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$54.9 LAK 1.2M

1.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.82

$7.77 LAK 174.2K

151.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.86

$3.39 LAK 75.9K

353.69%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,145 A$3,049

$329 LAK 7.4M

552.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$10.7K LAK 240.6M

70.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$49.99 LAK 1.1M

56.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$61.0 LAK 1.4M

-7.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$71.9 LAK 1.6M

60.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$51.1 LAK 1.1M

141.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,261

$789 LAK 17.7M

101.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,837

$490 LAK 11.0M

163.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,588

$1,521 LAK 34.1M

65.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,850

$937 LAK 21.0M

113.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$2,533 LAK 56.8M

245.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,898

$900 LAK 20.2M

595.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,663

$491 LAK 11.0M

711.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

10.06

-41.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Laos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Laos

$490 42.5% 62.1% $802

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Laos

$244 21.2% 34.7% $130

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Laos

$69 6% 76.6% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Laos

$117 10.2% 59.8% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Laos

$105 9.1% 37.2% $62

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Laos

$66 5.8% 42.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Laos

$62 5.3% 28.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $874 in Laos. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $642 in Vientiane.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $234 in Laos. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 58% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 367% more in Australia.

Public transport is 58% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 17 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇱🇦 Laos

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

4 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

6,858,160

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD

100,000 LAK = 4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Lao Kip exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 22,407 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD). 1 EUR = 25,019 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Australia Laos 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Laos

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Australia vs Laos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laos is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 56% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $874 in Laos.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Laos – part of why living there is about 56% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Laos, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Laos is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.