Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Laos

Name: Laos
Address: LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Laos: $1,154 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
Learn more

Canada Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Laos
Learn more

Laos Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada 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 Canada and in Laos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $1,154 in Laos, rent included.

Canada $2,310
Laos $1,154

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $1,755 in Laos, rent included.

Canada $3,356
Laos $1,755

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $2,356 in Laos, rent included.

Canada $4,403
Laos $2,356

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Laos ($1,076–$1,393), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 100% higher than in Laos on average.

Canada sits 70% above the global median, while Laos is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 CA$25.39

$2.27 LAK 50.9K

700.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$99.5

$17.46 LAK 391.3K

307.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 CA$15.11

$5.18 LAK 116.1K

108.69%

Cappuccino

$3.78 CA$5.28

$1.77 LAK 39.5K

113.56%

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

$2.11 CA$2.96

$0.76 LAK 17.1K

177.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$0.40 LAK 8,996

315.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.85

$1.25 LAK 28.0K

349.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.00

$1.74 LAK 39.1K

228.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.04

$1.99 LAK 44.5K

9.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

124.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.11

$1.01 LAK 22.5K

261.39%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$1.91 LAK 42.9K

90.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.04

$23.05 LAK 516.4K

-53.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.63

$6.31 LAK 141.3K

88.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.56

$6.66 LAK 149.3K

131.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.63

$1.75 LAK 39.1K

130.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.15 LAK 25.8K

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.42

$2.55 LAK 57.2K

52.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.71

$1.56 LAK 35.0K

161.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$1.48 LAK 33.1K

73.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.46

$1.05 LAK 23.5K

136.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$1.07 LAK 24.1K

147.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.40

$0.52 LAK 11.7K

228.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.01

$1.74 LAK 39.0K

722.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.85

$10.16 LAK 227.6K

32.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.97

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

144.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.62

$1.74 LAK 38.9K

89.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$0.49 LAK 11.0K

420.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$101

$58.4 LAK 1.3M

23.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$1.20 LAK 26.9K

165.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.15

$0.98 LAK 21.9K

57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 CA$37.30

$4.36 LAK 97.6K

512.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.41 LAK 31.6K

-12.06%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$28.9K LAK 647.6M

-3.55%

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

$21.1K CA$29.4K

$29.2K LAK 654.6M

-27.89%

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

$147 CA$206

$86.5 LAK 1.9M

70.42%

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

$41.80 CA$58.4

$19.89 LAK 445.7K

110.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 CA$84.2

$11.01 LAK 246.7K

446.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 CA$54.5

$54.9 LAK 1.2M

-28.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 CA$26.64

$7.77 LAK 174.2K

145.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.67

$3.39 LAK 75.9K

230.68%

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

$721 CA$1,008

$329 LAK 7.4M

119.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CA$20.7K

$10.7K LAK 240.6M

38.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.3

$49.99 LAK 1.1M

10.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 CA$54.4

$61.0 LAK 1.4M

-36.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$122

$71.9 LAK 1.6M

21.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$142

$51.1 LAK 1.1M

98.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 CA$1,804

$789 LAK 17.7M

63.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,579

$490 LAK 11.0M

130.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,846

$1,521 LAK 34.1M

33.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,419

$937 LAK 21.0M

84.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,665

$2,533 LAK 56.8M

88.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,730 CA$5,213

$900 LAK 20.2M

314.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,070 CA$4,290

$491 LAK 11.0M

525.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

10.06

-51.59%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Last update for Laos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Laos

$490 42.5% 56.6% $640

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$371 16.1%

Laos

$244 21.2% 34.2% $127

Eating Out

Canada

$278 12%

Laos

$69 6% 75.1% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.8%

Laos

$117 10.2% 52.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Laos

$105 9.1% 17.3% $22

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Laos

$66 5.8% 28.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$61 2.7%

Laos

$62 5.3% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $874 in Laos. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $642 in Vientiane.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada vs $234 in Laos. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 43% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 256% more in Canada.

Public transport is 25% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 13 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇱🇦 Laos

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

02:02 2:02 AM

12 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

6,858,160

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD

100,000 LAK = 4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Lao Kip exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 22,407 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD). 1 EUR = 25,005 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canada Laos 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
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

Canada vs Laos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laos is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 50% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $874 in Laos.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Laos – part of why living there is about 50% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Laos, but in Canada 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.