Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Laos

Name: Laos
Address: LA

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,154 in Laos, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Laos
Learn more

Laos Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,154 in Laos.

China $791
Laos $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,755 in Laos.

China $1,251
Laos $1,755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,356 in Laos.

China $1,711
Laos $2,356

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $1,076–$1,393 in Laos. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China costs about 31% less than in Laos on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Laos 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$2.27 LAK 50.9K

31.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$17.46 LAK 391.3K

26.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$5.18 LAK 116.1K

0.39%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$1.77 LAK 39.5K

67.80%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.76 LAK 17.1K

-36.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$0.40 LAK 8,996

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$1.25 LAK 28.0K

-13.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$1.74 LAK 39.1K

31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.99 LAK 44.5K

-9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

44.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.01 LAK 22.5K

-8.91%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$1.91 LAK 42.9K

-15.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$23.05 LAK 516.4K

-41.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$6.31 LAK 141.3K

-46.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$6.66 LAK 149.3K

70.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$1.75 LAK 39.1K

4.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$1.15 LAK 25.8K

13.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$2.55 LAK 57.2K

-41.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$1.56 LAK 35.0K

-18.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.48 LAK 33.1K

-52.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.05 LAK 23.5K

-11.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.07 LAK 24.1K

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.52 LAK 11.7K

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$1.74 LAK 39.0K

117.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$10.16 LAK 227.6K

19.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

-28.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$1.74 LAK 38.9K

-3.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.49 LAK 11.0K

-40.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$58.4 LAK 1.3M

-69.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$1.20 LAK 26.9K

24.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.98 LAK 21.9K

-62.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$4.36 LAK 97.6K

62.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.41 LAK 31.6K

-10.64%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$28.9K LAK 647.6M

-32.72%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$29.2K LAK 654.6M

-39.98%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$86.5 LAK 1.9M

-36.91%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$19.89 LAK 445.7K

-56.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$11.01 LAK 246.7K

0.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$54.9 LAK 1.2M

-25.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$7.77 LAK 174.2K

86.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$3.39 LAK 75.9K

100.00%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$329 LAK 7.4M

57.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$10.7K LAK 240.6M

84.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$49.99 LAK 1.1M

-6.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$61.0 LAK 1.4M

-41.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$71.9 LAK 1.6M

7.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$51.1 LAK 1.1M

57.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$789 LAK 17.7M

-51.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$490 LAK 11.0M

-52.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$1,521 LAK 34.1M

-45.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$937 LAK 21.0M

-51.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$2,533 LAK 56.8M

85.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$900 LAK 20.2M

163.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$491 LAK 11.0M

122.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

10.06

-65.61%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Laos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Laos

$490 42.5% 109% $256

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Laos

$244 21.2% 16.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Laos

$105 9.1% 2.3% $2.4

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Laos

$69 6% 21.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Laos

$117 10.2% 57.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Laos

$62 5.3% 13.4% $7.3

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Laos

$66 5.8% 197% $44

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $874 in Laos. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $642 in Vientiane.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $234 in Laos. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 193% higher in Laos.

Dining out costs 22% more in China.

Public transport is 194% more expensive in Laos.

Salaries are about 3.7 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇱🇦 Laos

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

1 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

6,858,160

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD

100,000 LAK = 4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

China Laos 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Laos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,154 in Laos, China comes out about 31% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $874 in Laos and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.