Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Laos

Name: Laos
Address: LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Laos: $1,154 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Laos
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Laos Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,154 in Laos.

Italy $1,843
Laos $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,755 in Laos.

Italy $2,816
Laos $1,755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,356 in Laos.

Italy $3,788
Laos $2,356

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $1,076–$1,393 in Laos. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 60% more expensive than in Laos on average.

Italy (35% above) and Laos (15% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.25

$2.27 LAK 50.9K

801.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €70.9

$17.46 LAK 391.3K

355.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.95

$5.18 LAK 116.1K

115.25%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.82

$1.77 LAK 39.5K

15.25%

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

$3.10 €2.77

$0.76 LAK 17.1K

307.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.40 LAK 8,996

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.92

$1.25 LAK 28.0K

340.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.12

$1.74 LAK 39.1K

229.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.99 LAK 44.5K

-21.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

105.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.59

$1.01 LAK 22.5K

187.13%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.63

$1.91 LAK 42.9K

113.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.56

$23.05 LAK 516.4K

-24.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.20

$6.31 LAK 141.3K

99.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €17.99

$6.66 LAK 149.3K

202.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.75 LAK 39.1K

47.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.15 LAK 25.8K

90.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.55 LAK 57.2K

5.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.56 LAK 35.0K

109.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.48 LAK 33.1K

28.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.05 LAK 23.5K

73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.07 LAK 24.1K

46.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.52 LAK 11.7K

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.97

$1.74 LAK 39.0K

284.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.13

$10.16 LAK 227.6K

-21.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

52.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.74 LAK 38.9K

35.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.70

$0.49 LAK 11.0K

289.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.75

$58.4 LAK 1.3M

-25.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.01

$1.20 LAK 26.9K

368.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.98 LAK 21.9K

74.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.01

$4.36 LAK 97.6K

671.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.41 LAK 31.6K

43.97%

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

$35.3K €31.5K

$28.9K LAK 647.6M

22.17%

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

$36.7K €32.8K

$29.2K LAK 654.6M

25.78%

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

$227 €202

$86.5 LAK 1.9M

161.97%

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

$11.59 €10.34

$19.89 LAK 445.7K

-41.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.11

$11.01 LAK 246.7K

175.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.19

$54.9 LAK 1.2M

-5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.14

$7.77 LAK 174.2K

205.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.46

$3.39 LAK 75.9K

212.68%

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

$568 €506

$329 LAK 7.4M

72.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$10.7K LAK 240.6M

7.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €80.8

$49.99 LAK 1.1M

81.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.40

$61.0 LAK 1.4M

-36.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.6

$71.9 LAK 1.6M

42.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$51.1 LAK 1.1M

156.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €737

$789 LAK 17.7M

4.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €577

$490 LAK 11.0M

31.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,249

$1,521 LAK 34.1M

-7.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €941

$937 LAK 21.0M

12.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,267

$2,533 LAK 56.8M

44.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,053

$900 LAK 20.2M

155.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,683

$491 LAK 11.0M

284.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

10.06

-64.61%

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

Last update for Italy: 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

Italy

$646 35.1%

Laos

$490 42.5% 24.1% $156

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Laos

$244 21.2% 29.8% $104

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Laos

$69 6% 75.1% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Laos

$117 10.2% 56.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Laos

$105 9.1% 35.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Laos

$62 5.3% 15.6% $11

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Laos

$66 5.8% 1.8% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $874 in Laos. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $642 in Vientiane.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $234 in Laos. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 20% higher in Laos.

Dining out costs 306% more in Italy.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in Laos.

Salaries are about 8.1 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇱🇦 Laos

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

03:32 3:32 AM

6 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

6,858,160

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD

100,000 LAK = 3.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Lao Kip exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 22,407 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD). 1 EUR = 25,114 LAK (100,000 LAK = 3.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Laos 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Laos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,154 in Laos, Laos comes out about 37% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Laos is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

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