Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Vientiane

For one person, living is cheaper in Vientiane: $1,068 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $28,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Vientiane
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Vientiane Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Vientiane

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Vientiane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $1,068 in Vientiane.

Singapore $3,454
Vientiane $1,068

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $1,615 in Vientiane.

Singapore $5,224
Vientiane $1,615

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $2,161 in Vientiane.

Singapore $6,994
Vientiane $2,161

Living in Singapore is roughly 223% more expensive than in Vientiane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Vientiane is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$2.63 LAK 58.6K

338.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$18.00 LAK 401.4K

295.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$5.45 LAK 121.6K

60.73%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$1.75 LAK 39.0K

200.00%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$0.68 LAK 15.2K

169.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.36 LAK 7,932

247.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$1.33 LAK 29.6K

533.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$1.79 LAK 40.0K

459.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$2.06 LAK 46.0K

42.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$1.13 LAK 25.1K

118.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$1.04 LAK 23.2K

160.58%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$1.85 LAK 41.3K

101.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$27.03 LAK 602.7K

-20.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$6.22 LAK 138.7K

53.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$6.77 LAK 150.9K

283.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$2.41 LAK 53.7K

85.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$1.12 LAK 24.9K

177.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.60 LAK 58.1K

77.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$1.56 LAK 34.7K

42.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$1.43 LAK 31.9K

74.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.06 LAK 23.6K

124.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$0.53 LAK 11.7K

235.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.36 LAK 8,089

319.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$1.81 LAK 40.5K

683.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$10.27 LAK 229.1K

131.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.06 LAK 23.6K

325.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$2.04 LAK 45.4K

124.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$0.46 LAK 10.3K

243.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$48.94 LAK 1.1M

96.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$1.30 LAK 29.1K

179.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$0.90 LAK 20.1K

-11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$4.48 LAK 99.8K

261.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.49 LAK 33.3K

68.46%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$28.6K LAK 638.5M

444.36%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$29.5K LAK 658.9M

393.36%

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

$175 SGD 224

$90.6 LAK 2.0M

93.11%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$32.08 LAK 715.3K

-61.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$12.43 LAK 277.2K

114.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$47.24 LAK 1.1M

136.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$7.76 LAK 173.0K

55.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$4.20 LAK 93.6K

176.19%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$614 LAK 13.7M

138.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$11.1K LAK 247.3M

155.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$26.82 LAK 598.2K

203.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$66.9 LAK 1.5M

-24.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$56.8 LAK 1.3M

96.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$40.91 LAK 912.2K

217.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$638 LAK 14.2M

356.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$415 LAK 9.2M

413.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$1,226 LAK 27.3M

361.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$750 LAK 16.7M

428.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$2,303 LAK 51.3M

925.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,132 LAK 25.2M

1386.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$271 LAK 6.0M

1514.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

-75.60%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Vientiane: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Vientiane

$415 38.5% 80.5% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Vientiane

$256 23.8% 44.1% $202

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Vientiane

$73 6.8% 71.6% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Vientiane

$135 12.6% 36.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Vientiane

$86 8% 48.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Vientiane

$56 5.2% 58.7% $79

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Vientiane

$57 5.3% 48.7% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $638 in Vientiane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 1515% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $18.00 in Vientiane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $256 per month, with Vientiane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇦 Vientiane

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

783,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

100,000 LAK = 4.48 USD

100,000 LAK = 4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

Lao Kip exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 22,300 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4.48 USD). 1 EUR = 25,011 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Vientiane 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Vientiane

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

Singapore vs Vientiane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vientiane is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 223% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1515% higher in Singapore, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,916 in Singapore versus $638 in Vientiane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,454 per month in Singapore versus $1,068 in Vientiane – a 223% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Vientiane runs roughly 97% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,068 in Vientiane versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Vientiane but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Vientiane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Singapore and Vientiane are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Vientiane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 223% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.