Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Laos

Name: Laos
Address: LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Laos: $1,154 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Laos
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Laos Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,154 in Laos.

United Kingdom $2,462
Laos $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $1,755 in Laos.

United Kingdom $3,600
Laos $1,755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $2,356 in Laos.

United Kingdom $4,738
Laos $2,356

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $1,076–$1,393 in Laos. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 113% more expensive than in Laos on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and Laos (15% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.02

$2.27 LAK 50.9K

846.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £63.9

$17.46 LAK 391.3K

391.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.91

$5.18 LAK 116.1K

104.83%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.66

$1.77 LAK 39.5K

177.40%

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

$2.66 £1.98

$0.76 LAK 17.1K

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.40 LAK 8,996

367.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.94

$1.25 LAK 28.0K

430.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.10

$1.74 LAK 39.1K

293.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.99 LAK 44.5K

-15.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

48.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.01 LAK 22.5K

114.85%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$1.91 LAK 42.9K

109.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.02

$23.05 LAK 516.4K

-59.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.85

$6.31 LAK 141.3K

45.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.01

$6.66 LAK 149.3K

121.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$1.75 LAK 39.1K

69.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.15 LAK 25.8K

40.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$2.55 LAK 57.2K

11.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$1.56 LAK 35.0K

125.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.48 LAK 33.1K

23.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.05 LAK 23.5K

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.07 LAK 24.1K

16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.52 LAK 11.7K

219.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.63

$1.74 LAK 39.0K

1259.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.83

$10.16 LAK 227.6K

3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.22

$1.16 LAK 26.0K

156.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.74 LAK 38.9K

101.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.49 LAK 11.0K

712.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.1

$58.4 LAK 1.3M

83.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.86

$1.20 LAK 26.9K

331.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$0.98 LAK 21.9K

139.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.01

$4.36 LAK 97.6K

515.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.41 LAK 31.6K

41.13%

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

$39.4K £29.4K

$28.9K LAK 647.6M

36.49%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$29.2K LAK 654.6M

38.57%

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

$327 £244

$86.5 LAK 1.9M

278.33%

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

$18.21 £13.58

$19.89 LAK 445.7K

-8.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.51

$11.01 LAK 246.7K

296.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.58

$54.9 LAK 1.2M

-22.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.58

$7.77 LAK 174.2K

134.49%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.32

$3.39 LAK 75.9K

308.55%

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

$1,868 £1,393

$329 LAK 7.4M

468.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$10.7K LAK 240.6M

110.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.3

$49.99 LAK 1.1M

85.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.24

$61.0 LAK 1.4M

-24.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.8

$71.9 LAK 1.6M

41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.2

$51.1 LAK 1.1M

100.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,001

$789 LAK 17.7M

70.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £800

$490 LAK 11.0M

118.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,664

$1,521 LAK 34.1M

46.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,299

$937 LAK 21.0M

85.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,176

$2,533 LAK 56.8M

121.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,180

$900 LAK 20.2M

373.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,497

$491 LAK 11.0M

582.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

10.06

-47.12%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: 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

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Laos

$490 42.5% 54.3% $583

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Laos

$117 10.2% 69.8% $272

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Laos

$69 6% 78.9% $258

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Laos

$244 21.2% 20.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Laos

$105 9.1% 31.7% $49

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Laos

$66 5.8% 52.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Laos

$62 5.3% 12% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $874 in Laos. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $642 in Vientiane.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $234 in Laos. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 47% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 361% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 91% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 14 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇱🇦 Laos

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

02:06 2:06 AM

7 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

6,858,160

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD

100,000 LAK = 4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.832 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Laos 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Laos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,154 per month in Laos and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Laos comes out about 53% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Laos: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $874 in Laos. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Laos, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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