Costa Rica vs Laos - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Costa Rica Laos
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1328
$1065
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3222
$2395
🏠 One person rent
$625
$685
🏘️ Family rent
$982
$1188
🍽️ Food expenses
$489
$240
🚐 Transport expenses
$67.1
$83.5
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1013
$175
💸 GDP per capita
$18587
$2124
😃 Human freedom index
8.36
5.09
❤️ Life expectancy
80.8
69
👮 Corruption perceptions index
56
34
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
6%
🎓 Higher education
75
24
😀 Quality of life
65
29
🏙️ Population
5.13M
7.77M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1328) is 25% more expensive than in Laos ($1065). Costa Rica ranked 52nd vs 89th for Laos in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.8 months in Costa Rica compared to 0.2 months in Laos. Ranked 59th and 159th best countries to live in the world.

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the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in Costa Rica vs Laos

We calculate prices for Costa Rica and Laos as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 4 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Costa Rica Laos
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.94
$2.28
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$48.4
$19.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.69
$5.57
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.68
$1.4
 Cappuccino
$4.25
$1.78
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.1
$0.69
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$700
$674
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$471
$600
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1192
$1156
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$811
$1419
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$61.4
$50.9
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$94.1
$79.8
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$50.2
$12.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
9.37%
9.95%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2325
$2191
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1680
$163
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1
$0.47
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$59.9
$51
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$14.5
$8.33
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.42
$1.36
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.23
$2.05
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.45
$1.17
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.26
$1.14
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.88
$1.97
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.1
$12.4
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.53
$6.01
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.5
$6.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.23
$2.24
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.48
$1.27
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.83
$2.38
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.05
$1.73
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.18
$1.52
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.83
$1.1
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.69
$0.28
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.29
$0.72
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$17
$11.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.36
$1.11
🚬 Cigarette pack
$5.27
$1.88
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.13
$3.74
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$9.94
$3.05
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$3.51
$1.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$4.3
$1.04
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$55.6
$52.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$7.79
$3.98
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$96.2
$19
💇 Haircut, simple
$15.9
$1.82
👖 Brand Jeans
$64.1
$32.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$125
$62.5
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$642
$387
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13147
$9833

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Costa Rica

City Cost of living Population
San Jose
$1454
335K
Limon
$1332
71.5K
Alajuela
$1323
44.4K
Liberia
$957
65.9K
Puntarenas
$825
41.5K
Cartago
$1290
22.8K
Heredia
$1378
16.7K
Tamarindo
$1832
7.13K
Santa Teresa
$1273
3K

In Laos

City Cost of living Population
Vientiane
$1056
948K
Thakhek
$1038
90.8K
Luang Prabang
$1269
53.8K
Vang Vieng
$1082
25K