Laos vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Laos South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1171
$1139
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2817
$3162
🏠 One person rent
$786
$478
🏘️ Family rent
$1600
$1088
🍽️ Food expenses
$221
$463
🚐 Transport expenses
$92.2
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$224
$2364
💸 GDP per capita
$2075
$33121
😃 Human freedom index
5.34
8.12
❤️ Life expectancy
69
82.7
👮 Corruption perceptions index
28
63
🌐 English speaking %
6%
20%
🎓 Higher education
23
87
😀 Quality of life
19
85
🏙️ Population
6.86M
51.5M

The average cost of living in Laos ($1171) is 3% more expensive than in South Korea ($1139). Laos ranked 60th vs 67th for South Korea in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.2 months in Laos compared to 2.1 months in South Korea. Ranked 167th and 22nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Laos vs South Korea infographic

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Prices in Laos vs South Korea

We calculate prices for Laos and South Korea as a population-weighted mean of 4 and 87 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.

Laos South Korea
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$1.77
$6.98
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$24.3
$34.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$3.43
$5.9
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.02
$3.27
 Cappuccino
$1.45
$3.63
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.64
$1.53
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$802
$493
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$705
$328
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1007
$1283
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1635
$827
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$50.9
$97.5
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$79
$150
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$10.8
$19.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
10.05%
4.19%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1869
$10513
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$872
$7053
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.6
$1.1
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$50
$45.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$11.2
$9.17
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.29
$1.24
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.7
$2.14
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.92
$2.92
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.13
$2.82
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.79
$3.24
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12
$12.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.18
$8.02
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.89
$25.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.89
$7.3
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.17
$3.62
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.04
$5.97
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.57
$5.27
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.59
$3.43
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.02
$2.82
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.28
$0.79
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$0.71
$2.56
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12
$17
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.99
$2.22
🚬 Cigarette pack
$1.62
$3.38
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$3.59
$5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.95
$5.39
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.56
$2.39
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.02
$2.16
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$52.7
$50.5
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$3.41
$10.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$16.2
$27.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$1.77
$8.35
👖 Brand Jeans
$86.6
$64
👟 Brand Sneakers
$61.7
$80.3
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$325
$392
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$9278
$21622

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Laos vs South Korea

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Laos

City Cost of living Population
Vientiane
$1168
948K
Thakhek
$1151
90.8K
Luang Prabang
$1251
53.8K
Vang Vieng
$1174
25K

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1461
9.67M
Busan
$1122
3.45M
Incheon
$1067
2.94M
Daegu
$1114
2.38M
Daejeon
$975
1.48M
Suwon
$970
1.23M
Gwangju
$1178
1.49M
Ulsan
$1099
1.13M
Cheongju
$997
852K
Seongnam
$1127
919K
Yongin
$1142
971K
Changwon
$1083
1.01M
Hwaseong
$1049
941K
Goyang
$1008
1.06M
Namyangju
$1084
732K
Bucheon
$1068
781K
Gimhae
$901
534K
Siheung
$1087
520K
Jeju Island
$1165
678K
Pyeongtaek
$1053
590K
Cheonan
$1222
652K
Pohang
$1000
504K
Ansan
$990
653K
Uijeongbu
$936
463K
Anyang
$1025
548K
Paju
$1020
498K
Jeju
$1157
492K
Sejong
$1043
386K
Hanam
$1074
330K
Gunsan
$1007
275K