Cost of Living in Vientiane, 🇱🇦 Laos - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $717 $509 $1,017 $203 $83

Utilities $86 $90 $176 $30 —

Internet & Mobile $39 $28 $51 $10 $2

Groceries $69 $194 $439 $129 $5

Transportation $102 $83 $254 $21 $12

Dining Out $407 $208 $333 $74 $39

Leisure Activities $194 $116 $222 $25 $18

Health Insurance $76 $67 $190 $15 $4

Visa & Legal Fees $51 $30 $111 — $2

Total $1,741 $1,325 $2,793 $507 $165

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $485.39 per month

Coworking Space $131.75 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $993.89 per month

Coliving Space $545.48 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $2.54 per cup

Beer $1.16 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $3.00 per meal

Fast Food Combo $7.63 per meal

Apples $3.47 per kg

Bread $1.48 per loaf

Milk $2.22 per liter

Rice $1.29 per kg

Chicken Fillets $5.78 per kg

Beef $11.09 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $16.18 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $34.67 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.55 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $1.85 per trip

Taxi per km $1.02 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $20.80 per month

Gasoline $1.46 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $5.32 per trip

Scooter Rental $8.32 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $8.32 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $28.66 per month

Gym Membership $43.92 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $10.17 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $6.70 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $5.08 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $57.78 per pair

Summer Dress $31.43 per dress

Running Shoes $110.95 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $8.55 per visit

Laundry $1.16 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $39.29 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $6.24 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 21,632.269 LAK

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Vientiane cost of living