Cost of living comparison

 Laos
compared to
 Washington (DC), United States
Washington vs. Laos Cost of Living Summary

Washington is 3.8 times more expensive than Laos overall.

Restaurants
pay 6.2 times more in Washington
Groceries
pay 2.4 times more in Washington
Transportation
pay 42.8% more in Washington
Housing
pay 3.7 times more in Washington
Childcare
pay 6.0 times more in Washington
Entertainment and Sports
pay 4.9 times more in Washington
Clothing
pay 80.2% more in Washington

The cost of restaurants, childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and clothing in Washington are more expensive than in Laos. Notably, restaurants, childcare, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Washington.

Washington vs. Laos Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Washington instead of Laos, you would:

pay 6.2 times more for restaurants

 
Laos
Washington
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.90
LAK41,112
$25.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.20
LAK91,113
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.69
LAK14,961
$2.78
 

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pay 2.4 times more for groceries

 
Laos
Washington
Bread
1 loaf
$1.00
LAK21,721
$4.34
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $13.03
LAK282,392
$7.84
 
Milk (1 gallon) $6.40
LAK138,699
$4.14
 

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pay 42.8% more for transportation

 
Laos
Washington
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.61
LAK99,800
$3.66
 
Monthly public transit pass $53.85
LAK1,166,949
$75.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,167.89
LAK610,380,007
$35,699.74
 

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pay 3.7 times more for housing

 
Laos
Washington
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$8.98
LAK194,666
$66.46
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $993.83
LAK21,535,611
$2,582.95
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $809.30
LAK17,537,087
$2,028.70
 

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pay 6.0 times more for childcare

 
Laos
Washington
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $291.32
LAK6,312,816
$2,273.25
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,140.14
LAK198,061,034
$38,250.00
 

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pay 4.9 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Laos
Washington
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.11
LAK23,965
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.62
LAK35,083
$5.55
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.78
LAK38,667
$11.75
 

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pay 80.2% more for clothing

 
Laos
Washington
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$78.60
LAK1,703,174
$74.13
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$61.45
LAK1,331,521
$50.77
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$65.22
LAK1,413,263
$105.47
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025
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See the cost of living in Laos vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Laos and United States.

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