Where to live in Laos
We track 4 cities in Laos: Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, Thakhèk and Vientiane. Each averages 26°C over the year. We estimate a couple needs €1,831 to €2,007 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency is comparatively open.
12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).
- Safety
- 61/100
- country-level estimate
- Healthcare
- 44/100
- country-level estimate
- Democracy
- 2.6/10
- estimated
Estimated from World Bank indicators and calibrated to the scales of our reference tables: safety from the Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025) and life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024), healthcare from the life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), cost of living from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025) and democracy score from the Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025). Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Limited data for Laos. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in Laos are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Laos, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.
The 4 cities we track
| City | Size | Setting | Avg temp | Rain a year | Est. cost a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luang Prabang | smaller | inland | 26°C | 1,274 mm | €1,831 |
| Savannakhet | smaller | inland | 26°C | 1,405 mm | €1,887 |
| Thakhèk | smaller | near the coast | 26°C | 2,064 mm | €1,864 |
| Vientiane | mid-sized | inland | 26°C | 1,609 mm | €2,007 |
Source: City size from GeoNames, temperature from the Open-Meteo archive (2019 to 2023 averages), rainfall from TerraClimate (1991 to 2020 normals), coast distance from Natural Earth. Cost is our model estimate for a couple living centrally, from the World Bank price level.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open. Long-term residence is realistic via an indefinitely renewable LA-B2 business visa arranged through a licensed local sponsor or agent (used by retirees and remote workers alike), with formal permanent residency only after 10 years' residence or a long-running local business, but no income or pension proof is required for the renewable long-stay route.
For short visits, 22 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 148 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 28 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).