Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Ayutthaya is easier to travel (2.8 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: payments โ Ayutthaya 3 vs Luang Prabang 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ayutthaya | Luang Prabang | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | เธฟ 80$2.42 | โญ 50,000$2.27 | Luang Prabang โ6% |
| Street food1 item | เธฟ 50$1.52 | โญ 23,000$1.05 | Luang Prabang โ31% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | เธฟ 300$9.09 | โญ 170,000$7.73 | Luang Prabang โ15% |
| Coffeeone cup | เธฟ 65$1.97 | โญ 40,000$1.82 | Luang Prabang โ8% |
| Beerone bottle | เธฟ 100$3.03 | โญ 33,000$1.5 | Luang Prabang โ50% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | เธฟ 180$5.45 | โญ 70,000$3.18 | Luang Prabang โ42% |
| Bottled water | เธฟ 10$0.3 | โญ 5,000$0.23 | Luang Prabang โ25% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | เธฟ 20$0.61 | โญ 12,000$0.55 | Luang Prabang โ10% |
| Taxi5 km in town | เธฟ 120$3.64 | โญ 60,000$2.73 | Luang Prabang โ25% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | เธฟ 60$1.82 | โญ 30,000$1.36 | Luang Prabang โ25% |
| Transitone ride | เธฟ 20$0.61 | โญ 20,000$0.91 | Ayutthaya โ33% |
| Scooter rentalper day | เธฟ 250$7.58 | โญ 150,000$6.82 | Luang Prabang โ10% |
| Hotel night3-star | เธฟ 1,100$33.3 | โญ 770,000$35 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | เธฟ 7,000$212 | โญ 6,500,000$295 | Ayutthaya โ28% |
| Laundry | เธฟ 40$1.21 | โญ 15,000$0.68 | Luang Prabang โ44% |
| SIM card1 week data | เธฟ 300$9.09 | โญ 110,000$5 | Luang Prabang โ45% |
| Haircutcut | เธฟ 150$4.55 | โญ 40,000$1.82 | Luang Prabang โ60% |
| Massage1 hour | เธฟ 300$9.09 | โญ 120,000$5.45 | Luang Prabang โ40% |
| Half-day tourper person | เธฟ 800$24.2 | โญ 250,000$11.4 | Luang Prabang โ53% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | เธฟ 50$1.52 | โญ 60,000$2.73 | Ayutthaya โ44% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Ayutthaya and Luang Prabang cost about the same. Daily budget $64.2 vs $61.2; a month $1,058 vs $1,188.
Ayutthaya is easier: Ayutthaya 2.8/5 vs Luang Prabang 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ayutthaya is about $1,058 and Luang Prabang about $1,188 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.