| Boston | Lào Cai | |
| Milk (1 liter) | USD 1.07 | USD 1.38 |
| Gasoline (1 liter) | USD 1.00 | USD 1.14 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in city centre | USD 3 561.54 | USD 931.24 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in city centre | USD 1 911.90 | USD 382.61 |
| Mid range bottle of wine | USD 12.00 | USD 9.44 |