Vietnam is the second-cheapest place to live in after Laos in the Asia-Pacific, a study released recently by the Asian Development Bank has found.

The International Comparison Program (ICP) in Asia-Pacific: Purchasing Power Parity preliminary report surveyed 23 economies, excluding Japan.

Following Laos and Vietnam are Iran, Cambodia, and Nepal.

Fiji and Hong Kong are the costliest places followed by Macao, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Living costs in the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia are close to the Asian average.

The “actual final consumption of households” are highest in Hong Kong (US$16,000 per capita), Taipei ($14,000), Singapore ($12,700), Brunei ($10,440), and Macao ($8,640).

The bottom five are Nepal, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. (ADB, Thanh Nien)