Cost of living comparison

Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

compared to

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane vs. Bissau Cost of Living Summary

Vientiane is 27.7% more expensive than Bissau.

Restaurants: pay 65.4% less in Vientiane
Groceries: pay 53.7% more in Vientiane
Transportation: pay 38.2% more in Vientiane
Housing: pay 59.6% more in Vientiane
Childcare: pay 2.2 times more in Vientiane
Entertainment and Sports: pay 6.6% more in Vientiane
Clothing: pay 21.3% less in Vientiane

The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Vientiane are more expensive than in Bissau. Expenses including restaurants and clothing are lower in Vientiane. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Vientiane.

Vientiane vs. Bissau Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Vientiane instead of Bissau, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 65.4% less for restaurants

	Bissau	Vientiane
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.90 F CFA2,833	$1.98 LAK42,814	-59.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.43 F CFA5,450	$2.97 LAK64,221	-68.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.31 F CFA756	$0.53 LAK11,418	-59.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.63 F CFA944	$0.42 LAK9,135	-74.1%
Average			-65.4%

Bissau vs. Vientiane - Cost of restaurants

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pay 53.7% more for groceries

	Bissau	Vientiane
Bread 1 loaf	$0.90 F CFA521	$0.91 LAK19,694	+1.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.28 F CFA4,206	$13.72 LAK296,229	+88.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.18 F CFA3,575	$6.42 LAK138,631	+3.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.90 F CFA2,833	$1.75 LAK37,803	-64.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.93 F CFA3,427	$2.95 LAK63,719	-50.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.85 F CFA1,071	$0.88 LAK19,044	-52.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.44 F CFA257	$0.49 LAK10,631	+10.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.85 F CFA1,071	$0.92 LAK19,940	-50.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.07 F CFA43	$0.60 LAK12,866	+703.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.59 F CFA343	$0.73 LAK15,676	+22.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.59 F CFA343	$0.46 LAK9,892	-22.7%
Average			+53.7%

Bissau vs. Vientiane - Cost of groceries

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pay 38.2% more for transportation

	Bissau	Vientiane
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.52 F CFA2,612	$5.00 LAK108,058	+10.7%
Monthly public transit pass	$25.57 F CFA14,782	$49.23 LAK1,063,162	+92.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,027.10 F CFA18,513,436	$28,330.27 LAK611,770,395	-11.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$6.94 F CFA4,014	$11.18 LAK241,471	+61.0%
Average			+38.2%

Bissau vs. Vientiane - Cost of transportation

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pay 59.6% more for housing

	Bissau	Vientiane
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$45.27 F CFA26,168	$11.17 LAK241,267	-75.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$433.95 F CFA250,850	$859.15 LAK18,552,729	+98.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$225.47 F CFA130,335	$775.98 LAK16,756,633	+244.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$75.86 F CFA43,851	$54.31 LAK1,172,744	-28.4%
Average			+59.6%

Bissau vs. Vientiane - Cost of housing

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pay 2.2 times more for childcare

	Bissau	Vientiane
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$765.65 F CFA442,587	$332.66 LAK7,183,531	-56.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$2,307.50 F CFA1,333,864	$9,252.41 LAK199,798,618	+301.0%
Average			+122.2%

Bissau vs. Vientiane - Cost of childcare

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pay 6.6% more for entertainment and sports

	Bissau	Vientiane
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.55 F CFA897	$0.95 LAK20,485	-38.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.04 F CFA1,181	$1.50 LAK32,296	-26.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.63 F CFA944	$1.59 LAK34,251	-2.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$57.19 F CFA33,057	$49.74 LAK1,074,063	-13.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$1.63 F CFA944	$3.50 LAK75,664	+114.5%
Average			+6.6%

Bissau vs. Vientiane - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 21.3% less for clothing

	Bissau	Vientiane
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$89.86 F CFA51,946	$85.86 LAK1,854,016	-4.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$57.19 F CFA33,057	$62.88 LAK1,357,815	+10.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$81.69 F CFA47,224	$57.29 LAK1,237,081	-29.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$106.20 F CFA61,391	$41.48 LAK895,672	-60.9%
Average			-21.3%

Bissau vs. Vientiane - Cost of clothing

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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: June 2025

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