Cost of living comparison

 Kathmandu, Nepal
compared to
 Vientiane, Laos
Vientiane vs. Kathmandu Cost of Living Summary

Vientiane is 2.2 times more expensive than Kathmandu.

Restaurants
pay 38.1% more in Vientiane
Groceries
pay 81.6% more in Vientiane
Transportation
pay 96.2% more in Vientiane
Housing
pay 3.8 times more in Vientiane
Childcare
pay 3.1 times more in Vientiane
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.1% more in Vientiane
Clothing
pay 94.1% more in Vientiane

The cost of housing, childcare, transportation, clothing, groceries, and restaurants in Vientiane are more expensive than in Kathmandu. Notably, housing, childcare, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Vientiane.

Vientiane vs. Kathmandu Cost Breakdown

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

pay 38.1% more for restaurants

 
Kathmandu
Vientiane
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.47
NPR201.60
$1.98
LAK42,814
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.36
NPR1,007.01
$2.97
LAK64,221
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.46
NPR62.42
$0.53
LAK11,418

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pay 81.6% more for groceries

 
Kathmandu
Vientiane
Bread
1 loaf
$0.57
NPR77.45
$0.91
LAK19,694
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.70
NPR642.68
$13.72
LAK296,229
Milk (1 gallon) $3.17
NPR434.23
$6.42
LAK138,631

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pay 96.2% more for transportation

 
Kathmandu
Vientiane
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.85
NPR664.22
$5.00
LAK108,058
Monthly public transit pass $9.94
NPR1,360.82
$49.23
LAK1,063,162
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $33,138.99
NPR4,536,069.77
$28,330.27
LAK611,770,395

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pay 3.8 times more for housing

 
Kathmandu
Vientiane
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$10.42
NPR1,426.73
$11.17
LAK241,267
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $191.60
NPR26,226.88
$859.15
LAK18,552,729
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $102.03
NPR13,965.21
$775.98
LAK16,756,633

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pay 3.1 times more for childcare

 
Kathmandu
Vientiane
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $91.89
NPR12,577.28
$332.66
LAK7,183,531
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $3,479.59
NPR476,287.33
$9,252.41
LAK199,798,618

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pay 1.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Kathmandu
Vientiane
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.58
NPR352.81
$0.95
LAK20,485
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.66
NPR227.19
$1.50
LAK32,296
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.95
NPR403.21
$1.59
LAK34,251

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pay 94.1% more for clothing

 
Kathmandu
Vientiane
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$24.02
NPR3,287.68
$85.86
LAK1,854,016
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$31.19
NPR4,269.24
$62.88
LAK1,357,815
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$53.29
NPR7,294.85
$57.29
LAK1,237,081

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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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See the cost of living in Nepal vs. Laos. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Nepal and Laos.

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