Cost of living comparison

 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
compared to
 Vientiane, Laos
Vientiane vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Summary

Vientiane is 16.5% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur.

Restaurants
pay 37.2% less in Vientiane
Groceries
pay 4.5% more in Vientiane
Transportation
pay 2.3 times more in Vientiane
Housing
pay 30.4% more in Vientiane
Childcare
pay 18.2% more in Vientiane
Entertainment and Sports
pay 40.4% less in Vientiane
Clothing
pay 14.9% more in Vientiane

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

Vientiane vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Vientiane instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:

pay 37.2% less for restaurants

 
Kuala Lumpur
Vientiane
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.54
MYR19.20
$1.98
LAK42,781
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.54
MYR19.20
$2.97
LAK64,171
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.84
MYR3.56
$0.53
LAK11,409

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pay 4.5% more for groceries

 
Kuala Lumpur
Vientiane
Bread
1 loaf
$0.95
MYR4.00
$0.91
LAK19,679
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.58
MYR32.03
$13.72
LAK295,999
Milk (1 gallon) $7.22
MYR30.51
$6.42
LAK138,524

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pay 2.3 times more for transportation

 
Kuala Lumpur
Vientiane
Gasoline (1 gallon) $1.77
MYR7.50
$5.00
LAK107,974
Monthly public transit pass $11.36
MYR48.01
$49.23
LAK1,062,338
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $37,478.71
MYR158,441.23
$28,330.27
LAK611,296,389

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pay 30.4% more for housing

 
Kuala Lumpur
Vientiane
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$25.27
MYR106.81
$11.17
LAK241,080
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $536.30
MYR2,267.19
$859.15
LAK18,538,354
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $371.69
MYR1,571.32
$775.98
LAK16,743,650

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pay 18.2% more for childcare

 
Kuala Lumpur
Vientiane
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $250.80
MYR1,060.28
$332.66
LAK7,177,965
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,920.55
MYR37,711.63
$9,252.41
LAK199,643,812

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pay 40.4% less for entertainment and sports

 
Kuala Lumpur
Vientiane
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.09
MYR17.28
$0.95
LAK20,469
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.92
MYR12.34
$1.50
LAK32,271
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.09
MYR17.28
$1.59
LAK34,225

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pay 14.9% more for clothing

 
Kuala Lumpur
Vientiane
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$57.74
MYR244.09
$85.86
LAK1,852,580
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$35.00
MYR147.97
$62.88
LAK1,356,763
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$76.75
MYR324.47
$57.29
LAK1,236,123

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

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