Cost of living comparison

 Lusaka, Zambia
compared to
 Vientiane, Laos
Vientiane vs. Lusaka Cost of Living Summary

Vientiane is 63.3% more expensive than Lusaka.

Restaurants
pay 23.2% less in Vientiane
Groceries
pay 24.2% more in Vientiane
Transportation
pay 71.0% more in Vientiane
Housing
pay 2.9 times more in Vientiane
Childcare
pay 64.5% more in Vientiane
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.1% less in Vientiane
Clothing
pay 2.3 times more in Vientiane

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

Vientiane vs. Lusaka Cost Breakdown

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

pay 23.2% less for restaurants

 
Lusaka
Vientiane
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.21
ZMW191.88
$1.98
LAK42,814
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$3.82
ZMW101.68
$2.97
LAK64,221
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.71
ZMW18.99
$0.53
LAK11,418

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pay 24.2% more for groceries

 
Lusaka
Vientiane
Bread
1 loaf
$0.74
ZMW19.68
$0.91
LAK19,694
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.64
ZMW96.74
$13.72
LAK296,229
Milk (1 gallon) $4.85
ZMW129.11
$6.42
LAK138,631

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pay 71.0% more for transportation

 
Lusaka
Vientiane
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.77
ZMW126.80
$5.00
LAK108,058
Monthly public transit pass $37.04
ZMW985.50
$49.23
LAK1,063,162
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $8,004.53
ZMW212,997.41
$28,330.27
LAK611,770,395

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pay 2.9 times more for housing

 
Lusaka
Vientiane
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$125.92
ZMW3,350.66
$11.17
LAK241,267
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $214.42
ZMW5,705.70
$859.15
LAK18,552,729
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $114.96
ZMW3,059.01
$775.98
LAK16,756,633

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pay 64.5% more for childcare

 
Lusaka
Vientiane
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $176.79
ZMW4,704.30
$332.66
LAK7,183,531
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,570.42
ZMW174,836.45
$9,252.41
LAK199,798,618

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pay 9.1% less for entertainment and sports

 
Lusaka
Vientiane
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.97
ZMW25.73
$0.95
LAK20,485
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.07
ZMW55.17
$1.50
LAK32,296
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.49
ZMW66.23
$1.59
LAK34,251

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pay 2.3 times more for clothing

 
Lusaka
Vientiane
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$18.43
ZMW490.55
$85.86
LAK1,854,016
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$18.78
ZMW499.83
$62.88
LAK1,357,815
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.18
ZMW2,399.56
$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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