Cost of living comparison

 Port Vila, Vanuatu
compared to
 Vientiane, Laos
Vientiane vs. Port Vila Cost of Living Summary

Vientiane is 37.3% cheaper than Port Vila.

Restaurants
pay 75.7% less in Vientiane
Groceries
pay 47.2% less in Vientiane
Transportation
pay 2.1% less in Vientiane
Housing
pay 69.6% less in Vientiane
Childcare
pay 5.7% more in Vientiane
Entertainment and Sports
pay 76.3% less in Vientiane
Clothing
pay 4.4% more in Vientiane

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

Vientiane vs. Port Vila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Vientiane instead of Port Vila, you would:

pay 75.7% less for restaurants

 
Port Vila
Vientiane
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $11.23
VUV1,334
$1.98
LAK42,771
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.60
VUV1,139
$2.97
LAK64,156
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.17
VUV257
$0.53
LAK11,406

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pay 47.2% less for groceries

 
Port Vila
Vientiane
Bread
1 loaf
$2.46
VUV293
$0.91
LAK19,674
Local cheese (8 oz) $10.11
VUV1,200
$13.72
LAK295,931
Milk (1 gallon) $8.55
VUV1,014
$6.42
LAK138,492

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pay 2.1% less for transportation

 
Port Vila
Vientiane
Gasoline (1 gallon) $7.17
VUV852
$5.00
LAK107,949
Monthly public transit pass $67.38
VUV8,000
$49.23
LAK1,062,092
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $23,163.36
VUV2,750,000
$28,330.27
LAK611,154,737

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pay 69.6% less for housing

 
Port Vila
Vientiane
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$228.83
VUV27,167
$11.17
LAK241,024
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,867.11
VUV221,667
$859.15
LAK18,534,058
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,407.24
VUV167,070
$775.98
LAK16,739,770

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pay 5.7% more for childcare

 
Port Vila
Vientiane
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $469.58
VUV55,750
$332.66
LAK7,176,302
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,586.82
VUV782,000
$9,252.41
LAK199,597,550

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pay 76.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Port Vila
Vientiane
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.59
VUV545
$0.95
LAK20,464
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.09
VUV604
$1.50
LAK32,263
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.27
VUV1,100
$1.59
LAK34,217

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pay 4.4% more for clothing

 
Port Vila
Vientiane
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$46.33
VUV5,500
$85.86
LAK1,852,151
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$67.38
VUV8,000
$62.88
LAK1,356,449
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$101.08
VUV12,000
$57.29
LAK1,235,836

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

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