Cost of living comparison
Vientiane is 3.4 times more expensive than Thimphu.
If you lived in Vientiane instead of Thimphu, you would:
pay 31.5% more for restaurants
|
Thimphu
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.99
BTN251.49
|
$1.82
LAK39,833
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$2.99
BTN251.49
|
$3.24
LAK70,993
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.57
BTN47.78
|
$0.67
LAK14,796
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.18
BTN15.09
|
$0.43
LAK9,396
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for groceries
|
Thimphu
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.96
BTN80.48
|
$0.93
LAK20,395
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$1.71
BTN143.35
|
$14.08
LAK308,600
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.22
BTN270.36
|
$6.60
LAK144,656
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.24
BTN188.11
|
$1.80
LAK39,435
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.77
BTN148.29
|
$3.01
LAK65,978
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.09
BTN91.26
|
$0.90
LAK19,817
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.67
BTN55.90
|
$0.51
LAK11,074
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.84
BTN70.27
|
$0.95
LAK20,807
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
BTN31.48
|
$0.62
LAK13,522
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.23
BTN19.62
|
$0.75
LAK16,475
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.26
BTN21.90
|
$0.47
LAK10,297
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for transportation
|
Thimphu
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.99
BTN335.19
|
$5.14
LAK112,637
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$8.00
BTN672.01
|
$50.97
LAK1,117,340
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,555.65
BTN1,810,702.32
|
$28,928.24
LAK634,119,696
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.33
BTN1,287.61
|
$17.94
LAK393,194
|
|
pay 5.5 times more for housing
|
Thimphu
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.78
BTN2,669.46
|
$13.36
LAK292,967
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$128.98
BTN10,834.56
|
$863.65
LAK18,931,546
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$71.76
BTN6,028.03
|
$785.49
LAK17,218,267
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$16.99
BTN1,427.36
|
$65.45
LAK1,434,602
|
|
pay 7.4 times more for childcare
|
Thimphu
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$249.99
BTN20,999.12
|
$342.92
LAK7,516,910
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$688.58
BTN57,841.88
|
$9,300.83
LAK203,878,187
|
|
pay 33.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Thimphu
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.00
BTN840.01
|
$1.00
LAK21,844
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.56
BTN130.77
|
$1.67
LAK36,599
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.89
BTN326.93
|
$1.64
LAK35,978
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.90
BTN4,191.44
|
$51.00
LAK1,117,900
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.59
BTN301.78
|
$2.49
LAK54,610
|
|
pay 4.2 times more for clothing
|
Thimphu
|
Vientiane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$9.58
BTN804.76
|
$81.96
LAK1,796,545
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$11.98
BTN1,005.95
|
$62.33
LAK1,366,228
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$32.93
BTN2,766.35
|
$58.81
LAK1,289,226
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$32.93
BTN2,766.35
|
$42.69
LAK935,866
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Vientiane or Thimphu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.