Cost of living comparison

 Vientiane, Laos
compared to
 Baghdad, Iraq
Baghdad vs. Vientiane Cost of Living Summary

Baghdad is 5.8% more expensive than Vientiane.

Restaurants
pay 61.9% more in Baghdad
Groceries
pay 32.6% less in Baghdad
Transportation
pay 27.8% less in Baghdad
Housing
pay 52.2% more in Baghdad
Childcare
pay 57.0% less in Baghdad
Entertainment and Sports
pay 70.6% more in Baghdad
Clothing
pay 26.6% less in Baghdad

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

Baghdad vs. Vientiane Cost Breakdown

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

pay 61.9% more for restaurants

 
Vientiane
Baghdad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.98
LAK42,814
$5.31
IQD6,962
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$2.97
LAK64,221
$7.59
IQD9,945
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.53
LAK11,418
$0.42
IQD553

Improve prices ·

pay 32.6% less for groceries

 
Vientiane
Baghdad
Bread
1 loaf
$0.91
LAK19,694
$0.88
IQD1,148
Local cheese (8 oz) $13.72
LAK296,229
$2.38
IQD3,117
Milk (1 gallon) $6.42
LAK138,631
$5.13
IQD6,721

Improve prices ·

pay 27.8% less for transportation

 
Vientiane
Baghdad
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.00
LAK108,058
$1.78
IQD2,338
Monthly public transit pass $49.23
LAK1,063,162
$22.77
IQD29,836
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,330.27
LAK611,770,395
$18,213.31
IQD23,868,624

Improve prices ·

pay 52.2% more for housing

 
Vientiane
Baghdad
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.17
LAK241,267
$35.21
IQD46,144
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $859.15
LAK18,552,729
$443.62
IQD581,372
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $775.98
LAK16,756,633
$264.28
IQD346,337

Improve prices ·

pay 57.0% less for childcare

 
Vientiane
Baghdad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $332.66
LAK7,183,531
$162.43
IQD212,862
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,252.41
LAK199,798,618
$3,438.23
IQD4,505,812

Improve prices ·

pay 70.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Vientiane
Baghdad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.95
LAK20,485
$2.28
IQD2,984
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.50
LAK32,296
$2.89
IQD3,792
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.59
LAK34,251
$2.28
IQD2,984

Improve prices ·

pay 26.6% less for clothing

 
Vientiane
Baghdad
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$85.86
LAK1,854,016
$28.72
IQD37,643
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$62.88
LAK1,357,815
$34.03
IQD44,598
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$57.29
LAK1,237,081
$61.01
IQD79,951

Improve prices ·
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
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

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

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Baghdad or Vientiane. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.