Cost of living comparison

 Vientiane, Laos
compared to
 Kigali, Rwanda
Kigali vs. Vientiane Cost of Living Summary

Kigali is 6.7% cheaper than Vientiane.

Restaurants
pay 63.1% more in Kigali
Groceries
pay 20.3% less in Kigali
Transportation
pay 19.3% less in Kigali
Housing
pay 4.6% less in Kigali
Childcare
pay 25.6% less in Kigali
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.8% more in Kigali
Clothing
pay 56.0% less in Kigali

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

Kigali vs. Vientiane Cost Breakdown

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

pay 63.1% more for restaurants

 
Vientiane
Kigali
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.98
LAK42,814
$3.26
RWF4,613
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$2.97
LAK64,221
$6.16
RWF8,713
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.53
LAK11,418
$0.89
RWF1,264

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pay 20.3% less for groceries

 
Vientiane
Kigali
Bread
1 loaf
$0.91
LAK19,694
$1.01
RWF1,426
Local cheese (8 oz) $13.72
LAK296,229
$2.26
RWF3,192
Milk (1 gallon) $6.42
LAK138,631
$2.66
RWF3,755

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pay 19.3% less for transportation

 
Vientiane
Kigali
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.00
LAK108,058
$4.48
RWF6,332
Monthly public transit pass $49.23
LAK1,063,162
$24.66
RWF34,853
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,330.27
LAK611,770,395
$20,668.41
RWF29,215,189

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pay 4.6% less for housing

 
Vientiane
Kigali
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.17
LAK241,267
$26.20
RWF37,032
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $859.15
LAK18,552,729
$489.52
RWF691,939
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $775.98
LAK16,756,633
$271.95
RWF384,410

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pay 25.6% less for childcare

 
Vientiane
Kigali
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $332.66
LAK7,183,531
$149.39
RWF211,169
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,252.41
LAK199,798,618
$9,609.00
RWF13,582,500

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pay 15.8% more for entertainment and sports

 
Vientiane
Kigali
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.95
LAK20,485
$1.09
RWF1,538
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.50
LAK32,296
$2.22
RWF3,132
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.59
LAK34,251
$2.36
RWF3,332

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pay 56.0% less for clothing

 
Vientiane
Kigali
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$85.86
LAK1,854,016
$16.68
RWF23,577
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$62.88
LAK1,357,815
$21.76
RWF30,753
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$57.29
LAK1,237,081
$26.59
RWF37,587

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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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