Cost of living comparison

 Vientiane, Laos
compared to
 Pretoria, South Africa
Pretoria vs. Vientiane Cost of Living Summary

Pretoria is 34.9% more expensive than Vientiane.

Restaurants
pay 2.4 times more in Pretoria
Groceries
pay 3.3% less in Pretoria
Transportation
pay 5.1% less in Pretoria
Housing
pay 51.5% more in Pretoria
Childcare
pay 41.5% less in Pretoria
Entertainment and Sports
pay 72.6% more in Pretoria
Clothing
pay 27.6% more in Pretoria

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

Pretoria vs. Vientiane Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.4 times more for restaurants

 
Vientiane
Pretoria
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.98
LAK42,814
$8.52
ZAR153.31
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$2.97
LAK64,221
$4.68
ZAR84.27
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.53
LAK11,418
$1.01
ZAR18.14

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pay 3.3% less for groceries

 
Vientiane
Pretoria
Bread
1 loaf
$0.91
LAK19,694
$1.07
ZAR19.33
Local cheese (8 oz) $13.72
LAK296,229
$3.70
ZAR66.52
Milk (1 gallon) $6.42
LAK138,631
$4.91
ZAR88.41

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pay 5.1% less for transportation

 
Vientiane
Pretoria
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.00
LAK108,058
$5.05
ZAR90.95
Monthly public transit pass $49.23
LAK1,063,162
$65.32
ZAR1,175.37
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $28,330.27
LAK611,770,395
$19,084.78
ZAR343,411.29

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pay 51.5% more for housing

 
Vientiane
Pretoria
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.17
LAK241,267
$39.13
ZAR704.13
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $859.15
LAK18,552,729
$416.34
ZAR7,491.68
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $775.98
LAK16,756,633
$379.25
ZAR6,824.20

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pay 41.5% less for childcare

 
Vientiane
Pretoria
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $332.66
LAK7,183,531
$216.65
ZAR3,898.42
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,252.41
LAK199,798,618
$4,800.41
ZAR86,378.45

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pay 72.6% more for entertainment and sports

 
Vientiane
Pretoria
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.95
LAK20,485
$2.39
ZAR42.93
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.50
LAK32,296
$2.00
ZAR35.91
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.59
LAK34,251
$2.95
ZAR53.15

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pay 27.6% more for clothing

 
Vientiane
Pretoria
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$85.86
LAK1,854,016
$49.09
ZAR883.26
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$62.88
LAK1,357,815
$34.65
ZAR623.46
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$57.29
LAK1,237,081
$92.30
ZAR1,660.84

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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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