Cost of living comparison

Uganda

compared to

Laos

Vientiane vs. Kampala Cost of Living Summary

Vientiane is 47.9% more expensive than Kampala.

Restaurants: pay 2.6% more in Vientiane
Groceries: pay 51.3% more in Vientiane
Transportation: pay 75.1% more in Vientiane
Housing: pay 59.4% more in Vientiane
Childcare: pay 82.4% more in Vientiane
Entertainment and Sports: pay 22.6% less in Vientiane
Clothing: pay 2.0 times more in Vientiane

The cost of clothing, childcare, transportation, housing, groceries, and restaurants in Vientiane are more expensive than in Kampala. Notably, clothing, childcare, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Vientiane.

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Vientiane vs. Kampala Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 2.6% more for restaurants

	Kampala	Vientiane
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.45 UGX10,151	$2.67 LAK60,254	+9.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.36 UGX30,452	$5.35 LAK121K	-27.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.37 UGX1,523	$0.71 LAK16,068	+93.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.27 UGX1,107	$0.37 LAK8,410	+39.4%
Average			+2.6%

Kampala vs. Vientiane - Cost of restaurants

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pay 51.3% more for groceries

	Kampala	Vientiane
Bread 1 loaf	$0.91 UGX3,747	$1.14 LAK25,737	+26.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.18 UGX9,009	$13.59 LAK306K	+524.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$2.90 UGX11,976	$7.61 LAK171K	+162.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.58 UGX6,530	$1.87 LAK42,101	+18.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.05 UGX8,472	$2.81 LAK63,330	+37.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.95 UGX3,939	$1.09 LAK24,464	+14.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.57 UGX2,353	$0.52 LAK11,662	-9.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.59 UGX2,430	$1.19 LAK26,832	+102.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 UGX2,225	$0.69 LAK15,639	+29.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.56 UGX2,302	$0.66 LAK14,918	+18.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.56 UGX2,302	$0.49 LAK10,995	-12.3%
Average			+51.3%

Kampala vs. Vientiane - Cost of groceries

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pay 75.1% more for transportation

	Kampala	Vientiane
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.31 UGX21,961	$5.62 LAK127K	+5.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$42.68 UGX177K	$48.44 LAK1M	+13.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$7,361.98 UGX30M	$28,190.13 LAK635M	+282.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.94 UGX12,181	$8.47 LAK191K	+187.5%
Average			+75.1%

Kampala vs. Vientiane - Cost of transportation

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pay 59.4% more for housing

	Kampala	Vientiane
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$34.66 UGX143K	$12.33 LAK278K	-64.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$482.64 UGX2M	$643.47 LAK15M	+33.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$167.36 UGX692K	$414.50 LAK9M	+147.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$53.08 UGX220K	$69.22 LAK2M	+30.4%
Average			+59.4%

Kampala vs. Vientiane - Cost of housing

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pay 82.4% more for childcare

	Kampala	Vientiane
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$251.43 UGX1M	$625.02 LAK14M	+148.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,279.19 UGX34M	$11,083.07 LAK250M	+33.9%
Average			+82.4%

Kampala vs. Vientiane - Cost of childcare

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pay 22.6% less for entertainment and sports

	Kampala	Vientiane
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.23 UGX5,075	$1.36 LAK30,629	+10.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.53 UGX10,471	$1.79 LAK40,336	-29.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.45 UGX10,151	$1.78 LAK40,169	-27.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$55.21 UGX228K	$47.54 LAK1M	-13.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.36 UGX30,452	$4.23 LAK95,401	-42.5%
Average			-22.6%

Kampala vs. Vientiane - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 2.0 times more for clothing

	Kampala	Vientiane
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$13.80 UGX57,098	$26.74 LAK603K	+93.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$12.88 UGX53,292	$66.85 LAK2M	+418.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$31.90 UGX132K	$56.75 LAK1M	+77.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$43.25 UGX179K	$41.00 LAK924K	-5.2%
Average			+102.9%

Kampala vs. Vientiane - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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