Cost of living comparison

compared to

Republic of the Congo vs. Laos Cost of Living Summary

Republic of the Congo is 88.3% more expensive than Laos overall.

Restaurants: pay 3.2 times more in Republic of the Congo
Groceries: pay 47.3% more in Republic of the Congo
Transportation: pay 2.5% less in Republic of the Congo
Housing: pay 3.2 times more in Republic of the Congo
Childcare: pay 16.2% less in Republic of the Congo
Entertainment and Sports: pay 2.3 times more in Republic of the Congo
Clothing: pay 12.6% more in Republic of the Congo

The cost of housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing in Republic of the Congo are more expensive than in Laos. Expenses including childcare and transportation are lower in Republic of the Congo. Notably, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Republic of the Congo.

Republic of the Congo vs. Laos Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Laos, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 3.2 times more for restaurants

	Laos	Republic of the Congo
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.08 LAK44,996	$13.06 FCFA7,315	+528.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.54 LAK119,989	$9.37 FCFA5,245	+69.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.76 LAK16,453	$1.38 FCFA770	+81.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.50 LAK10,726	$1.57 FCFA878	+216.7%
Average			+223.9%

Laos vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 47.3% more for groceries

	Laos	Republic of the Congo
Bread 1 loaf	$1.13 LAK24,579	$2.52 FCFA1,412	+122.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$13.26 LAK287,223	$4.66 FCFA2,610	-64.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.91 LAK149,696	$8.84 FCFA4,950	+27.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.11 LAK45,613	$3.07 FCFA1,717	+45.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.10 LAK45,399	$3.15 FCFA1,765	+50.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.76 LAK16,415	$1.08 FCFA605	+42.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.75 LAK16,248	$1.07 FCFA598	+42.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.97 LAK20,998	$1.85 FCFA1,034	+90.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.30 LAK28,239	$1.28 FCFA715	-2.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.70 LAK15,270	$1.09 FCFA609	+54.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.46 LAK9,913	$0.97 FCFA544	+112.2%
Average			+47.3%

Laos vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.5% less for transportation

	Laos	Republic of the Congo
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.72 LAK102,292	$5.08 FCFA2,848	+7.7%
Monthly public transit pass	$54.89 LAK1,188,824	$22.59 FCFA12,652	-58.8%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$28,639.89 LAK620,324,112	$32,895.05 FCFA18,424,400	+14.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$10.51 LAK227,584	$13.24 FCFA7,416	+26.0%
Average			-2.5%

Laos vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 3.2 times more for housing

	Laos	Republic of the Congo
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$9.16 LAK198,316	$65.34 FCFA36,595	+613.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,004.64 LAK21,759,951	$988.85 FCFA553,851	-1.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$817.42 LAK17,704,963	$393.90 FCFA220,624	-51.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$59.90 LAK1,297,492	$262.94 FCFA147,271	+338.9%
Average			+224.8%

Laos vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 16.2% less for childcare

	Laos	Republic of the Congo
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$296.67 LAK6,425,605	$303.92 FCFA170,222	+2.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,267.93 LAK200,738,321	$6,033.33 FCFA3,379,249	-34.9%
Average			-16.2%

Laos vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.3 times more for entertainment and sports

	Laos	Republic of the Congo
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.42 LAK30,745	$3.10 FCFA1,737	+118.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.66 LAK35,871	$4.75 FCFA2,660	+186.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.98 LAK42,910	$3.92 FCFA2,194	+97.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$67.50 LAK1,462,021	$63.17 FCFA35,382	-6.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.02 LAK65,469	$10.42 FCFA5,836	+244.7%
Average			+128.3%

Laos vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 12.6% more for clothing

	Laos	Republic of the Congo
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$50.20 LAK1,087,403	$41.67 FCFA23,337	-17.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$65.21 LAK1,412,374	$40.42 FCFA22,637	-38.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$66.39 LAK1,437,906	$91.11 FCFA51,031	+37.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$47.52 LAK1,029,342	$80.00 FCFA44,808	+68.3%
Average			+12.6%

Laos vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

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: December 2025

More cost comparisons

Laos vs.

Russia

Laos vs.

Ecuador

Laos vs.

Poland

Laos vs.

United States

Laos vs.

China

Laos vs.

France

Laos vs.

Vietnam

Laos vs.

Germany

Share this

Compare by city

For example, try comparing the cost of living in Vientiane vs. Brazzaville

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

Add prices for Laos

Add prices for Republic of the Congo

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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