Cost of living comparison

Oman

compared to

Laos

Vientiane vs. Muscat Cost of Living Summary

Vientiane is 18.7% cheaper than Muscat.

Restaurants: pay 34.6% less in Vientiane
Groceries: pay 1.1% less in Vientiane
Transportation: pay 11.8% more in Vientiane
Housing: pay 21.9% less in Vientiane
Childcare: pay 51.3% more in Vientiane
Entertainment and Sports: pay 66.1% less in Vientiane
Clothing: pay 31.7% less in Vientiane

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

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Vientiane vs. Muscat Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 34.6% less for restaurants

	Muscat	Vientiane
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.20 OMR1.990	$2.67 LAK60,254	-48.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.80 OMR2.980	$5.35 LAK121K	-31.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.88 OMR0.340	$0.71 LAK16,068	-18.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.28 OMR0.110	$0.37 LAK8,410	+32.5%
Average			-34.6%

Muscat vs. Vientiane - Cost of restaurants

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pay 1.1% less for groceries

	Muscat	Vientiane
Bread 1 loaf	$1.21 OMR0.460	$1.14 LAK25,737	-5.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.66 OMR1.400	$13.59 LAK306K	+271.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.79 OMR3.360	$7.61 LAK171K	-13.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.98 OMR1.140	$1.87 LAK42,101	-37.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$3.17 OMR1.210	$2.81 LAK63,330	-11.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.63 OMR0.620	$1.09 LAK24,464	-33.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.90 OMR0.340	$0.52 LAK11,662	-42.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.08 OMR0.410	$1.19 LAK26,832	+10.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.58 OMR0.220	$0.69 LAK15,639	+19.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 OMR0.210	$0.66 LAK14,918	+22.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.57 OMR0.220	$0.49 LAK10,995	-14.7%
Average			-1.1%

Muscat vs. Vientiane - Cost of groceries

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pay 11.8% more for transportation

	Muscat	Vientiane
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$2.35 OMR0.900	$5.62 LAK127K	+139.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$78.03 OMR29.840	$48.44 LAK1M	-37.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,485.84 OMR9,746.120	$28,190.13 LAK635M	+10.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$24.06 OMR9.200	$8.47 LAK191K	-64.8%
Average			+11.8%

Muscat vs. Vientiane - Cost of transportation

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pay 21.9% less for housing

	Muscat	Vientiane
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$70.55 OMR26.980	$12.33 LAK278K	-82.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$680.91 OMR260.390	$643.47 LAK15M	-5.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$453.13 OMR173.280	$414.50 LAK9M	-8.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$136.85 OMR52.330	$69.22 LAK2M	-49.4%
Average			-21.9%

Muscat vs. Vientiane - Cost of housing

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pay 51.3% more for childcare

	Muscat	Vientiane
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$287.32 OMR109.880	$625.02 LAK14M	+117.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,536.61 OMR4,029.340	$11,083.07 LAK250M	+5.2%
Average			+51.3%

Muscat vs. Vientiane - Cost of childcare

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pay 66.1% less for entertainment and sports

	Muscat	Vientiane
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$13.00 OMR4.970	$1.36 LAK30,629	-89.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.07 OMR1.940	$1.79 LAK40,336	-64.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$6.50 OMR2.480	$1.78 LAK40,169	-72.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$62.02 OMR23.720	$47.54 LAK1M	-23.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$10.40 OMR3.980	$4.23 LAK95,401	-59.3%
Average			-66.1%

Muscat vs. Vientiane - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 31.7% less for clothing

	Muscat	Vientiane
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$56.51 OMR21.610	$26.74 LAK603K	-52.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$43.24 OMR16.540	$66.85 LAK2M	+54.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$89.59 OMR34.260	$56.75 LAK1M	-36.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$87.56 OMR33.480	$41.00 LAK924K	-53.2%
Average			-31.7%

Muscat 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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