Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Alegre and Vientiane

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $965 a month against $1,076 in Vientiane, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vientiane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Porto Alegre
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Porto Alegre Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Vientiane
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Vientiane Living Index

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Porto Alegre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$965

/mo nomad

Vientiane

🇱🇦 Laos

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Porto Alegre and in Vientiane

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Porto Alegre and in Vientiane actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $965 in Porto Alegre versus $1,076 in Vientiane.

Porto Alegre $965
Vientiane $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Porto Alegre versus $1,617 in Vientiane.

Porto Alegre $1,487
Vientiane $1,617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,009 in Porto Alegre versus $2,158 in Vientiane.

Porto Alegre $2,009
Vientiane $2,158

Living in Porto Alegre costs roughly 10% less than in Vientiane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Porto Alegre 29% lower, Vientiane 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.55 R$41.09

$2.74 LAK 61.4K

175.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.17 R$202

$17.52 LAK 392.6K

112.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 R$35.00

$5.21 LAK 116.8K

23.42%

Cappuccino

$2.42 R$13.16

$1.80 LAK 40.4K

34.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 R$6.83

$0.68 LAK 15.2K

85.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.60

$0.39 LAK 8,678

164.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 R$12.42

$1.39 LAK 31.1K

64.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 R$14.83

$1.83 LAK 40.9K

49.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$5.24

$2.03 LAK 45.5K

-52.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$8.51

$1.17 LAK 26.2K

34.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.67

$1.00 LAK 22.3K

4.00%

Eggs

$2.35 R$12.81

$1.82 LAK 40.8K

29.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 R$53.2

$26.95 LAK 603.8K

-63.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 R$24.87

$6.06 LAK 135.7K

-24.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 R$51.3

$6.69 LAK 149.9K

40.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 R$12.47

$2.46 LAK 55.1K

-6.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.35

$1.11 LAK 25.0K

21.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.20

$2.55 LAK 57.2K

-48.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 R$8.35

$1.49 LAK 33.5K

3.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.17

$1.42 LAK 31.8K

-20.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.73

$1.05 LAK 23.4K

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.70

$0.56 LAK 12.6K

53.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$4.18

$0.37 LAK 8,255

108.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.86

$1.76 LAK 39.5K

34.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 R$39.47

$9.85 LAK 220.8K

-26.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R$5.66

$1.07 LAK 23.9K

-2.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 R$11.07

$2.13 LAK 47.6K

-4.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.17

$0.42 LAK 9,395

126.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 R$306

$47.87 LAK 1.1M

17.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.47

$1.30 LAK 29.2K

-8.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.31

$0.86 LAK 19.2K

-8.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 R$40.80

$4.36 LAK 97.7K

72.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.79

$1.51 LAK 33.8K

-17.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.1K R$120.3K

$28.1K LAK 629.6M

-21.28%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.7K R$172.2K

$29.0K LAK 650.1M

9.11%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$72.6 R$395

$89.5 LAK 2.0M

-18.92%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.86 R$64.5

$32.56 LAK 729.7K

-63.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.42 R$111

$12.13 LAK 271.9K

68.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.19 R$148

$48.31 LAK 1.1M

-43.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.04 R$158

$7.77 LAK 174.2K

273.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 R$37.45

$4.19 LAK 94.0K

64.44%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$516 R$2,806

$619 LAK 13.9M

-16.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K R$127.8K

$11.1K LAK 247.6M

112.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.70 R$259

$26.27 LAK 588.7K

81.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 R$297

$67.9 LAK 1.5M

-19.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 R$515

$57.5 LAK 1.3M

64.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 R$400

$41.73 LAK 935.0K

76.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 R$2,311

$642 LAK 14.4M

-33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 R$1,654

$416 LAK 9.3M

-26.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 R$3,847

$1,227 LAK 27.5M

-42.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 R$2,576

$748 LAK 16.8M

-36.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,456 R$7,920

$2,326 LAK 52.1M

-37.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,127 R$6,129

$1,113 LAK 24.9M

1.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$521 R$2,833

$269 LAK 6.0M

93.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

15.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 24, 2026

Last update for Vientiane: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Porto Alegre

$304 31.5%

Vientiane

$416 38.6% 36.8% $112

Groceries & Markets

Porto Alegre

$194 20.1%

Vientiane

$253 23.5% 30.7% $60

Eating Out

Porto Alegre

$135 14%

Vientiane

$74 6.9% 45% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Porto Alegre

$122 12.6%

Vientiane

$87 8.1% 28.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto Alegre

$105 10.9%

Vientiane

$134 12.5% 28% $29

Getting Around

Porto Alegre

$65 6.8%

Vientiane

$55 5.1% 15.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Porto Alegre

$41 4.2%

Vientiane

$57 5.3% 38.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $425 in Porto Alegre and $642 in Vientiane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porto Alegre pays 93% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Porto Alegre vs $18 in Vientiane. Groceries flip the comparison at $194 vs $253, with Porto Alegre cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Porto Alegre

🇱🇦 Vientiane

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

07:08 7:08 AM

10 h ahead of Porto Alegre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,332,833

783,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Lao Kip LAK ₭

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD

100,000 LAK = 4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LAK, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Lao Kip exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 22,407 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4.46 USD). 1 EUR = 25,019 LAK (100,000 LAK = 4 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Porto Alegre Vientiane 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto Alegre
Vientiane

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Porto Alegre vs Vientiane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto Alegre wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Vientiane. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Porto Alegre the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 93% higher in Porto Alegre, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $425 in Porto Alegre versus $642 in Vientiane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Vientiane – a meal for two runs $18 versus $37 in Porto Alegre. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $965 per month in Porto Alegre versus $1,076 in Vientiane – Porto Alegre is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Porto Alegre is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.