Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $537 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Thimphu

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $537 in Thimphu, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Thimphu $537

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $842 in Thimphu, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Thimphu $842

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,147 in Thimphu, rent included.

Ankara $2,785
Thimphu $1,147

Ankara costs about 158% more than Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Thimphu is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$2.61 BTN 247

286.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$14.40 BTN 1,363

204.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

$4.88 BTN 461

100.41%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$1.33 BTN 126

209.77%

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

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.50 BTN 47.26

236.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺36.05

$0.17 BTN 16.06

323.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 ₺252

$2.69 BTN 255

86.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 ₺331

$1.62 BTN 154

307.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$0.82 BTN 77.3

41.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$1.23 BTN 117

-21.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$0.90 BTN 85.6

150.00%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$2.10 BTN 198

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$3.88 BTN 367

160.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$4.81 BTN 455

12.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

$4.99 BTN 472

300.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$3.47 BTN 328

-44.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$1.67 BTN 158

30.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

$1.68 BTN 159

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$1.05 BTN 99.5

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$0.71 BTN 67.6

-8.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.97 BTN 91.4

-43.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$0.40 BTN 38.06

147.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₺32.90

$0.34 BTN 31.72

94.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₺113

$4.18 BTN 395

-46.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$2.59 BTN 245

377.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₺106

$0.59 BTN 55.4

259.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺161

$1.11 BTN 105

188.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₺38.86

$0.82 BTN 77.3

-6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 ₺595

$5.42 BTN 513

118.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.54 BTN 51.3

137.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

$1.60 BTN 151

-47.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

$0.16 BTN 15.00

5037.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$0.73 BTN 68.7

90.41%

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

$48.4K ₺2.4M

$16.5K BTN 1.6M

192.79%

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

$40.2K ₺2.0M

$15.1K BTN 1.4M

165.80%

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

$99.9 ₺5,011

$34.01 BTN 3,218

193.77%

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

$11.15 ₺559

$36.52 BTN 3,456

-69.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$24.69 BTN 2,336

-27.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

$47.44 BTN 4,489

51.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

$7.52 BTN 712

96.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

$3.17 BTN 300

145.11%

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

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$44.60 BTN 4,220

2329.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

$589 BTN 55.7K

3716.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

$50.4 BTN 4,771

5.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

$24.63 BTN 2,331

94.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

$69.1 BTN 6,536

50.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$14.42 BTN 1,365

578.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₺37.5K

$130 BTN 12.3K

475.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ₺27.9K

$86.4 BTN 8,173

544.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$197 BTN 18.6K

481.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 ₺45.2K

$155 BTN 14.7K

480.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,644 ₺82.5K

$6,816 BTN 645.0K

-75.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$391 BTN 37.0K

192.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₺53.1K

$352 BTN 33.3K

200.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.85

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

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Thimphu

$86 16.1% 84.5% $470

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Thimphu

$143 26.5% 43.2% $108

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Thimphu

$71 13.2% 65.8% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Thimphu

$71 13.3% 47.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Thimphu

$95 17.7% 26.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Thimphu

$54 10% 38.6% $34

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Thimphu

$17 3.2% 15.7% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Ankara versus $130 in Thimphu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ankara are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $14 in Thimphu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $143 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

3 h ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.57 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.62 BTN (100 BTN = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.41 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankara Thimphu 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Thimphu

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

Ankara vs Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 158% more than Thimphu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $806 in Thimphu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thimphu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $130 there versus $748 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $1,084 per month in Ankara and $45 in Thimphu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Thimphu, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Thimphu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thimphu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Thimphu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ankara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.