Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Bhutan

Name: Bhutan
Address: BT

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhutan: $502 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bhutan
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Bhutan Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Bhutan

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $502 in Bhutan, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Bhutan $502

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $778 in Bhutan, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Bhutan $778

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $1,053 in Bhutan, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Bhutan $1,053

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Bhutan ($103–$522), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 423% higher than in Bhutan on average.

Australia sits 93% above the global median, while Bhutan is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.08

$2.65 BTN 253

566.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$14.13 BTN 1,346

503.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.76

$5.01 BTN 477

121.36%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$1.29 BTN 123

202.33%

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

$2.85 A$4.05

$0.48 BTN 46.17

493.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.16 BTN 15.48

1343.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

$2.56 BTN 244

194.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.20

$1.62 BTN 155

430.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$0.78 BTN 74.0

125.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$0.84 BTN 80.2

234.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$0.99 BTN 94.1

126.26%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$1.56 BTN 149

221.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.02

$3.33 BTN 318

196.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.24

$3.71 BTN 354

151.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.13

$3.91 BTN 373

280.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.42

$2.44 BTN 232

56.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$1.57 BTN 150

85.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$1.59 BTN 152

96.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.83

$0.92 BTN 87.6

422.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$0.61 BTN 58.0

359.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$0.69 BTN 65.6

244.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$0.64 BTN 60.9

270.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$0.33 BTN 31.73

400.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$3.88 BTN 369

908.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

$2.91 BTN 277

378.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

$0.84 BTN 80.4

490.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$1.07 BTN 102

383.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.82 BTN 78.2

195.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$5.12 BTN 488

1747.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$0.83 BTN 78.8

320.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.54 BTN 146

3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.6

$0.14 BTN 13.61

28357.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$0.77 BTN 73.2

80.52%

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

$30.0K A$42.7K

$16.4K BTN 1.6M

82.45%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$15.2K BTN 1.4M

69.60%

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

$205 A$291

$34.15 BTN 3,254

500.41%

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

$28.33 A$40.27

$36.40 BTN 3,469

-22.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.5

$24.12 BTN 2,299

143.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$46.93 BTN 4,472

18.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.82

$6.19 BTN 590

216.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.86

$3.16 BTN 301

386.71%

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

$2,145 A$3,049

$44.49 BTN 4,240

4722.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$588 BTN 56.0K

3020.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$35.65 BTN 3,397

119.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$17.58 BTN 1,675

220.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$54.7 BTN 5,211

110.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$25.70 BTN 2,449

379.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,261

$120 BTN 11.4K

1227.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,837

$85.6 BTN 8,152

1410.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,588

$180 BTN 17.1K

1306.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,850

$150 BTN 14.3K

1237.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$5,519 BTN 525.9K

58.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,898

$1,676 BTN 159.7K

273.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,663

$322 BTN 30.7K

1137.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bhutan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Bhutan

$86 17% 93.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Bhutan

$121 24.1% 67.6% $253

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Bhutan

$70 14% 76.3% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Bhutan

$95 18.9% 67.6% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Bhutan

$60 12% 64.2% $108

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Bhutan

$17 3.4% 85.4% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Bhutan

$53 10.6% 38.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $142 in Bhutan. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $128 in Thimphu.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $295 in Bhutan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 874% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 500% more in Australia.

Public transport is 1580% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 13 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

10:26 10:26 AM

5 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

787,424

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 95.29 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.37 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Australia Bhutan 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Bhutan

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

Australia vs Bhutan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhutan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 81% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $142 in Bhutan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Bhutan – part of why living there is about 81% cheaper overall.

Bhutan is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.