Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bali and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $537 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bali 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 Bali and in Thimphu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,187 per month in Bali vs $537 in Thimphu, rent included.

Bali $1,187
Thimphu $537

A couple spends around $2,004 per month in Bali vs $842 in Thimphu, rent included.

Bali $2,004
Thimphu $842

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Bali vs $1,147 in Thimphu, rent included.

Bali $2,822
Thimphu $1,147

Bali costs about 121% more than Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bali and Thimphu are more affordable than the global median – Bali 12% lower, Thimphu 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 Rp 50.6K

$2.61 BTN 247

7.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.85 Rp 520.8K

$14.40 BTN 1,363

100.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 Rp 86.0K

$4.88 BTN 461

-2.46%

Cappuccino

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$1.33 BTN 126

67.67%

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

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$0.50 BTN 47.26

160.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

$0.17 BTN 16.06

229.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.3K

$2.69 BTN 255

-17.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

$1.62 BTN 154

119.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$0.82 BTN 77.3

71.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 Rp 39.4K

$1.23 BTN 117

77.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.90 BTN 85.6

16.67%

Eggs

$1.92 Rp 34.7K

$2.10 BTN 198

-8.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 Rp 267.9K

$3.88 BTN 367

282.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 69.7K

$4.81 BTN 455

-19.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 Rp 192.9K

$4.99 BTN 472

114.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 Rp 60.2K

$3.47 BTN 328

-3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.67 BTN 158

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.1K

$1.68 BTN 159

32.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

$1.05 BTN 99.5

71.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.71 BTN 67.6

142.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$0.97 BTN 91.4

129.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.5K

$0.40 BTN 38.06

130.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 Rp 8,308

$0.34 BTN 31.72

35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 Rp 37.1K

$4.18 BTN 395

-50.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.38 Rp 367.8K

$2.59 BTN 245

686.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 Rp 39.1K

$0.59 BTN 55.4

266.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 Rp 51.4K

$1.11 BTN 105

156.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,531

$0.82 BTN 77.3

-69.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.68 Rp 156.7K

$5.42 BTN 513

60.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,956

$0.54 BTN 51.3

-18.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,766

$1.60 BTN 151

-73.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 Rp 97.2K

$0.16 BTN 15.00

3262.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$0.73 BTN 68.7

16.44%

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

$23.7K Rp 428.5M

$16.5K BTN 1.6M

43.48%

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

$32.9K Rp 592.9M

$15.1K BTN 1.4M

116.96%

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

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$34.01 BTN 3,218

125.64%

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

$6.33 Rp 114.2K

$36.52 BTN 3,456

-82.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 Rp 341.6K

$24.69 BTN 2,336

-23.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 Rp 751.7K

$47.44 BTN 4,489

-12.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 Rp 266.7K

$7.52 BTN 712

96.54%

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 Rp 64.6K

$3.17 BTN 300

12.93%

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

$437 Rp 7.9M

$44.60 BTN 4,220

879.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Rp 199.2M

$589 BTN 55.7K

1773.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.09 Rp 777.7K

$50.4 BTN 4,771

-14.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.51 Rp 604.8K

$24.63 BTN 2,331

36.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

$69.1 BTN 6,536

8.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

$14.42 BTN 1,365

412.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 Rp 17.3M

$130 BTN 12.3K

636.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 Rp 10.3M

$86.4 BTN 8,173

559.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 Rp 54.6M

$197 BTN 18.6K

1440.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 Rp 26.1M

$155 BTN 14.7K

831.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 Rp 37.8M

$6,816 BTN 645.0K

-69.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 Rp 34.0M

$391 BTN 37.0K

382.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$352 BTN 33.3K

-38.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bali

$570 48%

Thimphu

$86 16.1% 84.8% $483

Groceries & Markets

Bali

$263 22.2%

Thimphu

$143 26.5% 45.8% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bali

$102 8.6%

Thimphu

$95 17.7% 6.6% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Bali

$101 8.6%

Thimphu

$71 13.3% 29.7% $30

Eating Out

Bali

$89 7.5%

Thimphu

$71 13.2% 20.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bali

$49 4.1%

Thimphu

$54 10% 10.2% $5

Getting Around

Bali

$12 1%

Thimphu

$17 3.2% 40.1% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Bali 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 run about 64% higher in Thimphu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali versus $14 in Thimphu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $143 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bali

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

2 h behind Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.57 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bali Thimphu 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bali
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

Bali vs Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 121% more than Thimphu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,780 per month in Bali 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 $957 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Bali and $14 in Thimphu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,187 in Bali and $537 in Thimphu. That makes Thimphu about 55% cheaper.

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.

For expats, Thimphu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.