Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhutan and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Bhutan
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Bhutan Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇧🇹 Bhutan

$502

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bhutan and in Australia

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

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

Bhutan $502
Australia $2,626

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

Bhutan $778
Australia $3,810

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

Bhutan $1,053
Australia $4,994

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 Bhutan is roughly 81% lower than in Australia on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 BTN 253

$17.65 A$25.08

-84.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.13 BTN 1,346

$85.2 A$121

-83.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 BTN 477

$11.09 A$15.76

-54.82%

Cappuccino

$1.29 BTN 123

$3.90 A$5.54

-66.92%

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

$0.48 BTN 46.17

$2.85 A$4.05

-83.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 BTN 15.48

$2.31 A$3.29

-93.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 BTN 244

$7.53 A$10.70

-66.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BTN 155

$8.59 A$12.20

-81.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 BTN 74.0

$1.76 A$2.50

-55.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 BTN 80.2

$2.81 A$3.99

-70.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 BTN 94.1

$2.24 A$3.19

-55.80%

Eggs

$1.56 BTN 149

$5.02 A$7.14

-68.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.33 BTN 318

$9.87 A$14.02

-66.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 BTN 354

$9.32 A$13.24

-60.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.91 BTN 373

$14.86 A$21.13

-73.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 BTN 232

$3.82 A$5.42

-36.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 BTN 150

$2.92 A$4.16

-46.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 BTN 152

$3.13 A$4.46

-49.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 BTN 87.6

$4.81 A$6.83

-80.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 BTN 58.0

$2.80 A$3.98

-78.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 BTN 65.6

$2.38 A$3.38

-71.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 BTN 60.9

$2.37 A$3.37

-73.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 BTN 31.73

$1.65 A$2.35

-80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 BTN 369

$39.13 A$55.6

-90.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.91 BTN 277

$13.93 A$19.80

-79.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BTN 80.4

$4.96 A$7.05

-83.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BTN 102

$5.17 A$7.35

-79.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BTN 78.2

$2.42 A$3.44

-66.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.12 BTN 488

$94.6 A$134

-94.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 BTN 78.8

$3.49 A$4.97

-76.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 BTN 146

$1.60 A$2.27

-3.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.14 BTN 13.61

$39.84 A$56.6

-99.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 73.2

$1.39 A$1.97

-44.60%

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

$16.4K BTN 1.6M

$30.0K A$42.7K

-45.19%

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

$15.2K BTN 1.4M

$25.8K A$36.6K

-41.04%

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

$34.15 BTN 3,254

$205 A$291

-83.34%

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

$36.40 BTN 3,469

$28.33 A$40.27

28.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 BTN 2,299

$58.8 A$83.5

-58.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.93 BTN 4,472

$55.7 A$79.1

-15.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.19 BTN 590

$19.57 A$27.82

-68.37%

Cinema Ticket

$3.16 BTN 301

$15.38 A$21.86

-79.45%

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

$44.49 BTN 4,240

$2,145 A$3,049

-97.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$588 BTN 56.0K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-96.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 BTN 3,397

$78.3 A$111

-54.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.58 BTN 1,675

$56.3 A$80.0

-68.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 BTN 5,211

$115 A$164

-52.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.70 BTN 2,449

$123 A$175

-79.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 BTN 11.4K

$1,591 A$2,261

-92.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.6 BTN 8,152

$1,293 A$1,837

-93.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 BTN 17.1K

$2,524 A$3,588

-92.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 BTN 14.3K

$2,005 A$2,850

-92.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,519 BTN 525.9K

$8,751 A$12.4K

-36.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,676 BTN 159.7K

$6,260 A$8,898

-73.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$322 BTN 30.7K

$3,984 A$5,663

-91.92%

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 Bhutan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bhutan

$121 24.1%

Australia

$374 14.3% 209% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bhutan

$95 18.9%

Australia

$292 11.1% 209% $197

Accommodation & Living

Bhutan

$86 17%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 1411% $1.2K

Eating Out

Bhutan

$70 14%

Australia

$297 11.3% 322% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Bhutan

$60 12%

Australia

$168 6.4% 179% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Bhutan

$53 10.6%

Australia

$86 3.3% 62.3% $33

Getting Around

Bhutan

$17 3.4%

Australia

$116 4.4% 585% $99

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $295 in Bhutan vs $3,874 in Australia. 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

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

14:19 2:19 PM

5 h ahead of Bhutan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

787,424

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.37 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

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).

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).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bhutan Australia 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bhutan
Australia

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

Bhutan vs Australia: 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.