Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhutan and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $502 in Bhutan, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Bhutan despite lower rent and utilities.

24

Cost of Living Index in Bhutan
Learn more

Bhutan Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

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🇧🇹 Bhutan

$502

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bhutan and in India

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 India actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $502 per month in Bhutan vs $399 in India, rent included.

Bhutan $502
India $399

A couple spends around $778 per month in Bhutan vs $639 in India, rent included.

Bhutan $778
India $639

A family of three spends $1,053 per month in Bhutan vs $879 in India, rent included.

Bhutan $1,053
India $879

The regional cost range is wider in India ($230–$813) than in Bhutan ($103–$522), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Bhutan is about 26% higher than in India on average.

Both Bhutan and India are more affordable than the global median – Bhutan 63% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 BTN 253

$2.14 ₹204

23.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.13 BTN 1,346

$10.46 ₹996

35.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 BTN 477

$3.80 ₹362

31.84%

Cappuccino

$1.29 BTN 123

$1.68 ₹160

-23.21%

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

$0.48 BTN 46.17

$0.38 ₹36.03

26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 BTN 15.48

$0.15 ₹14.62

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 BTN 244

$1.87 ₹178

36.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BTN 155

$3.18 ₹303

-49.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 BTN 74.0

$0.62 ₹59.3

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 BTN 80.2

$0.50 ₹47.82

68.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 BTN 94.1

$0.63 ₹60.4

57.14%

Eggs

$1.56 BTN 149

$0.96 ₹91.4

62.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.33 BTN 318

$4.85 ₹462

-31.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 BTN 354

$2.84 ₹271

30.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.91 BTN 373

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 BTN 232

$2.00 ₹191

22.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 BTN 150

$0.65 ₹61.5

141.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 BTN 152

$0.97 ₹92.4

63.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 BTN 87.6

$0.47 ₹44.35

95.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 BTN 58.0

$0.34 ₹31.91

79.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 BTN 65.6

$0.42 ₹39.77

64.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 BTN 60.9

$0.47 ₹44.44

36.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 BTN 31.73

$0.31 ₹29.71

6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 BTN 369

$5.08 ₹483

-23.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.91 BTN 277

$7.31 ₹696

-60.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BTN 80.4

$1.63 ₹155

-48.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BTN 102

$2.76 ₹263

-61.23%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BTN 78.2

$0.26 ₹24.88

215.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.12 BTN 488

$8.58 ₹817

-40.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 BTN 78.8

$1.00 ₹94.8

-17.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 BTN 146

$0.27 ₹25.77

470.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.14 BTN 13.61

$1.54 ₹146

-90.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 73.2

$1.07 ₹102

-28.04%

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

$16.4K BTN 1.6M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

46.65%

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

$15.2K BTN 1.4M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

-24.27%

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

$34.15 BTN 3,254

$37.08 ₹3,531

-7.90%

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

$36.40 BTN 3,469

$3.58 ₹341

916.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 BTN 2,299

$7.15 ₹681

237.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.93 BTN 4,472

$15.00 ₹1,428

212.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.19 BTN 590

$7.17 ₹683

-13.67%

Cinema Ticket

$3.16 BTN 301

$3.20 ₹304

-1.25%

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

$44.49 BTN 4,240

$58.8 ₹5,599

-24.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$588 BTN 56.0K

$1,667 ₹158.7K

-64.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 BTN 3,397

$23.03 ₹2,193

54.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.58 BTN 1,675

$24.17 ₹2,301

-27.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 BTN 5,211

$41.20 ₹3,923

32.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.70 BTN 2,449

$29.62 ₹2,820

-13.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 BTN 11.4K

$146 ₹13.9K

-18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.6 BTN 8,152

$96.4 ₹9,175

-11.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 BTN 17.1K

$343 ₹32.6K

-47.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 BTN 14.3K

$234 ₹22.3K

-35.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,519 BTN 525.9K

$1,177 ₹112.1K

368.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,676 BTN 159.7K

$633 ₹60.3K

164.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$322 BTN 30.7K

$409 ₹38.9K

-21.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

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

Last update for Bhutan: October 26, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bhutan

$121 24.1%

India

$102 25.6% 15.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bhutan

$95 18.9%

India

$48 12% 49.5% $47

Accommodation & Living

Bhutan

$86 17%

India

$96 24.1% 12.6% $11

Eating Out

Bhutan

$70 14%

India

$67 16.7% 5.5% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Bhutan

$60 12%

India

$53 13.3% 11.7% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Bhutan

$53 10.6%

India

$21 5.4% 59.8% $32

Getting Around

Bhutan

$17 3.4%

India

$12 3% 29.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $142 in Bhutan vs $120 in India. For reference, capital cities sit at $128 in Thimphu and $277 in Delhi.

Average salary: $295 in Bhutan vs $412 in India. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Bhutan.

Dining out costs 27% more in Bhutan.

Public transport is 60% more expensive in India.

Salaries are 40% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

30 min behind Bhutan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

787,424

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.38 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 95.29 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.38 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bhutan India 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bhutan
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

India is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 20% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Bhutan: a central one-bedroom averages $142 versus $120 in India.

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