Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhutan and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhutan: $507 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Bhutan
Learn more

Bhutan Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$507

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Bhutan is 52.8% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 66.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Bhutan is 56.1% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 67.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 BTN 256

$11.88 ₺585

-77.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.28 BTN 1,384

$55.1 ₺2,714

-74.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 BTN 468

$9.14 ₺450

-47.16%

Cappuccino

$1.32 BTN 128

$4.24 ₺209

-68.87%

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

$0.48 BTN 46.66

$1.75 ₺86.0

-72.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 BTN 15.47

$0.54 ₺26.83

-70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 BTN 248

$4.69 ₺231

-45.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 BTN 154

$5.97 ₺294

-73.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 75.0

$1.26 ₺62.1

-38.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 BTN 75.6

$0.95 ₺46.81

-17.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 BTN 97.5

$2.31 ₺114

-56.28%

Eggs

$1.59 BTN 154

$2.47 ₺122

-35.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.32 BTN 321

$10.55 ₺520

-68.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 BTN 355

$5.60 ₺276

-34.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.78 BTN 366

$21.21 ₺1,045

-82.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 BTN 236

$1.93 ₺95.1

25.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 BTN 152

$2.29 ₺113

-31.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 BTN 155

$1.28 ₺63.1

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 BTN 87.6

$1.84 ₺90.8

-51.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 BTN 56.9

$0.67 ₺32.86

-11.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 BTN 64.1

$0.59 ₺29.31

11.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 BTN 65.5

$1.33 ₺65.4

-48.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 BTN 31.33

$0.59 ₺29.10

-45.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 BTN 369

$2.36 ₺116

61.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.90 BTN 281

$13.47 ₺664

-78.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BTN 75.9

$2.42 ₺119

-67.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 BTN 106

$3.54 ₺174

-68.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 BTN 76.6

$0.83 ₺40.64

-4.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.14 BTN 498

$66.5 ₺3,273

-92.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 BTN 74.1

$1.35 ₺66.6

-42.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 BTN 153

$0.85 ₺42.05

85.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.15 BTN 14.39

$10.86 ₺535

-98.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 BTN 73.8

$1.47 ₺72.3

-48.30%

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

$16.9K BTN 1.6M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-67.25%

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

$14.9K BTN 1.4M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-66.38%

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

$33.53 BTN 3,248

$89.2 ₺4,395

-62.42%

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

$35.48 BTN 3,438

$11.60 ₺572

205.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.84 BTN 2,310

$16.10 ₺793

48.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.09 BTN 4,562

$77.3 ₺3,805

-39.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.86 BTN 568

$22.66 ₺1,116

-74.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 BTN 294

$8.34 ₺411

-63.67%

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

$44.58 BTN 4,319

$974 ₺48.0K

-95.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$565 BTN 54.8K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-97.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.64 BTN 3,453

$52.7 ₺2,597

-32.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.93 BTN 1,737

$39.16 ₺1,929

-54.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 BTN 5,373

$103 ₺5,083

-46.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.57 BTN 2,477

$96.6 ₺4,759

-73.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$121 BTN 11.7K

$994 ₺49.0K

-87.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.7 BTN 8,207

$629 ₺31.0K

-86.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 BTN 17.0K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-91.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 BTN 14.3K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-87.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,522 BTN 534.9K

$3,160 ₺155.7K

74.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,650 BTN 159.8K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-10.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 BTN 30.3K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-73.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

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

Last update for Bhutan: October 3, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bhutan

$120 24%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 121% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bhutan

$93 18.7%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 25.9% $24

Accommodation & Living

Bhutan

$85 17%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 643% $545

Eating Out

Bhutan

$70 14.1%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 211% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Bhutan

$61 12.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 117% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Bhutan

$53 10.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 76.7% $41

Getting Around

Bhutan

$17 3.4%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 344% $58

Good to know

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

3 h behind Bhutan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

787,424

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.32 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.88 BTN (100 BTN = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bhutan Istanbul 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bhutan
Istanbul

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhutan and Istanbul

TRY, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Bhutan

Istanbul

Bhutan

Istanbul

Bhutan vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

🇪🇬 Egypt

🇮🇷 Iran