Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhutan and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhutan: $502 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇧🇹 Bhutan

$502

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bhutan and in Italy

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

A single person spends $502 per month in Bhutan vs $1,843 in Italy, rent included.

Bhutan $502
Italy $1,843

A couple spends around $778 per month in Bhutan vs $2,816 in Italy, rent included.

Bhutan $778
Italy $2,816

A family of three spends $1,053 per month in Bhutan vs $3,788 in Italy, rent included.

Bhutan $1,053
Italy $3,788

The regional cost range is wider in Italy ($1,038–$2,555) than in Bhutan ($103–$522), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Bhutan is roughly 73% lower than in Italy on average.

Bhutan sits 63% below the global median, while Italy is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 BTN 253

$20.46 €18.27

-87.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.13 BTN 1,346

$79.5 €71.0

-82.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 BTN 477

$11.15 €9.96

-55.07%

Cappuccino

$1.29 BTN 123

$2.04 €1.82

-36.76%

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

$0.48 BTN 46.17

$3.10 €2.77

-84.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 BTN 15.48

$1.40 €1.25

-88.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 BTN 244

$5.51 €4.92

-53.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BTN 155

$5.74 €5.13

-71.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 BTN 74.0

$1.57 €1.40

-50.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 BTN 80.2

$2.38 €2.13

-64.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 BTN 94.1

$2.90 €2.59

-65.86%

Eggs

$1.56 BTN 149

$4.07 €3.64

-61.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.33 BTN 318

$17.44 €15.57

-80.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 BTN 354

$12.56 €11.21

-70.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.91 BTN 373

$20.17 €18.01

-80.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 BTN 232

$2.58 €2.31

-5.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 BTN 150

$2.19 €1.95

-28.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 BTN 152

$2.68 €2.39

-40.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 BTN 87.6

$3.27 €2.92

-71.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 BTN 58.0

$1.90 €1.70

-67.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 BTN 65.6

$1.82 €1.62

-62.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 BTN 60.9

$1.57 €1.40

-59.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 BTN 31.73

$0.55 €0.49

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 BTN 369

$6.69 €5.98

-42.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.91 BTN 277

$7.99 €7.13

-63.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BTN 80.4

$1.77 €1.58

-52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 BTN 102

$2.35 €2.10

-54.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BTN 78.2

$1.91 €1.71

-57.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.12 BTN 488

$43.44 €38.79

-88.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 BTN 78.8

$5.62 €5.02

-85.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 BTN 146

$1.71 €1.53

-9.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.14 BTN 13.61

$33.64 €30.04

-99.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 73.2

$2.03 €1.81

-62.07%

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

$16.4K BTN 1.6M

$35.3K €31.5K

-53.42%

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

$15.2K BTN 1.4M

$36.7K €32.8K

-58.68%

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

$34.15 BTN 3,254

$227 €202

-84.93%

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

$36.40 BTN 3,469

$11.59 €10.35

214.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 BTN 2,299

$30.38 €27.13

-20.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.93 BTN 4,472

$51.8 €46.23

-9.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.19 BTN 590

$23.70 €21.16

-73.88%

Cinema Ticket

$3.16 BTN 301

$10.60 €9.47

-70.19%

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

$44.49 BTN 4,240

$568 €507

-92.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$588 BTN 56.0K

$11.5K €10.3K

-94.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 BTN 3,397

$90.5 €80.8

-60.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.58 BTN 1,675

$38.55 €34.43

-54.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 BTN 5,211

$103 €91.7

-46.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.70 BTN 2,449

$131 €117

-80.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 BTN 11.4K

$826 €737

-85.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.6 BTN 8,152

$646 €577

-86.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 BTN 17.1K

$1,400 €1,250

-87.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 BTN 14.3K

$1,054 €942

-85.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,519 BTN 525.9K

$3,662 €3,270

50.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,676 BTN 159.7K

$2,301 €2,055

-27.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$322 BTN 30.7K

$1,886 €1,684

-82.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

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

Last update for Bhutan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bhutan

$121 24.1%

Italy

$348 18.9% 187% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bhutan

$95 18.9%

Italy

$269 14.6% 184% $174

Accommodation & Living

Bhutan

$86 17%

Italy

$646 35.1% 655% $561

Eating Out

Bhutan

$70 14%

Italy

$279 15.1% 296% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Bhutan

$60 12%

Italy

$163 8.9% 172% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Bhutan

$53 10.6%

Italy

$73 4% 37.1% $20

Getting Around

Bhutan

$17 3.4%

Italy

$65 3.5% 286% $48

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $142 in Bhutan vs $729 in Italy. For reference, capital cities sit at $128 in Thimphu and $1,297 in Rome.

Average salary: $295 in Bhutan vs $1,890 in Italy. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 413% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 421% more in Italy.

Public transport is 760% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 6.4 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

5 h behind Bhutan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

787,424

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.37 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bhutan Italy 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bhutan
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhutan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 73% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Italy: a central one-bedroom averages $729 versus $142 in Bhutan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Bhutan – part of why living there is about 73% 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.