Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhutan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhutan: $507 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇧🇹 Bhutan
$507
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Bhutan is 41.6% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 57.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bhutan is 43.8% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 62.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.64 BTN 256
$4.35 ฿146
-39.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.28 BTN 1,384
$32.45 ฿1,087
-55.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.83 BTN 468
$8.42 ฿282
-42.64%
Cappuccino
$1.32 BTN 128
$2.81 ฿94.0
-53.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 BTN 46.66
$0.87 ฿29.29
-44.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16 BTN 15.47
$0.46 ฿15.39
-65.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 BTN 248
$2.59 ฿86.6
-1.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 BTN 154
$3.64 ฿122
-56.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.77 BTN 75.0
$1.71 ฿57.2
-54.97%
White Bread (500g)
$0.78 BTN 75.6
$1.45 ฿48.42
-46.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 BTN 97.5
$1.56 ฿52.3
-35.26%
Eggs
$1.59 BTN 154
$2.10 ฿70.3
-24.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.32 BTN 321
$19.53 ฿654
-83.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.66 BTN 355
$3.40 ฿114
7.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$3.78 BTN 366
$11.14 ฿373
-66.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.43 BTN 236
$2.83 ฿94.8
-14.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 BTN 152
$1.62 ฿54.3
-3.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 BTN 155
$2.22 ฿74.5
-27.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.90 BTN 87.6
$2.15 ฿71.9
-58.14%
Potato (1kg)
$0.59 BTN 56.9
$1.49 ฿49.95
-60.40%
Onion (1kg)
$0.66 BTN 64.1
$1.33 ฿44.40
-50.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 BTN 65.5
$1.07 ฿35.72
-36.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.32 BTN 31.33
$0.51 ฿17.01
-37.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.81 BTN 369
$4.38 ฿147
-13.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$2.90 BTN 281
$18.77 ฿629
-84.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 BTN 75.9
$1.74 ฿58.3
-55.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 BTN 106
$2.78 ฿92.9
-60.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 BTN 76.6
$2.17 ฿72.6
-63.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.14 BTN 498
$22.28 ฿746
-76.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 BTN 74.1
$3.02 ฿101
-74.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.58 BTN 153
$1.06 ฿35.43
49.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.15 BTN 14.39
$3.71 ฿124
-95.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.76 BTN 73.8
$1.43 ฿47.88
-46.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.9K BTN 1.6M
$26.3K ฿882.1K
-35.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.9K BTN 1.4M
$26.2K ฿877.3K
-42.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.53 BTN 3,248
$96.7 ฿3,236
-65.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.48 BTN 3,438
$11.41 ฿382
210.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.84 BTN 2,310
$17.11 ฿573
39.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.09 BTN 4,562
$52.8 ฿1,768
-10.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.86 BTN 568
$11.07 ฿371
-47.06%
Cinema Ticket
$3.03 BTN 294
$7.65 ฿256
-60.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$44.58 BTN 4,319
$555 ฿18.6K
-91.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$565 BTN 54.8K
$11.3K ฿377.7K
-94.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.64 BTN 3,453
$63.4 ฿2,123
-43.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.93 BTN 1,737
$28.61 ฿958
-37.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$55.5 BTN 5,373
$96.7 ฿3,238
-42.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$25.57 BTN 2,477
$88.6 ฿2,967
-71.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$121 BTN 11.7K
$735 ฿24.6K
-83.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$84.7 BTN 8,207
$458 ฿15.3K
-81.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$176 BTN 17.0K
$2,102 ฿70.4K
-91.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$148 BTN 14.3K
$1,187 ฿39.7K
-87.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,522 BTN 534.9K
$3,493 ฿116.9K
58.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,650 BTN 159.8K
$2,491 ฿83.4K
-33.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bhutan
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$313 BTN 30.3K
$501 ฿16.8K
-37.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
5.57
-

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

Last update for Bhutan: October 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bhutan
$120
Phuket
$268 124% $148
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bhutan
$93
Phuket
$125 34.8% $32
Accommodation & Living
Bhutan
$85
Phuket
$458 441% $373
Eating Out
Bhutan
$70
Phuket
$119 70.4% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Bhutan
$61
Phuket
$125 106% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Bhutan
$53
Phuket
$68 28.1% $15
Getting Around
Bhutan
$17
Phuket
$39 131% $22
Good to know
🇧🇹 Bhutan
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
17:00 5:00 PM
18:00 6:00 PM
1 h ahead of Bhutan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
787,424
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bhutan Phuket 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bhutan
  • Phuket

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

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