Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caloocan and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $496 a month against $522 in Thimphu, rent and utilities included – about $310 less a year. The total is higher in Thimphu despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
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Caloocan Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Caloocan and in Thimphu

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

A single person spends $496 per month in Caloocan vs $522 in Thimphu, rent included.

Caloocan $496
Thimphu $522

A couple spends around $665 per month in Caloocan vs $811 in Thimphu, rent included.

Caloocan $665
Thimphu $811

A family of three spends $834 per month in Caloocan vs $1,100 in Thimphu, rent included.

Caloocan $834
Thimphu $1,100

Caloocan is about 5% cheaper than Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Caloocan and Thimphu are more affordable than the global median – Caloocan 64% lower, Thimphu 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ₱172

$2.65 BTN 252

1.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.45 ₱1,047

$14.45 BTN 1,373

13.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.26 ₱144

$4.94 BTN 469

-54.25%

Cappuccino

$0.84 ₱53.3

$1.27 BTN 121

-33.86%

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

$0.39 ₱25.06

$0.53 BTN 50.3

-26.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱20.69

$0.17 BTN 16.04

88.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.2

$2.68 BTN 255

-62.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₱101

$1.55 BTN 148

2.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$0.77 BTN 73.4

114.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.7

$1.12 BTN 106

-0.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱63.1

$1.03 BTN 97.5

-3.88%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱114

$1.95 BTN 185

-8.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.93 ₱314

$3.74 BTN 355

31.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 ₱211

$3.96 BTN 377

-16.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.69 ₱490

$3.89 BTN 370

97.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ₱142

$2.52 BTN 240

-11.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.5

$1.51 BTN 143

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$1.64 BTN 156

42.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱66.6

$0.76 BTN 72.7

36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.8

$0.57 BTN 54.0

85.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ₱113

$0.71 BTN 67.5

149.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.37

$0.38 BTN 35.86

71.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₱29.14

$0.31 BTN 29.89

48.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱180

$3.97 BTN 377

-28.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 ₱307

$2.80 BTN 266

72.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.2

$0.62 BTN 59.0

54.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱129

$1.41 BTN 134

43.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.68

$0.80 BTN 76.2

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.27 BTN 501

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.99

$0.77 BTN 73.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.96

$1.56 BTN 148

-85.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱118

$0.14 BTN 13.64

1221.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₱67.9

$0.78 BTN 74.4

37.18%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

27.44%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$15.5K BTN 1.5M

23.88%

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

$53.6 ₱3,414

$34.15 BTN 3,246

56.95%

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

$9.42 ₱600

$35.64 BTN 3,387

-73.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ₱1,439

$24.15 BTN 2,296

-6.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$4.82 ₱307

$48.23 BTN 4,584

-90.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.53 BTN 716

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ₱326

$3.13 BTN 298

63.58%

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

$130 ₱8,275

$45.45 BTN 4,320

185.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱672.9K

$579 BTN 55.1K

1723.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.20 ₱1,796

$50.1 BTN 4,760

-43.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.52 ₱1,243

$25.28 BTN 2,403

-22.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.9 ₱3,431

$68.2 BTN 6,480

-20.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.64 ₱3,034

$14.25 BTN 1,355

234.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 ₱13.3K

$128 BTN 12.2K

62.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ₱7,488

$88.9 BTN 8,450

32.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$191 BTN 18.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 BTN 14.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,737 BTN 640.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$399 BTN 37.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 ₱19.6K

$348 BTN 33.1K

-11.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Caloocan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Caloocan

$158 31.9%

Thimphu

$126 24.1% 20.5% $32

Accommodation & Living

Caloocan

$118 23.7%

Thimphu

$89 17.1% 24.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caloocan

$86 17.3%

Thimphu

$94 18% 9.7% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Caloocan

$67 13.6%

Thimphu

$71 13.6% 5.7% $3.8

Eating Out

Caloocan

$50 10%

Thimphu

$71 13.5% 42.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Caloocan

$15 3%

Thimphu

$55 10.5% 262% $39

Getting Around

Caloocan

$2.7 * 0.5%

Thimphu

$17 3.3% 541% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Caloocan versus $128 in Thimphu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Thimphu. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Caloocan versus $14 in Thimphu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $158 vs $126 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

2 h behind Caloocan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,661,584

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.52 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 95.05 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caloocan Thimphu 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Caloocan
Thimphu

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

Caloocan vs Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thimphu costs about 5% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $743 per month in Caloocan and $782 in Thimphu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thimphu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $209 in Caloocan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Caloocan and $14 in Thimphu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Thimphu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $496 in Caloocan and $522 in Thimphu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Caloocan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thimphu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.