Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Bhutan

Name: Bhutan
Address: BT

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.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
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India Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bhutan
Learn more

Bhutan Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in Bhutan

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

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

India $399
Bhutan $502

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

India $639
Bhutan $778

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

India $879
Bhutan $1,053

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 India is roughly 20% lower than in Bhutan on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$2.65 BTN 253

-19.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹996

$14.13 BTN 1,346

-25.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹362

$5.01 BTN 477

-24.15%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$1.29 BTN 123

30.23%

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

$0.38 ₹36.03

$0.48 BTN 46.17

-20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.62

$0.16 BTN 15.48

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$2.56 BTN 244

-26.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

$1.62 BTN 155

96.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.3

$0.78 BTN 74.0

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.82

$0.84 BTN 80.2

-40.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.4

$0.99 BTN 94.1

-36.36%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$1.56 BTN 149

-38.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹462

$3.33 BTN 318

45.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$3.71 BTN 354

-23.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.91 BTN 373

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹191

$2.44 BTN 232

-18.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.5

$1.57 BTN 150

-58.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.4

$1.59 BTN 152

-38.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.35

$0.92 BTN 87.6

-48.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.91

$0.61 BTN 58.0

-44.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.77

$0.69 BTN 65.6

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.44

$0.64 BTN 60.9

-26.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.71

$0.33 BTN 31.73

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$3.88 BTN 369

30.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹696

$2.91 BTN 277

151.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$0.84 BTN 80.4

94.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹263

$1.07 BTN 102

157.94%

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

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.88

$0.82 BTN 78.2

-68.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹817

$5.12 BTN 488

67.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.8

$0.83 BTN 78.8

20.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.77

$1.54 BTN 146

-82.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$0.14 BTN 13.61

1000.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.77 BTN 73.2

38.96%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$16.4K BTN 1.6M

-31.81%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$15.2K BTN 1.4M

32.04%

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

$37.08 ₹3,531

$34.15 BTN 3,254

8.58%

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

$3.58 ₹341

$36.40 BTN 3,469

-90.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹681

$24.12 BTN 2,299

-70.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,428

$46.93 BTN 4,472

-68.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹683

$6.19 BTN 590

15.83%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

$3.16 BTN 301

1.27%

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

$58.8 ₹5,599

$44.49 BTN 4,240

32.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.7K

$588 BTN 56.0K

183.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,193

$35.65 BTN 3,397

-35.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,301

$17.58 BTN 1,675

37.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,923

$54.7 BTN 5,211

-24.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,820

$25.70 BTN 2,449

15.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$120 BTN 11.4K

22.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,175

$85.6 BTN 8,152

12.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$180 BTN 17.1K

91.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.3K

$150 BTN 14.3K

56.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹112.1K

$5,519 BTN 525.9K

-78.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.3K

$1,676 BTN 159.7K

-62.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$322 BTN 30.7K

27.04%

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 India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bhutan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Bhutan

$121 24.1% 18.6% $19

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Bhutan

$86 17% 11.2% $11

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Bhutan

$70 14% 5.8% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Bhutan

$60 12% 13.2% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Bhutan

$95 18.9% 98% $47

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Bhutan

$53 10.6% 149% $32

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Bhutan

$17 3.4% 41.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $412 in India vs $295 in Bhutan. 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

🇮🇳 India

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

30 min ahead of India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

787,424

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.49 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

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).

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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

India Bhutan 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

India
Bhutan

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

India vs Bhutan: 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.