Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $510 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$510

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thimphu and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $510 per month in Thimphu vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Thimphu $510
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $799 per month in Thimphu vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Thimphu $799
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,088 per month in Thimphu vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Thimphu $1,088
Budapest $3,489

Thimphu is about 69% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Thimphu sits 62% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.56 BTN 248

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-81.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.16 BTN 1,372

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-76.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 BTN 474

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-50.90%

Cappuccino

$1.31 BTN 127

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-61.24%

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

$0.49 BTN 47.11

$2.13 Ft 692

-77.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 BTN 16.47

$1.87 Ft 608

-90.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 BTN 247

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 BTN 155

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-55.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 74.8

$1.13 Ft 368

-31.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 BTN 102

$1.84 Ft 599

-42.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BTN 100

$2.39 Ft 777

-56.90%

Eggs

$1.84 BTN 179

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-51.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.69 BTN 358

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-67.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 BTN 388

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-40.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.01 BTN 389

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-72.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 BTN 243

$1.84 Ft 597

36.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 BTN 151

$2.01 Ft 653

-22.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 BTN 152

$2.36 Ft 767

-33.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 BTN 68.6

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-81.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 BTN 54.2

$0.96 Ft 313

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 BTN 68.3

$1.03 Ft 334

-32.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 BTN 38.00

$1.56 Ft 509

-75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 BTN 30.22

$0.66 Ft 216

-53.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 BTN 369

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-52.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.91 BTN 282

$6.01 Ft 1,954

-51.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 BTN 60.5

$1.30 Ft 421

-52.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 BTN 127

$2.08 Ft 676

-37.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 BTN 73.5

$1.50 Ft 489

-49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.18 BTN 502

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-81.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 BTN 72.7

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-77.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 BTN 147

$1.30 Ft 424

16.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.16 BTN 15.51

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-99.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 BTN 73.4

$1.81 Ft 591

-58.01%

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

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-42.88%

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

$15.0K BTN 1.5M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-55.88%

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

$34.28 BTN 3,321

$170 Ft 55.3K

-79.83%

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

$35.89 BTN 3,477

$23.98 Ft 7,802

49.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.76 BTN 2,399

$23.42 Ft 7,621

5.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.99 BTN 4,553

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-29.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.41 BTN 718

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-61.37%

Cinema Ticket

$3.17 BTN 307

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-66.70%

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

$45.87 BTN 4,444

$537 Ft 174.6K

-91.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$576 BTN 55.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-96.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 BTN 4,874

$101 Ft 33.0K

-50.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.08 BTN 2,430

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-41.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 BTN 6,570

$113 Ft 36.7K

-39.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$14.29 BTN 1,384

$119 Ft 38.6K

-87.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 BTN 12.2K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-84.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.0 BTN 8,328

$629 Ft 204.7K

-86.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 BTN 18.2K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-87.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 BTN 15.1K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-86.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,543 BTN 633.9K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

16.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$384 BTN 37.2K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-90.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$351 BTN 34.0K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-78.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Thimphu: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thimphu

$125 24.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 107% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thimphu

$95 18.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 129% $122

Accommodation & Living

Thimphu

$86 16.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 632% $543

Clothing & Footwear

Thimphu

$71 13.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 139% $98

Eating Out

Thimphu

$69 13.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 223% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Thimphu

$53 10.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 59.9% $32

Getting Around

Thimphu

$17 3.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 162% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $126 in Thimphu versus $805 in Budapest. 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 363% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14.00 in Thimphu versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $125 vs $258 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

4 h behind Thimphu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,676 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.32 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.2 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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 = 9.2 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to BTN in detail →

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Between locations

Thimphu Budapest 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Thimphu
Budapest

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

Thimphu vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 218%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $764 per month in Thimphu and $2,432 in Budapest. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 433% less in Thimphu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $45.87 per month in Thimphu and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Thimphu, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Thimphu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thimphu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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