Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Caloocan

For one person, living costs are similar in Thimphu and in Caloocan: $518 and $504 a month, rent and utilities included.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
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Caloocan Living Index

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Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$518

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thimphu and in Caloocan

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Thimphu vs $504 in Caloocan, rent included.

Thimphu $518
Caloocan $504

A couple spends around $809 per month in Thimphu vs $674 in Caloocan, rent included.

Thimphu $809
Caloocan $674

A family of three spends $1,100 per month in Thimphu vs $845 in Caloocan, rent included.

Thimphu $1,100
Caloocan $845

Thimphu costs about 3% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Thimphu and Caloocan are more affordable than the global median – Thimphu 62% lower, Caloocan 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.57 BTN 245

$2.74 ₱173

-6.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.30 BTN 1,360

$16.50 ₱1,039

-13.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 BTN 479

$2.22 ₱140

127.03%

Cappuccino

$1.32 BTN 125

$0.91 ₱57.3

45.05%

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

$0.52 BTN 49.11

$0.40 ₱25.00

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 BTN 15.86

$0.33 ₱21.07

-48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BTN 242

$1.01 ₱63.8

151.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 BTN 145

$1.61 ₱101

-5.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 BTN 75.5

$1.62 ₱102

-51.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 BTN 101

$1.11 ₱69.7

-3.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 BTN 92.2

$1.00 ₱63.0

-3.00%

Eggs

$1.94 BTN 184

$1.81 ₱114

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.85 BTN 366

$5.19 ₱327

-25.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 BTN 372

$3.44 ₱216

13.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.96 BTN 377

$7.94 ₱500

-50.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 BTN 249

$2.21 ₱139

18.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 BTN 142

$0.92 ₱57.7

61.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 BTN 155

$2.38 ₱150

-31.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 BTN 72.4

$1.04 ₱65.5

-26.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 BTN 56.4

$1.12 ₱70.7

-47.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BTN 68.3

$1.70 ₱107

-57.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 BTN 37.65

$0.65 ₱41.16

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 BTN 27.38

$0.49 ₱31.11

-40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 BTN 367

$3.00 ₱189

28.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.95 BTN 280

$4.68 ₱295

-36.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 BTN 59.4

$0.91 ₱57.2

-30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 BTN 127

$1.99 ₱126

-32.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 BTN 75.2

$0.22 ₱13.86

259.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.34 BTN 508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 BTN 77.8

$0.82 ₱51.9

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 BTN 146

$0.25 ₱15.82

516.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.15 BTN 14.67

$1.90 ₱119

-92.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 73.5

$1.09 ₱68.5

-29.36%

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

$16.6K BTN 1.6M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

-22.34%

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

$15.2K BTN 1.4M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

-21.32%

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

$33.45 BTN 3,181

$53.2 ₱3,351

-37.15%

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

$36.61 BTN 3,481

$9.80 ₱617

273.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.55 BTN 2,334

$23.23 ₱1,463

5.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 BTN 4,402

$4.76 ₱300

872.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.74 BTN 736

Cinema Ticket

$3.06 BTN 291

$5.04 ₱318

-39.29%

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

$44.53 BTN 4,234

$134 ₱8,411

-66.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$574 BTN 54.6K

$10.9K ₱688.2K

-94.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 BTN 4,888

$29.00 ₱1,826

77.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.86 BTN 2,364

$19.90 ₱1,253

24.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.5 BTN 6,517

$55.3 ₱3,479

24.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.83 BTN 1,315

$47.92 ₱3,017

-71.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 BTN 12.0K

$205 ₱12.9K

-38.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.7 BTN 8,240

$121 ₱7,620

-28.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$189 BTN 18.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 BTN 15.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,634 BTN 630.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$387 BTN 36.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$344 BTN 32.7K

$320 ₱20.1K

7.51%

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 Thimphu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Caloocan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thimphu

$126 24.3%

Caloocan

$160 31.7% 27.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thimphu

$95 18.3%

Caloocan

$86 17.1% 8.8% $8.4

Accommodation & Living

Thimphu

$87 16.7%

Caloocan

$121 24% 39.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Thimphu

$71 13.8%

Caloocan

$68 13.6% 4.1% $3

Eating Out

Thimphu

$70 13.5%

Caloocan

$51 10.1% 27.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Thimphu

$52 10.1%

Caloocan

$15 3% 71.7% $38

Getting Around

Thimphu

$17 3.3%

Caloocan

$3 * 0.6% 82.6% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $126 in Thimphu versus $205 in Caloocan. 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 8% higher in Thimphu, 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 $16.00 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $160 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

17:29 5:29 PM

2 h ahead of Thimphu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,676 Capital

1,661,584

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.52 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.36 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 95.08 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.36 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thimphu Caloocan 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Thimphu
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thimphu costs about 3% 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 $776 per month in Thimphu and $756 in Caloocan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caloocan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14.00 in Thimphu and $16.00 in Caloocan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Thimphu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $518 in Thimphu and $504 in Caloocan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Caloocan – 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 Caloocan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thimphu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.