Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Thimphu is 29.1% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 46.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Thimphu is 31.8% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 43% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 BTN 269

$2.03 ฿64.2

43.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.17 BTN 1,581

$18.59 ฿588

-7.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.42 BTN 315

$7.48 ฿237

-54.28%

Cappuccino

$1.47 BTN 135

$2.00 ฿63.2

-26.50%

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

$0.52 BTN 47.77

$0.85 ฿26.81

-38.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 BTN 15.45

$0.35 ฿11.13

-51.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 BTN 272

$2.21 ฿70.0

33.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 BTN 211

$3.76 ฿119

-39.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 BTN 79.3

$1.72 ฿54.4

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 BTN 81.9

$1.63 ฿51.7

-45.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 BTN 62.7

$1.16 ฿36.66

-41.38%

Eggs

$1.98 BTN 183

$1.98 ฿62.6

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.23 BTN 297

$15.93 ฿504

-79.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 BTN 351

$3.17 ฿100

20.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.24 BTN 390

$10.90 ฿345

-61.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 BTN 233

$2.65 ฿83.7

-4.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 BTN 134

$1.22 ฿38.70

18.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BTN 178

$1.70 ฿53.7

13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 BTN 72.0

$1.59 ฿50.3

-50.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 BTN 44.80

$1.32 ฿41.90

-62.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 BTN 57.0

$1.17 ฿36.99

-47.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 BTN 41.77

$0.68 ฿21.46

-33.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 BTN 31.47

$0.56 ฿17.64

-39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 BTN 339

$4.51 ฿143

-18.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.33 BTN 307

$19.07 ฿604

-82.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 BTN 57.8

$1.77 ฿56.0

-64.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 BTN 94.0

$3.18 ฿101

-67.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 BTN 164

$0.96 ฿30.47

86.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.01 BTN 370

$18.90 ฿598

-78.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 BTN 78.6

$1.36 ฿42.98

-37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 BTN 208

$1.35 ฿42.80

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.15 BTN 13.90

$8.03 ฿254

-98.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 BTN 87.3

$1.24 ฿39.34

-23.39%

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

$21.2K ฿669.8K

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

$21.8K ฿688.5K

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

$23.34 BTN 2,150

$71.2 ฿2,255

-67.24%

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

$37.08 BTN 3,415

$14.09 ฿446

163.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 BTN 2,454

$17.47 ฿553

52.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.13 BTN 4,434

$42.07 ฿1,332

14.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.66 BTN 705

$6.88 ฿218

11.34%

Cinema Ticket

$3.55 BTN 327

$5.94 ฿188

-40.24%

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

$246 BTN 22.7K

$307 ฿9,728

-19.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$678 BTN 62.4K

$14.8K ฿468.2K

-95.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.23 BTN 850

$55.7 ฿1,762

-83.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.44 BTN 1,054

$26.79 ฿848

-57.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.53 BTN 2,997

$83.2 ฿2,634

-60.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.25 BTN 2,971

$70.1 ฿2,219

-54.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$115 BTN 10.6K

$427 ฿13.5K

-73.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$62.4 BTN 5,747

$237 ฿7,504

-73.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 BTN 18.4K

$802 ฿25.4K

-75.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 BTN 12.8K

$503 ฿15.9K

-72.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$643 BTN 59.2K

$2,061 ฿65.2K

-68.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$261 BTN 24.1K

$1,533 ฿48.5K

-82.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 BTN 47.6K

$654 ฿20.7K

-20.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.75

115.00%

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

Last update for Thimphu: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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