Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $537 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $30,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$537

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thimphu and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $537 per month in Thimphu vs $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Thimphu $537
Hong Kong $3,050

A couple spends around $842 per month in Thimphu vs $4,786 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Thimphu $842
Hong Kong $4,786

A family of three spends $1,147 per month in Thimphu vs $6,522 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Thimphu $1,147
Hong Kong $6,522

Thimphu is about 82% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thimphu sits 60% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 126% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.61 BTN 247

$8.37 HK$65.6

-68.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.40 BTN 1,363

$63.4 HK$497

-77.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 BTN 461

$6.53 HK$51.2

-25.27%

Cappuccino

$1.33 BTN 126

$5.15 HK$40.33

-74.17%

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

$0.50 BTN 47.26

$1.38 HK$10.80

-63.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 BTN 16.06

$1.13 HK$8.86

-84.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 BTN 255

$7.73 HK$60.6

-65.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BTN 154

$5.56 HK$43.62

-70.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 BTN 77.3

$2.94 HK$23.01

-72.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 BTN 117

$2.41 HK$18.91

-48.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 BTN 85.6

$2.22 HK$17.42

-59.46%

Eggs

$2.10 BTN 198

$3.41 HK$26.73

-38.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.88 BTN 367

$23.18 HK$182

-83.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 BTN 455

$8.67 HK$68.0

-44.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.99 BTN 472

$17.90 HK$140

-72.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 BTN 328

$4.21 HK$33.02

-17.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 BTN 158

$2.58 HK$20.19

-35.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 BTN 159

$4.68 HK$36.68

-64.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 BTN 99.5

$4.00 HK$31.33

-73.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 BTN 67.6

$3.19 HK$24.98

-77.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 BTN 91.4

$3.27 HK$25.60

-70.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 BTN 38.06

$1.57 HK$12.29

-74.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 BTN 31.72

$1.71 HK$13.44

-80.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BTN 395

$13.33 HK$105

-68.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.59 BTN 245

$15.56 HK$122

-83.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BTN 55.4

$2.02 HK$15.87

-70.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 BTN 105

$2.28 HK$17.83

-51.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BTN 77.3

$1.23 HK$9.67

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.42 BTN 513

$87.6 HK$686

-93.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 BTN 51.3

$3.76 HK$29.46

-85.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 BTN 151

$1.30 HK$10.19

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.16 BTN 15.00

$15.93 HK$125

-99.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 BTN 68.7

$4.27 HK$33.48

-82.90%

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

$16.5K BTN 1.6M

$45.0K HK$352.7K

-63.22%

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

$15.1K BTN 1.4M

$37.6K HK$294.8K

-59.73%

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

$34.01 BTN 3,218

$237 HK$1,859

-85.66%

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

$36.52 BTN 3,456

$15.46 HK$121

136.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.69 BTN 2,336

$22.46 HK$176

9.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.44 BTN 4,489

$97.4 HK$764

-51.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.52 BTN 712

$9.02 HK$70.7

-16.63%

Cinema Ticket

$3.17 BTN 300

$12.98 HK$102

-75.58%

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

$44.60 BTN 4,220

$1,302 HK$10.2K

-96.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$589 BTN 55.7K

$30.3K HK$237.2K

-98.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 BTN 4,771

$68.0 HK$533

-25.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.63 BTN 2,331

$42.80 HK$335

-42.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 BTN 6,536

$81.3 HK$637

-15.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$14.42 BTN 1,365

$121 HK$949

-88.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$130 BTN 12.3K

$2,385 HK$18.7K

-94.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.4 BTN 8,173

$1,794 HK$14.1K

-95.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 BTN 18.6K

$5,695 HK$44.6K

-96.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 BTN 14.7K

$3,786 HK$29.7K

-95.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,816 BTN 645.0K

$28.8K HK$226.0K

-76.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$391 BTN 37.0K

$18.9K HK$147.9K

-97.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$352 BTN 33.3K

$3,194 HK$25.0K

-88.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

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

Last update for Thimphu: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thimphu

$143 26.5%

Hong Kong

$407 13.3% 185% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thimphu

$95 17.7%

Hong Kong

$275 9% 189% $180

Accommodation & Living

Thimphu

$86 16.1%

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8% 1977% $1.7K

Clothing & Footwear

Thimphu

$71 13.3%

Hong Kong

$141 4.6% 97.5% $70

Eating Out

Thimphu

$71 13.2%

Hong Kong

$208 6.8% 194% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Thimphu

$54 10%

Hong Kong

$123 4% 129% $70

Getting Around

Thimphu

$17 3.2%

Hong Kong

$103 3.4% 497% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $130 in Thimphu versus $2,385 in Hong Kong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hong Kong are about 9.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Thimphu versus $63 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $143 vs $407 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

14:57 2:57 PM

2 h ahead of Thimphu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,676 Capital

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.57 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.41 EUR

1 HKD = 0.128 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.62 BTN (100 BTN = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.41 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.128 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

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Thimphu Hong Kong 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Thimphu
Hong Kong

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 Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $537 in Thimphu, $3,050 in Hong Kong – Thimphu comes out roughly 82% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $806 per month in Thimphu and $4,576 in Hong Kong. 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 $130 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Thimphu and $63 in Hong Kong. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $537 in Thimphu and $3,050 in Hong Kong. That makes Thimphu about 82% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Thimphu, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Thimphu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong 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 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 Thimphu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.