Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Medellin

🙂 Solo nomad: Thimphu is 31.8% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 55.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Thimphu is 38.3% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 51.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.92 BTN 269
$6.03 COP 22.7K
-51.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.17 BTN 1,581
$33.17 COP 124.8K
-48.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.42 BTN 315
$7.29 COP 27.4K
-53.09%
Cappuccino
$1.47 BTN 135
$1.63 COP 6,133
-9.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 BTN 47.77
$1.05 COP 3,947
-50.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 BTN 15.45
$0.77 COP 2,899
-77.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.96 BTN 272
$1.73 COP 6,510
71.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 BTN 211
$3.18 COP 12.0K
-27.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.86 BTN 79.3
$1.07 COP 4,015
-19.63%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 BTN 81.9
$1.31 COP 4,935
-32.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.68 BTN 62.7
$1.38 COP 5,195
-50.72%
Eggs
$1.98 BTN 183
$2.25 COP 8,457
-12.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.23 BTN 297
$4.48 COP 16.9K
-27.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.81 BTN 351
$5.74 COP 21.6K
-33.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.24 BTN 390
$8.86 COP 33.3K
-52.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.53 BTN 233
$2.24 COP 8,438
12.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 BTN 134
$1.06 COP 3,988
36.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 BTN 178
$1.51 COP 5,697
27.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.78 BTN 72.0
$1.36 COP 5,119
-42.65%
Potato (1kg)
$0.49 BTN 44.80
$1.12 COP 4,218
-56.25%
Onion (1kg)
$0.62 BTN 57.0
$1.17 COP 4,400
-47.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.45 BTN 41.77
$0.90 COP 3,395
-50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.34 BTN 31.47
$0.84 COP 3,150
-59.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.68 BTN 339
$2.26 COP 8,501
62.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.33 BTN 307
$9.97 COP 37.5K
-66.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 BTN 57.8
$1.18 COP 4,451
-46.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 BTN 94.0
$2.39 COP 8,993
-57.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 BTN 164
$0.86 COP 3,233
108.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$4.01 BTN 370
$41.45 COP 156.0K
-90.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.85 BTN 78.6
$1.47 COP 5,521
-42.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.25 BTN 208
$1.95 COP 7,323
15.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.15 BTN 13.90
$7.76 COP 29.2K
-98.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 BTN 87.3
$0.97 COP 3,640
-2.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$17.9K COP 67.5M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$26.7K COP 100.6M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$23.34 BTN 2,150
$81.1 COP 305.2K
-71.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.08 BTN 3,415
$9.40 COP 35.4K
294.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.64 BTN 2,454
$23.61 COP 88.8K
12.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.13 BTN 4,434
$25.55 COP 96.1K
88.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.66 BTN 705
$19.29 COP 72.6K
-60.29%
Cinema Ticket
$3.55 BTN 327
$4.10 COP 15.4K
-13.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$246 BTN 22.7K
$306 COP 1.2M
-19.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$678 BTN 62.4K
$5,899 COP 22.2M
-88.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$9.23 BTN 850
$59.8 COP 225.1K
-84.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$11.44 BTN 1,054
$31.96 COP 120.3K
-64.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$32.53 BTN 2,997
$103 COP 386.5K
-68.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.25 BTN 2,971
$108 COP 405.9K
-70.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$115 BTN 10.6K
$483 COP 1.8M
-76.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$62.4 BTN 5,747
$377 COP 1.4M
-83.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$200 BTN 18.4K
$822 COP 3.1M
-75.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$139 BTN 12.8K
$721 COP 2.7M
-80.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$643 BTN 59.2K
$2,784 COP 10.5M
-76.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$261 BTN 24.1K
$1,320 COP 5.0M
-80.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thimphu
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$517 BTN 47.6K
$538 COP 2.0M
-3.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.75
13.43
-19.96%

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

Last update for Thimphu: March 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 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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