Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $510 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$510

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thimphu and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $510 per month in Thimphu vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Thimphu $510
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $799 per month in Thimphu vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Thimphu $799
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $1,088 per month in Thimphu vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Thimphu $1,088
Medellin $3,139

Thimphu is about 68% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Thimphu sits 62% below the global median, while Medellin is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.56 BTN 248

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-68.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.16 BTN 1,372

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-69.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 BTN 474

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-48.14%

Cappuccino

$1.31 BTN 127

$2.91 COP 9,277

-54.98%

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

$0.49 BTN 47.11

$1.75 COP 5,585

-72.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 BTN 16.47

$1.32 COP 4,218

-87.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 BTN 247

$3.13 COP 9,969

-18.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 BTN 155

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-71.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 74.8

$1.41 COP 4,495

-45.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 BTN 102

$2.44 COP 7,777

-56.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BTN 100

$1.63 COP 5,191

-36.81%

Eggs

$1.84 BTN 179

$2.82 COP 8,990

-34.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.69 BTN 358

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-61.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 BTN 388

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-56.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.01 BTN 389

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-70.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 BTN 243

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-37.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 BTN 151

$1.48 COP 4,719

5.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 BTN 152

$2.12 COP 6,768

-25.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 BTN 68.6

$2.25 COP 7,178

-68.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 BTN 54.2

$1.91 COP 6,092

-70.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 BTN 68.3

$1.62 COP 5,160

-56.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 BTN 38.00

$1.15 COP 3,658

-66.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 BTN 30.22

$1.26 COP 4,021

-75.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 BTN 369

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.91 BTN 282

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-77.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 BTN 60.5

$1.60 COP 5,083

-61.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 BTN 127

$2.26 COP 7,188

-42.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 BTN 73.5

$1.17 COP 3,731

-35.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.18 BTN 502

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-93.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 BTN 72.7

$1.27 COP 4,056

-40.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 BTN 147

$2.05 COP 6,531

-25.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.16 BTN 15.51

$8.20 COP 26.1K

-98.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 BTN 73.4

$1.27 COP 4,046

-40.16%

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

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

$26.8K COP 85.3M

-37.44%

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

$15.0K BTN 1.5M

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-56.26%

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

$34.28 BTN 3,321

$162 COP 516.9K

-78.87%

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

$35.89 BTN 3,477

$13.12 COP 41.8K

173.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.76 BTN 2,399

$28.09 COP 89.5K

-11.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.99 BTN 4,553

$44.33 COP 141.2K

6.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.41 BTN 718

$16.33 COP 52.0K

-54.62%

Cinema Ticket

$3.17 BTN 307

$6.09 COP 19.4K

-47.95%

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

$45.87 BTN 4,444

$764 COP 2.4M

-94.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$576 BTN 55.8K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-93.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 BTN 4,874

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-40.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.08 BTN 2,430

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-56.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 BTN 6,570

$132 COP 419.8K

-48.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$14.29 BTN 1,384

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-85.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 BTN 12.2K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-87.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.0 BTN 8,328

$604 COP 1.9M

-85.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 BTN 18.2K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-89.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 BTN 15.1K

$993 COP 3.2M

-84.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,543 BTN 633.9K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

66.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$384 BTN 37.2K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-76.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$351 BTN 34.0K

$626 COP 2.0M

-43.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Thimphu: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thimphu

$125 24.2%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 131% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thimphu

$95 18.4%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 114% $109

Accommodation & Living

Thimphu

$86 16.7%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 603% $519

Clothing & Footwear

Thimphu

$71 13.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 135% $96

Eating Out

Thimphu

$69 13.5%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 140% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Thimphu

$53 10.3%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 5.9% $3.2

Getting Around

Thimphu

$17 3.2%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 451% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $126 in Thimphu versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 78% higher in Medellin, 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 $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $125 vs $288 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

01:21 1:21 AM

11 h behind Thimphu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,676 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.32 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.2 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thimphu Medellin 15,940 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Thimphu
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 212%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $764 per month in Thimphu and $2,384 in Medellin. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14.00 in Thimphu and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $510 in Thimphu and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 212%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Thimphu, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Thimphu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.