Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Thimphu is 51.3% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 62.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Thimphu is 47.1% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 67.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.99 BTN 253
$4.68 ฿151
-36.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.4 BTN 1,469
$46.4 ฿1,502
-62.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.45 BTN 291
$8.65 ฿280
-60.12%
Cappuccino
$1.42 BTN 120
$3.09 ฿100
-54.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 BTN 40.16
$0.73 ฿23.53
-34.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 BTN 12.3
$0.37 ฿11.95
-59.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.99 BTN 252
$2.39 ฿77.4
25.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.3 BTN 194
$3.62 ฿117
-36.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 BTN 67.1
$2.24 ฿72.5
-64.73%
White Bread (500g)
$0.9 BTN 76.4
$1.8 ฿58.2
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.7 BTN 59
$2.24 ฿72.3
-68.75%
Eggs
$2.07 BTN 175
$2.23 ฿72.1
-7.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.24 BTN 274
$19.31 ฿625
-83.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.82 BTN 322
$3.77 ฿122
1.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.31 BTN 364
$13.05 ฿422
-66.97%
Apples (1kg)
$2.56 BTN 216
$3.28 ฿106
-21.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 BTN 122
$1.63 ฿52.6
-11.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.89 BTN 160
$2.4 ฿77.7
-21.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.73 BTN 61.9
$1.99 ฿64.3
-63.32%
Potato (1kg)
$0.49 BTN 41.36
$1.53 ฿49.62
-67.97%
Onion (1kg)
$0.56 BTN 47.35
$1.49 ฿48.11
-62.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 BTN 35.93
$1.02 ฿32.87
-57.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 BTN 26.49
$0.48 ฿15.61
-35.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.71 BTN 313
$4.32 ฿140
-14.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.45 BTN 291
$21.68 ฿702
-84.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 BTN 53
$1.77 ฿57.3
-64.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 BTN 86.7
$2.79 ฿90.4
-63.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.78 BTN 150
$1.35 ฿43.74
31.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$3.89 BTN 328
$11.76 ฿380
-66.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.84 BTN 70.7
$3.15 ฿102
-73.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.22 BTN 188
$1 ฿32.3
122.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.19 BTN 16.32
$13.64 ฿442
-98.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 BTN 82
$1.3 ฿42.2
-25.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$27.4K ฿885.2K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$23.2 BTN 1,959
$123 ฿3,970
-81.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.33 BTN 3,152
$13.93 ฿451
167.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.73 BTN 2,256
$18.24 ฿590
46.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.79 BTN 4,034
$60.8 ฿1,966
-21.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.63 BTN 644
$17.11 ฿554
-55.41%
Cinema Ticket
$3.46 BTN 292
$9.07 ฿294
-61.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$239 BTN 20.1K
$694 ฿22.5K
-65.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$674 BTN 56.9K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
-95.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$9.08 BTN 767
$57.5 ฿1,861
-84.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$11.62 BTN 981
$34.51 ฿1,117
-66.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$31.9 BTN 2,693
$115 ฿3,727
-72.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.17 BTN 2,716
$84.8 ฿2,743
-62.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$118 BTN 9,987
$611 ฿19.8K
-80.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$61.9 BTN 5,225
$442 ฿14.3K
-86.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$197 BTN 16.6K
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-90.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$141 BTN 11.9K
$1,460 ฿47.2K
-90.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$593 BTN 50K
$4,244 ฿137.3K
-86.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$114 BTN 9,625
$2,886 ฿93.4K
-96.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thimphu
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$544 BTN 45.9K
$697 ฿22.5K
-21.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.75
5.33
101.69%

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

Last update for Thimphu: October 29, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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