Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thimphu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $522 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
Learn more

Thimphu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$522

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thimphu and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $522 in Thimphu versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Thimphu $522
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $811 in Thimphu versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Thimphu $811
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,100 in Thimphu versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Thimphu $1,100
Phuket $3,154

Living in Thimphu costs roughly 59% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Thimphu 62% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 BTN 252

$4.47 ฿151

-40.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.45 BTN 1,373

$32.41 ฿1,093

-55.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 BTN 469

$8.81 ฿297

-43.93%

Cappuccino

$1.27 BTN 121

$2.83 ฿95.4

-55.12%

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

$0.53 BTN 50.3

$0.87 ฿29.41

-39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 BTN 16.04

$0.49 ฿16.65

-65.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 BTN 255

$2.56 ฿86.3

4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 BTN 148

$3.68 ฿124

-57.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 BTN 73.4

$1.66 ฿55.9

-53.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 BTN 106

$1.46 ฿49.31

-23.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 BTN 97.5

$1.50 ฿50.5

-31.33%

Eggs

$1.95 BTN 185

$2.09 ฿70.5

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.74 BTN 355

$19.07 ฿643

-80.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 BTN 377

$3.30 ฿111

20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.89 BTN 370

$10.91 ฿368

-64.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 BTN 240

$2.93 ฿98.9

-13.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 BTN 143

$1.69 ฿57.0

-10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 BTN 156

$2.25 ฿75.8

-27.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 BTN 72.7

$2.08 ฿70.0

-63.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 BTN 54.0

$1.51 ฿51.0

-62.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 BTN 67.5

$1.38 ฿46.52

-48.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 BTN 35.86

$1.07 ฿35.96

-64.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 BTN 29.89

$0.52 ฿17.51

-40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 BTN 377

$4.20 ฿142

-5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.80 BTN 266

$18.79 ฿634

-85.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 BTN 59.0

$1.82 ฿61.5

-65.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BTN 134

$2.84 ฿95.8

-50.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 BTN 76.2

$1.45 ฿48.98

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.27 BTN 501

$56.7 ฿1,912

-90.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 BTN 73.6

$3.02 ฿102

-74.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 BTN 148

$1.02 ฿34.33

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.14 BTN 13.64

$3.69 ฿125

-96.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 BTN 74.4

$1.47 ฿49.76

-46.94%

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

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-37.40%

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

$15.5K BTN 1.5M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-42.02%

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

$34.15 BTN 3,246

$96.4 ฿3,251

-64.56%

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

$35.64 BTN 3,387

$11.26 ฿380

216.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.15 BTN 2,296

$16.85 ฿568

43.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 BTN 4,584

$67.2 ฿2,268

-28.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.53 BTN 716

$10.73 ฿362

-29.82%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 BTN 298

$7.50 ฿253

-58.27%

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

$45.45 BTN 4,320

$476 ฿16.1K

-90.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$579 BTN 55.1K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-94.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 BTN 4,760

$62.4 ฿2,104

-19.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.28 BTN 2,403

$28.41 ฿958

-11.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 BTN 6,480

$94.3 ฿3,181

-27.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$14.25 BTN 1,355

$85.8 ฿2,895

-83.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 BTN 12.2K

$716 ฿24.2K

-82.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 BTN 8,450

$491 ฿16.6K

-81.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$191 BTN 18.1K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-90.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 BTN 14.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-89.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,737 BTN 640.4K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

61.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$399 BTN 37.9K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-86.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$348 BTN 33.1K

$502 ฿16.9K

-30.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Thimphu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thimphu

$126 24.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 112% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thimphu

$94 18%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.5% $31

Accommodation & Living

Thimphu

$89 17.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 452% $402

Clothing & Footwear

Thimphu

$71 13.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 71.7% $51

Eating Out

Thimphu

$71 13.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 72.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Thimphu

$55 10.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 50.9% $28

Getting Around

Thimphu

$17 3.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 314% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $128 in Thimphu and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 44% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $14 in Thimphu vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $126 vs $266 per month, with Thimphu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

1 h ahead of Thimphu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,676 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BTN = 10.52 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BTN – Bhutanese Ngultrum Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇹 Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu.)

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 95.05 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BTN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thimphu Phuket 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Thimphu
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thimphu is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Thimphu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $128 in Thimphu versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $45 in Thimphu versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $522 in Thimphu versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Thimphu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Thimphu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Thimphu and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Thimphu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.