Cost of living comparison
Thimphu is 17.5% cheaper than Beijing.
If you lived in Thimphu instead of Beijing, you would:
pay 26.1% less for restaurants
Beijing
|
Thimphu
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.17
CN¥30.46
|
$2.95
BTN249.51
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.57
CN¥40.61
|
$2.95
BTN249.51
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
CN¥3.62
|
$0.55
BTN46.91
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.31
CN¥2.26
|
$0.19
BTN15.80
|
|
pay 22.3% less for groceries
Beijing
|
Thimphu
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.43
CN¥10.47
|
$0.94
BTN79.84
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.31
CN¥53.31
|
$1.68
BTN142.22
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.17
CN¥52.31
|
$3.17
BTN268.24
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.74
CN¥12.68
|
$2.20
BTN186.63
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.53
CN¥11.17
|
$1.74
BTN147.13
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$0.92
CN¥6.69
|
$1.07
BTN90.54
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
CN¥5.19
|
$0.65
BTN55.46
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.89
CN¥6.47
|
$0.82
BTN69.72
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
CN¥4.25
|
$0.37
BTN31.24
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
CN¥2.69
|
$0.23
BTN19.47
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
CN¥3.44
|
$0.26
BTN21.73
|
|
pay 33.0% more for transportation
Beijing
|
Thimphu
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.36
CN¥31.81
|
$3.93
BTN332.43
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$33.40
CN¥243.67
|
$3.97
BTN335.87
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,872.18
CN¥152,291.77
|
$21,215.98
BTN1,796,470.02
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$4.59
CN¥33.50
|
$15.09
BTN1,277.49
|
|
pay 23.9% less for housing
Beijing
|
Thimphu
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$13.28
CN¥96.92
|
$31.25
BTN2,645.73
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$929.88
CN¥6,784.76
|
$124.45
BTN10,537.95
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$492.44
CN¥3,593.06
|
$79.38
BTN6,721.71
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$42.04
CN¥306.74
|
$16.69
BTN1,412.99
|
|
pay 82.4% less for childcare
Beijing
|
Thimphu
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$763.49
CN¥5,570.76
|
$246.05
BTN20,834.06
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,913.01
CN¥167,182.52
|
$677.73
BTN57,387.24
|
|
pay 69.6% more for entertainment and sports
Beijing
|
Thimphu
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.11
CN¥8.12
|
$6.43
BTN544.59
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.60
CN¥26.29
|
$1.53
BTN129.75
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.48
CN¥25.38
|
$3.83
BTN324.36
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$65.46
CN¥477.60
|
$49.11
BTN4,158.50
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.35
CN¥60.92
|
$3.54
BTN299.41
|
|
pay 70.5% less for clothing
Beijing
|
Thimphu
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.65
CN¥457.15
|
$9.43
BTN798.43
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.69
CN¥253.09
|
$11.79
BTN998.04
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.45
CN¥608.91
|
$32.41
BTN2,744.61
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$107.64
CN¥785.36
|
$32.41
BTN2,744.61
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thimphu or Beijing. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.