Cost of living comparison
South Africa is 2.7 times more expensive than Bhutan.
If you lived in South Africa instead of Bhutan, you would:
pay 2.6 times more for restaurants
|
Bhutan
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.95
BTN248.91
|
$8.97
ZAR162.53
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$2.95
BTN248.91
|
$4.77
ZAR86.42
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.55
BTN46.80
|
$0.95
ZAR17.29
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.19
BTN15.76
|
$0.74
ZAR13.42
|
|
pay 43.4% more for groceries
|
Bhutan
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.94
BTN79.65
|
$0.99
ZAR17.94
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$1.68
BTN141.88
|
$3.67
ZAR66.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.17
BTN267.59
|
$4.20
ZAR76.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.20
BTN186.18
|
$2.23
ZAR40.34
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.74
BTN146.78
|
$2.03
ZAR36.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.07
BTN90.32
|
$0.68
ZAR12.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
BTN55.32
|
$0.62
ZAR11.18
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.82
BTN69.55
|
$0.64
ZAR11.63
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.37
BTN31.16
|
$0.70
ZAR12.65
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.23
BTN19.42
|
$0.55
ZAR10.03
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.26
BTN21.68
|
$0.61
ZAR11.03
|
|
pay 4.0 times more for transportation
|
Bhutan
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.93
BTN331.63
|
$4.99
ZAR90.37
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$3.97
BTN335.06
|
$52.31
ZAR947.63
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,215.98
BTN1,792,154.54
|
$20,607.77
ZAR373,316.13
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.09
BTN1,274.42
|
$8.55
ZAR154.86
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for housing
|
Bhutan
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.25
BTN2,639.37
|
$41.37
ZAR749.42
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$124.45
BTN10,512.64
|
$382.55
ZAR6,930.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$79.38
BTN6,705.57
|
$326.35
ZAR5,911.89
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$16.69
BTN1,409.60
|
$80.40
ZAR1,456.44
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for childcare
|
Bhutan
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$246.05
BTN20,784.01
|
$174.12
ZAR3,154.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$677.73
BTN57,249.38
|
$4,033.53
ZAR73,068.60
|
|
pay 4.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Bhutan
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.43
BTN543.28
|
$2.11
ZAR38.19
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.53
BTN129.43
|
$1.88
ZAR34.11
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.83
BTN323.58
|
$2.90
ZAR52.61
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$49.11
BTN4,148.51
|
$29.50
ZAR534.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.54
BTN298.69
|
$6.62
ZAR119.94
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for clothing
|
Bhutan
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$9.43
BTN796.51
|
$47.72
ZAR864.38
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$11.79
BTN995.64
|
$32.06
ZAR580.76
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$32.41
BTN2,738.01
|
$90.39
ZAR1,637.42
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$32.41
BTN2,738.01
|
$81.37
ZAR1,473.99
|
|
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