Cost of living comparison

Colombo, Sri Lanka

compared to

Thimphu, Bhutan

Thimphu vs. Colombo Cost of Living Summary

Thimphu is 56.9% more expensive than Colombo.

Restaurants: pay 37.8% less in Thimphu
Groceries: pay 30.5% less in Thimphu
Transportation: pay 70.6% more in Thimphu
Housing: pay 21.4% less in Thimphu
Childcare: pay 4.9 times more in Thimphu
Entertainment and Sports: pay 74.7% more in Thimphu
Clothing: pay 45.5% less in Thimphu

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Thimphu are more expensive than in Colombo. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, groceries, and housing are lower in Thimphu. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Thimphu.

Thimphu vs. Colombo Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Thimphu instead of Colombo, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 37.8% less for restaurants

	Colombo	Thimphu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.40 LKR1,011.42	$2.95 BTN253.16	-13.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.48 LKR2,225.13	$2.95 BTN253.16	-60.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.74 LKR219.98	$0.55 BTN47.59	-25.0%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.39 LKR116.31	$0.19 BTN16.03	-52.2%
Average			-37.8%

Colombo vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants

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pay 30.5% less for groceries

	Colombo	Thimphu
Bread 1 loaf	$0.57 LKR169.55	$0.94 BTN81.01	+65.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.94 LKR2,064.45	$1.68 BTN144.30	-75.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.54 LKR1,946.48	$3.17 BTN272.16	-51.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.22 LKR660.02	$2.20 BTN189.36	-0.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.38 LKR708.65	$1.74 BTN149.28	-27.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$3.28 LKR975.20	$1.07 BTN91.87	-67.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.51 LKR151.87	$0.65 BTN56.27	+28.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.65 LKR787.39	$0.82 BTN70.74	-68.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.53 LKR157.61	$0.37 BTN31.69	-30.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.51 LKR151.33	$0.23 BTN19.75	-54.8%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.55 LKR162.42	$0.26 BTN22.05	-53.0%
Average			-30.5%

Colombo vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries

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pay 70.6% more for transportation

	Colombo	Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.84 LKR1,439.32	$3.93 BTN337.29	-18.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$6.80 LKR2,022.84	$3.97 BTN340.78	-41.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,303.89 LKR10,508,660.48	$21,215.98 BTN1,822,757.32	-39.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$3.13 LKR930.51	$15.09 BTN1,296.18	+382.6%
Average			+70.6%

Colombo vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation

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pay 21.4% less for housing

	Colombo	Thimphu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$16.40 LKR4,881.31	$31.25 BTN2,684.44	+90.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$297.60 LKR88,583.59	$124.45 BTN10,692.15	-58.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$180.09 LKR53,605.19	$79.38 BTN6,820.07	-55.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$43.85 LKR13,051.47	$16.69 BTN1,433.67	-61.9%
Average			-21.4%

Colombo vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing

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pay 4.9 times more for childcare

	Colombo	Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$28.60 LKR8,512.79	$246.05 BTN21,138.92	+760.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$586.98 LKR174,722.92	$677.73 BTN58,226.97	+15.5%
Average			+387.9%

Colombo vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare

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pay 74.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Colombo	Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.04 LKR606.85	$6.43 BTN552.56	+215.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.59 LKR771.12	$1.53 BTN131.64	-40.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$9.34 LKR2,781.41	$3.83 BTN329.11	-59.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$13.89 LKR4,133.21	$49.11 BTN4,219.35	+253.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.40 LKR1,011.42	$3.54 BTN303.79	+4.1%
Average			+74.7%

Colombo vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 45.5% less for clothing

	Colombo	Thimphu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$29.69 LKR8,837.79	$9.43 BTN810.11	-68.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$22.31 LKR6,641.66	$11.79 BTN1,012.64	-47.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$68.77 LKR20,470.27	$32.41 BTN2,784.77	-52.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$37.51 LKR11,164.53	$32.41 BTN2,784.77	-13.6%
Average			-45.5%

Colombo vs. Thimphu - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025

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