Cost of living comparison

 Dushanbe, Tajikistan
compared to
 Thimphu, Bhutan
Thimphu vs. Dushanbe Cost of Living Summary

Thimphu is 11.4% more expensive than Dushanbe.

Restaurants
pay 40.0% less in Thimphu
Groceries
pay 2.8% more in Thimphu
Transportation
pay 97.0% more in Thimphu
Housing
pay 42.1% less in Thimphu
Childcare
pay 17.8% more in Thimphu
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.0 times more in Thimphu
Clothing
pay 57.8% less in Thimphu

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

Thimphu vs. Dushanbe Cost Breakdown

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

pay 40.0% less for restaurants

 
Dushanbe
Thimphu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.61
TJS61.10
$2.95
BTN251.51
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.16
TJS99.72
$2.95
BTN251.51
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.62
TJS6.79
$0.55
BTN47.28

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pay 2.8% more for groceries

 
Dushanbe
Thimphu
Bread
1 loaf
$0.57
TJS6.21
$0.94
BTN80.48
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.28
TJS46.56
$1.68
BTN143.36
Milk (1 gallon) $3.05
TJS33.15
$3.17
BTN270.39

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pay 97.0% more for transportation

 
Dushanbe
Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.19
TJS34.69
$3.93
BTN335.09
Monthly public transit pass $4.68
TJS50.91
$3.97
BTN338.56
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $20,113.17
TJS218,924.58
$21,215.98
BTN1,810,872.24

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pay 42.1% less for housing

 
Dushanbe
Thimphu
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$23.95
TJS260.67
$31.25
BTN2,666.94
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $413.18
TJS4,497.29
$124.45
BTN10,622.43
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $210.49
TJS2,291.07
$79.38
BTN6,775.60

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pay 17.8% more for childcare

 
Dushanbe
Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $106.65
TJS1,160.81
$246.05
BTN21,001.09
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $13,658.24
TJS148,665.07
$677.73
BTN57,847.31

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pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Dushanbe
Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
TJS12.22
$6.43
BTN548.95
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.29
TJS24.95
$1.53
BTN130.79
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.34
TJS25.46
$3.83
BTN326.96

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pay 57.8% less for clothing

 
Dushanbe
Thimphu
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$28.06
TJS305.48
$9.43
BTN804.83
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$36.11
TJS393.05
$11.79
BTN1,006.04
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$76.71
TJS834.97
$32.41
BTN2,766.61

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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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See the cost of living in Tajikistan vs. Bhutan. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Tajikistan and Bhutan.

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