Cost of living comparison

Islamabad, Pakistan

compared to

Thimphu, Bhutan

Thimphu vs. Islamabad Cost of Living Summary

Thimphu is 35.5% more expensive than Islamabad.

Restaurants: pay 16.7% more in Thimphu
Groceries: pay 41.2% more in Thimphu
Transportation: pay 53.3% more in Thimphu
Housing: pay 14.2% less in Thimphu
Childcare: pay 2.2 times more in Thimphu
Entertainment and Sports: pay 82.2% more in Thimphu
Clothing: pay 45.8% less in Thimphu

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

Thimphu vs. Islamabad Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 16.7% more for restaurants

	Islamabad	Thimphu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$1.79 PKR502.05	$2.95 BTN251.51	+64.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.30 PKR1,204.92	$2.95 BTN251.51	-31.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.35 PKR99.27	$0.55 BTN47.28	+56.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.24 PKR67.88	$0.19 BTN15.93	-22.9%
Average			+16.7%

Islamabad vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants

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pay 41.2% more for groceries

	Islamabad	Thimphu
Bread 1 loaf	$0.68 PKR190.19	$0.94 BTN80.48	+39.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.96 PKR830.24	$1.68 BTN143.36	-43.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.31 PKR929.44	$3.17 BTN270.39	-4.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.25 PKR350.64	$2.20 BTN188.13	+76.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.64 PKR460.29	$1.74 BTN148.31	+5.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.48 PKR135.27	$1.07 BTN91.27	+121.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.38 PKR107.36	$0.65 BTN55.90	+71.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.37 PKR104.22	$0.82 BTN70.28	+121.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.26 PKR73.18	$0.37 BTN31.49	+41.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.19 PKR52.89	$0.23 BTN19.62	+21.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.25 PKR70.33	$0.26 BTN21.90	+2.3%
Average			+41.2%

Islamabad vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries

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pay 53.3% more for transportation

	Islamabad	Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.81 PKR1,067.67	$3.93 BTN335.09	+3.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$6.80 PKR1,907.78	$3.97 BTN338.56	-41.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,479.46 PKR6,024,577.59	$21,215.98 BTN1,810,872.24	-1.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.27 PKR1,198.89	$15.09 BTN1,287.73	+253.0%
Average			+53.3%

Islamabad vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation

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pay 14.2% less for housing

	Islamabad	Thimphu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$18.16 PKR5,092.20	$31.25 BTN2,666.94	+72.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$174.15 PKR48,846.33	$124.45 BTN10,622.43	-28.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$99.01 PKR27,769.54	$79.38 BTN6,775.60	-19.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$84.99 PKR23,837.11	$16.69 BTN1,424.32	-80.4%
Average			-14.2%

Islamabad vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing

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pay 2.2 times more for childcare

	Islamabad	Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$60.17 PKR16,876.54	$246.05 BTN21,001.09	+308.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,142.14 PKR881,309.64	$677.73 BTN57,847.31	-78.4%
Average			+115.2%

Islamabad vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare

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pay 82.2% more for entertainment and sports

	Islamabad	Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.79 PKR502.05	$6.43 BTN548.95	+259.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.97 PKR551.77	$1.53 BTN130.79	-22.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.15 PKR602.46	$3.83 BTN326.96	+78.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$23.01 PKR6,454.90	$49.11 BTN4,191.83	+113.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.30 PKR1,204.92	$3.54 BTN301.81	-17.7%
Average			+82.2%

Islamabad vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 45.8% less for clothing

	Islamabad	Thimphu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$19.06 PKR5,345.34	$9.43 BTN804.83	-50.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$26.18 PKR7,342.45	$11.79 BTN1,006.04	-55.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$83.29 PKR23,361.97	$32.41 BTN2,766.61	-61.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$38.79 PKR10,880.64	$32.41 BTN2,766.61	-16.4%
Average			-45.8%

Islamabad 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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