Cost of living comparison

Manila, Philippines

compared to

Thimphu, Bhutan

Thimphu vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Thimphu is 15.9% cheaper than Manila.

Restaurants: pay 43.0% less in Thimphu
Groceries: pay 44.9% less in Thimphu
Transportation: pay 95.8% more in Thimphu
Housing: pay 53.8% less in Thimphu
Childcare: pay 72.1% less in Thimphu
Entertainment and Sports: pay 64.0% more in Thimphu
Clothing: pay 57.6% less in Thimphu

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

Thimphu vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 43.0% less for restaurants

	Manila	Thimphu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.12 ₱283.12	$2.95 BTN251.27	-42.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.26 ₱235.93	$2.95 BTN251.27	-30.9%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.87 ₱48.32	$0.55 BTN47.24	-36.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.49 ₱27.20	$0.19 BTN15.91	-62.0%
Average			-43.0%

Manila vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants

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pay 44.9% less for groceries

	Manila	Thimphu
Bread 1 loaf	$1.35 ₱74.82	$0.94 BTN80.41	-30.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.30 ₱293.54	$1.68 BTN143.22	-68.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.79 ₱375.99	$3.17 BTN270.13	-53.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.08 ₱115.04	$2.20 BTN187.95	+6.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.42 ₱133.90	$1.74 BTN148.17	-28.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.52 ₱84.23	$1.07 BTN91.18	-29.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.80 ₱44.49	$0.65 BTN55.85	-18.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.52 ₱84.24	$0.82 BTN70.21	-45.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.98 ₱54.06	$0.37 BTN31.46	-62.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.20 ₱66.47	$0.23 BTN19.60	-80.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.48 ₱82.19	$0.26 BTN21.88	-82.7%
Average			-44.9%

Manila vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries

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pay 95.8% more for transportation

	Manila	Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.14 ₱229.21	$3.93 BTN334.77	-5.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$9.93 ₱549.53	$3.97 BTN338.24	-60.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,575.45 ₱1,415,600.77	$21,215.98 BTN1,809,146.99	-17.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.67 ₱147.69	$15.09 BTN1,286.50	+465.4%
Average			+95.8%

Manila vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation

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pay 53.8% less for housing

	Manila	Thimphu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$28.80 ₱1,594.35	$31.25 BTN2,664.40	+8.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$468.88 ₱25,952.63	$124.45 BTN10,612.31	-73.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$234.44 ₱12,976.34	$79.38 BTN6,769.15	-66.1%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$106.33 ₱5,885.36	$16.69 BTN1,422.96	-84.3%
Average			-53.8%

Manila vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing

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pay 72.1% less for childcare

	Manila	Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$482.52 ₱26,707.67	$246.05 BTN20,981.08	-49.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$14,127.39 ₱781,950.90	$677.73 BTN57,792.20	-95.2%
Average			-72.1%

Manila vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare

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pay 64.0% more for entertainment and sports

	Manila	Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.36 ₱75.50	$6.43 BTN548.43	+371.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.70 ₱149.28	$1.53 BTN130.66	-43.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.07 ₱169.87	$3.83 BTN326.65	+24.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$40.61 ₱2,247.80	$49.11 BTN4,187.84	+20.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.67 ₱424.68	$3.54 BTN301.52	-53.9%
Average			+64.0%

Manila vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 57.6% less for clothing

	Manila	Thimphu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$33.31 ₱1,843.84	$9.43 BTN804.07	-71.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$26.60 ₱1,472.13	$11.79 BTN1,005.08	-55.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$74.03 ₱4,097.30	$32.41 BTN2,763.97	-56.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$60.89 ₱3,370.34	$32.41 BTN2,763.97	-46.8%
Average			-57.6%

Manila 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: May 2025

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