Cost of living comparison
Thimphu is 49.0% cheaper than Seoul.
- Restaurants
-
pay 64.3% less in Thimphu
- Groceries
-
pay 67.4% less in Thimphu
- Transportation
-
pay 9.7% less in Thimphu
- Housing
-
pay 54.2% less in Thimphu
- Childcare
-
pay 66.5% less in Thimphu
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.9% less in Thimphu
- Clothing
-
pay 73.8% less in Thimphu
Expenses including clothing, groceries, childcare, restaurants, housing, and transportation are lower in Thimphu.
If you lived in Thimphu instead of Seoul, you would:
pay 64.3% less for restaurants
|
Seoul
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.88
₩11,196
|
$2.95
BTN253.16
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.09
₩8,652
|
$2.95
BTN253.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.59
₩2,255
|
$0.55
BTN47.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
₩1,195
|
$0.19
BTN16.03
|
|
pay 67.4% less for groceries
|
Seoul
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.10
₩4,399
|
$0.94
BTN81.01
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.52
₩9,272
|
$1.68
BTN144.30
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.06
₩11,452
|
$3.17
BTN272.16
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.06
₩4,346
|
$2.20
BTN189.36
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.74
₩6,731
|
$1.74
BTN149.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.30
₩4,687
|
$1.07
BTN91.87
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.55
₩2,202
|
$0.65
BTN56.27
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.44
₩3,469
|
$0.82
BTN70.74
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.68
₩3,816
|
$0.37
BTN31.69
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.73
₩2,459
|
$0.23
BTN19.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.39
₩1,971
|
$0.26
BTN22.05
|
|
pay 9.7% less for transportation
|
Seoul
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.59
₩6,521
|
$3.93
BTN337.29
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$44.40
₩63,107
|
$3.97
BTN340.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,023.07
₩38,404,776
|
$21,215.98
BTN1,822,757.32
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.02
₩11,400
|
$15.09
BTN1,296.18
|
|
pay 54.2% less for housing
|
Seoul
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$22.27
₩31,655
|
$31.25
BTN2,684.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$883.18
₩1,255,161
|
$124.45
BTN10,692.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$490.54
₩697,147
|
$79.38
BTN6,820.07
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.35
₩189,519
|
$16.69
BTN1,433.67
|
|
pay 66.5% less for childcare
|
Seoul
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$385.48
₩547,839
|
$246.05
BTN21,138.92
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,782.92
₩29,536,370
|
$677.73
BTN58,226.97
|
|
pay 6.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Seoul
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.58
₩5,089
|
$6.43
BTN552.56
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.60
₩5,119
|
$1.53
BTN131.64
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.22
₩4,580
|
$3.83
BTN329.11
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$53.73
₩76,359
|
$49.11
BTN4,219.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.74
₩15,268
|
$3.54
BTN303.79
|
|
pay 73.8% less for clothing
|
Seoul
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.13
₩84,031
|
$9.43
BTN810.11
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.64
₩66,290
|
$11.79
BTN1,012.64
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.69
₩123,207
|
$32.41
BTN2,784.77
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$124.89
₩177,493
|
$32.41
BTN2,784.77
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thimphu or Seoul. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.
