Cost of living comparison

Thimphu, Bhutan

compared to

Islamabad, Pakistan

Islamabad vs. Thimphu Cost of Living Summary

Islamabad is 51.7% more expensive than Thimphu.

Groceries: pay 17.9% less in Islamabad
Transportation: pay 0.5% less in Islamabad
Housing: pay 2.1 times more in Islamabad
Childcare: pay 2.4 times more in Islamabad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 23.9% less in Islamabad
Clothing: pay 2.0 times more in Islamabad

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

Islamabad vs. Thimphu Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay (unknown) more for restaurants

	Thimphu	Islamabad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.95 BTN252.57	$1.79 PKR506.47	-39.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$2.95 BTN252.57	$4.30 PKR1,215.52	+45.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.55 BTN47.48	$0.35 PKR100.14	-36.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.19 BTN16.00	$0.24 PKR68.47	+29.7%

Thimphu vs. Islamabad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 17.9% less for groceries

	Thimphu	Islamabad
Bread 1 loaf	$0.94 BTN80.82	$0.68 PKR191.87	-28.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$1.68 BTN143.96	$2.96 PKR837.55	+76.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.17 BTN271.53	$3.31 PKR937.62	+4.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.20 BTN188.92	$1.25 PKR353.72	-43.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.74 BTN148.93	$1.64 PKR464.34	-5.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.07 BTN91.65	$0.48 PKR136.46	-54.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.65 BTN56.14	$0.38 PKR108.30	-41.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.82 BTN70.57	$0.37 PKR105.14	-54.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.37 BTN31.62	$0.26 PKR73.83	-29.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.23 BTN19.70	$0.19 PKR53.36	-18.0%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.26 BTN22.00	$0.25 PKR70.94	-2.3%
Average			-17.9%

Thimphu vs. Islamabad - Cost of groceries

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pay 0.5% less for transportation

	Thimphu	Islamabad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.93 BTN336.50	$3.81 PKR1,077.07	-3.0%
Monthly public transit pass	$3.97 BTN339.98	$6.80 PKR1,924.58	+71.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,215.98 BTN1,818,496.64	$21,479.46 PKR6,077,612.04	+1.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$15.09 BTN1,293.15	$4.27 PKR1,209.44	-71.7%
Average			-0.5%

Thimphu vs. Islamabad - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.1 times more for housing

	Thimphu	Islamabad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$31.25 BTN2,678.17	$18.16 PKR5,137.03	-41.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$124.45 BTN10,667.16	$174.15 PKR49,276.33	+39.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$79.38 BTN6,804.13	$99.01 PKR28,013.99	+24.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$16.69 BTN1,430.32	$84.99 PKR24,046.95	+409.3%
Average			+108.0%

Thimphu vs. Islamabad - Cost of housing

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pay 2.4 times more for childcare

	Thimphu	Islamabad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$246.05 BTN21,089.51	$60.17 PKR17,025.11	-75.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$677.73 BTN58,090.87	$3,142.14 PKR889,067.82	+363.6%
Average			+144.1%

Thimphu vs. Islamabad - Cost of childcare

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pay 23.9% less for entertainment and sports

	Thimphu	Islamabad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$6.43 BTN551.26	$1.79 PKR506.47	-72.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.53 BTN131.34	$1.97 PKR556.63	+28.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.83 BTN328.34	$2.15 PKR607.76	-43.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$49.11 BTN4,209.48	$23.01 PKR6,511.73	-53.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.54 BTN303.08	$4.30 PKR1,215.52	+21.5%
Average			-23.9%

Thimphu vs. Islamabad - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 2.0 times more for clothing

	Thimphu	Islamabad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$9.43 BTN808.22	$19.06 PKR5,392.39	+102.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$11.79 BTN1,010.28	$26.18 PKR7,407.09	+122.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$32.41 BTN2,778.26	$83.29 PKR23,567.63	+157.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$32.41 BTN2,778.26	$38.79 PKR10,976.42	+19.7%
Average			+100.2%

Thimphu vs. Islamabad - 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: June 2025

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