Cost of living comparison

 Thimphu, Bhutan
compared to
 Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo vs. Thimphu Cost of Living Summary

Tokyo is 4.8 times more expensive than Thimphu.

Restaurants
pay 2.5 times more in Tokyo
Groceries
pay 3.2 times more in Tokyo
Transportation
pay 4.7 times more in Tokyo
Housing
pay 6.3 times more in Tokyo
Childcare
pay 11.8 times more in Tokyo
Entertainment and Sports
pay 72.3% more in Tokyo
Clothing
pay 3.3 times more in Tokyo

The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, clothing, groceries, and restaurants in Tokyo are more expensive than in Thimphu. Notably, childcare, housing, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Tokyo.

Tokyo vs. Thimphu Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.5 times more for restaurants

 
Thimphu
Tokyo
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.95
BTN251.27
$6.51
¥929
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$2.95
BTN251.27
$5.21
¥743
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.55
BTN47.24
$1.12
¥159

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pay 3.2 times more for groceries

 
Thimphu
Tokyo
Bread
1 loaf
$0.94
BTN80.41
$1.63
¥233
Local cheese (8 oz) $1.68
BTN143.22
$7.01
¥1,000
Milk (1 gallon) $3.17
BTN270.13
$5.89
¥839

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pay 4.7 times more for transportation

 
Thimphu
Tokyo
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.93
BTN334.77
$4.42
¥630
Monthly public transit pass $3.97
BTN338.24
$58.62
¥8,357
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,215.98
BTN1,809,146.99
$21,767.76
¥3,103,104

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pay 6.3 times more for housing

 
Thimphu
Tokyo
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$31.25
BTN2,664.40
$31.86
¥4,542
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $124.45
BTN10,612.31
$1,120.28
¥159,701
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $79.38
BTN6,769.15
$582.98
¥83,107

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pay 11.8 times more for childcare

 
Thimphu
Tokyo
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $246.05
BTN20,981.08
$533.29
¥76,024
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $677.73
BTN57,792.20
$14,506.96
¥2,068,039

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pay 72.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
Thimphu
Tokyo
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.43
BTN548.43
$3.26
¥464
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.53
BTN130.66
$3.40
¥485
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.83
BTN326.65
$3.91
¥557

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pay 3.3 times more for clothing

 
Thimphu
Tokyo
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$9.43
BTN804.07
$52.60
¥7,498
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$11.79
BTN1,005.08
$36.87
¥5,256
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$32.41
BTN2,763.97
$63.41
¥9,040

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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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