Cost of living comparison
compared to
Thimphu vs. Abu Dhabi Cost of Living Summary
Thimphu is 54.7% cheaper than Abu Dhabi.
- Restaurants
-
pay 63.9% less in Thimphu
- Groceries
-
pay 42.9% less in Thimphu
- Transportation
-
pay 22.1% more in Thimphu
- Housing
-
pay 85.9% less in Thimphu
- Childcare
-
pay 78.7% less in Thimphu
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 58.6% less in Thimphu
- Clothing
-
pay 74.9% less in Thimphu
Expenses including housing, childcare, clothing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in Thimphu.
Thimphu vs. Abu Dhabi Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Thimphu instead of Abu Dhabi, you would:
pay 63.9% less for restaurants
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.89
AED40.00
|
$2.82
BTN251.43
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
AED35.00
|
$3.38
BTN301.71
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.29
AED4.74
|
$0.53
BTN47.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.44
AED1.61
|
$0.18
BTN16.34
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants
pay 42.9% less for groceries
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.60
AED5.89
|
$0.89
BTN79.45
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.28
AED19.39
|
$1.61
BTN143.31
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.50
AED27.54
|
$3.03
BTN270.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.64
AED13.37
|
$1.96
BTN174.59
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.12
AED15.11
|
$1.70
BTN151.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.15
AED4.21
|
$1.09
BTN97.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
AED3.00
|
$0.65
BTN58.39
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
AED3.05
|
$0.83
BTN73.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.67
AED2.46
|
$0.33
BTN29.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.96
|
$0.23
BTN20.15
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.65
AED2.39
|
$0.26
BTN23.19
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries
pay 22.1% more for transportation
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.94
AED10.80
|
$3.03
BTN270.45
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$25.87
AED95.00
|
$4.01
BTN357.20
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$44,639.07
AED163,937.00
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.62
AED28.00
|
$18.89
BTN1,684.56
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation
pay 85.9% less for housing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$100.96
AED370.79
|
$26.44
BTN2,358.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,490.68
AED5,474.52
|
$122.58
BTN10,932.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,109.19
AED4,073.48
|
$71.54
BTN6,380.34
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$115.93
AED425.75
|
$17.80
BTN1,587.71
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing
pay 78.7% less for childcare
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$625.43
AED2,296.88
|
$235.40
BTN20,994.09
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,786.81
AED46,959.57
|
$648.40
BTN57,828.02
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare
pay 58.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$11.29
AED41.45
|
$2.82
BTN251.43
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.77
AED21.18
|
$1.40
BTN124.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.26
AED23.00
|
$3.66
BTN326.85
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$62.90
AED230.98
|
$46.99
BTN4,190.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.61
AED50.00
|
$3.38
BTN301.71
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 74.9% less for clothing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.62
AED222.62
|
$9.02
BTN804.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.93
AED190.71
|
$11.28
BTN1,005.70
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.09
AED360.23
|
$31.01
BTN2,765.69
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$96.21
AED353.33
|
$31.01
BTN2,765.69
|
|
Abu Dhabi vs. Thimphu - Cost of clothing
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: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United Arab Emirates vs. Bhutan.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United Arab Emirates and Bhutan.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thimphu or Abu Dhabi. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.