Cost of living comparison

compared to

Thimphu vs. Kathmandu Cost of Living Summary

Thimphu is 10.5% more expensive than Kathmandu.

Restaurants: pay 4.7% more in Thimphu
Groceries: pay 12.4% more in Thimphu
Transportation: pay 18.2% less in Thimphu
Housing: pay 34.8% more in Thimphu
Childcare: pay 57.1% more in Thimphu
Entertainment and Sports: pay 27.7% more in Thimphu
Clothing: pay 44.7% less in Thimphu

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

Thimphu vs. Kathmandu Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 4.7% more for restaurants

	Kathmandu	Thimphu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$1.76 NPR253.46	$2.82 BTN253.46	+60.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.34 NPR912.47	$3.38 BTN304.16	-46.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.54 NPR77.98	$0.53 BTN47.65	-2.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.17 NPR24.49	$0.18 BTN16.48	+7.6%
Average			+4.7%

Kathmandu vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants

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pay 12.4% more for groceries

	Kathmandu	Thimphu
Bread 1 loaf	$0.55 NPR78.90	$0.89 BTN80.09	+62.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.49 NPR646.60	$1.61 BTN144.47	-64.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.16 NPR454.05	$3.03 BTN272.49	-4.0%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.77 NPR254.29	$1.96 BTN176.01	+10.7%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.40 NPR201.73	$1.70 BTN152.68	+21.1%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.97 NPR140.05	$1.09 BTN98.11	+12.1%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.45 NPR65.18	$0.65 BTN58.86	+44.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.54 NPR78.09	$0.83 BTN74.35	+52.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.30 NPR43.25	$0.33 BTN29.51	+9.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.22 NPR31.46	$0.23 BTN20.31	+3.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.29 NPR41.94	$0.26 BTN23.38	-10.8%
Average			+12.4%

Kathmandu vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries

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pay 18.2% less for transportation

	Kathmandu	Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.57 NPR657.39	$3.03 BTN272.64	-33.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$10.57 NPR1,520.79	$4.01 BTN360.10	-62.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$31,715.30 NPR4,562,356.92	??
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$13.39 NPR1,926.33	$18.89 BTN1,698.21	+41.1%
Average			-18.2%

Kathmandu vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation

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pay 34.8% more for housing

	Kathmandu	Thimphu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$8.25 NPR1,186.67	$26.44 BTN2,377.22	+220.5%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$179.99 NPR25,891.48	$122.58 BTN11,020.62	-31.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$93.92 NPR13,510.75	$71.54 BTN6,432.06	-23.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$23.92 NPR3,440.40	$17.80 BTN1,600.58	-25.6%
Average			+34.8%

Kathmandu vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing

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pay 57.1% more for childcare

	Kathmandu	Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$80.28 NPR11,549.15	$235.40 BTN21,164.25	+193.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,085.67 NPR443,885.07	$648.40 BTN58,296.74	-79.0%
Average			+57.1%

Kathmandu vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare

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pay 27.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Kathmandu	Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.61 NPR375.13	$2.82 BTN253.46	+8.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.78 NPR256.66	$1.40 BTN125.72	-21.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.82 NPR405.54	$3.66 BTN329.50	+30.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$21.82 NPR3,139.06	$46.99 BTN4,224.40	+115.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.17 NPR456.24	$3.38 BTN304.16	+6.7%
Average			+27.7%

Kathmandu vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 44.7% less for clothing

	Kathmandu	Thimphu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$22.91 NPR3,295.04	$9.02 BTN811.09	-60.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$26.63 NPR3,830.13	$11.28 BTN1,013.86	-57.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$56.89 NPR8,183.28	$31.01 BTN2,788.11	-45.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$36.56 NPR5,259.38	$31.01 BTN2,788.11	-15.2%
Average			-44.7%

Kathmandu 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: December 2025

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