Cost of living comparison

Maldives

compared to

Bhutan

Thimphu vs. Male Cost of Living Summary

Thimphu is 51.3% cheaper than Male.

Restaurants: pay 54.5% less in Thimphu
Groceries: pay 50.3% less in Thimphu
Transportation: pay 31.2% less in Thimphu
Housing: pay 81.3% less in Thimphu
Childcare: pay 19.8% less in Thimphu
Entertainment and Sports: pay 55.5% less in Thimphu
Clothing: pay 66.2% less in Thimphu

Expenses including housing, clothing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in Thimphu.

Thimphu vs. Male Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 54.5% less for restaurants

	Male	Thimphu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$5.56 MVR85.56	$2.82 BTN267.70	-49.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$9.80 MVR150.98	$3.38 BTN321.24	-65.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.45 MVR22.29	$0.53 BTN50.33	-63.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.31 MVR4.70	$0.18 BTN17.40	-39.9%
Average			-54.5%

Male vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants

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pay 50.3% less for groceries

	Male	Thimphu
Bread 1 loaf	$1.59 MVR24.49	$0.89 BTN84.59	-44.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.58 MVR70.46	$1.61 BTN152.59	-64.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.95 MVR107.00	$3.03 BTN287.80	-56.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.76 MVR27.18	$1.96 BTN185.89	+10.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.82 MVR43.37	$1.70 BTN161.26	-39.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.84 MVR28.31	$1.09 BTN103.62	-40.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.73 MVR26.63	$0.65 BTN62.17	-62.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.96 MVR30.25	$0.83 BTN78.52	-57.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.48 MVR22.83	$0.33 BTN31.17	-77.9%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.70 MVR10.77	$0.23 BTN21.45	-67.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.55 MVR8.45	$0.26 BTN24.69	-52.6%
Average			-50.3%

Male vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries

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pay 31.2% less for transportation

	Male	Thimphu
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.54 MVR54.53	$3.03 BTN287.95	-14.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$28.91 MVR445.28	$4.01 BTN380.33	-86.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,679.74 MVR503K	??
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$17.65 MVR271.76	$18.89 BTN1,793.61	+7.0%
Average			-31.2%

Male vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation

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pay 81.3% less for housing

	Male	Thimphu
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$81.15 MVR1,249.78	$26.44 BTN2,510.77	-67.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$965.87 MVR14,874.36	$122.58 BTN11,639.75	-87.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$678.10 MVR10,442.81	$71.54 BTN6,793.40	-89.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$93.30 MVR1,436.78	$17.80 BTN1,690.50	-80.9%
Average			-81.3%

Male vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing

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pay 19.8% less for childcare

	Male	Thimphu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$165.36 MVR2,546.54	$235.40 BTN22,353.24	+42.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,587.42 MVR55,246.24	$648.40 BTN61,571.80	-81.9%
Average			-19.8%

Male vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare

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pay 55.5% less for entertainment and sports

	Male	Thimphu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.74 MVR72.97	$2.82 BTN267.70	-40.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.31 MVR50.96	$1.40 BTN132.78	-57.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.07 MVR201.31	$3.66 BTN348.01	-72.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$80.61 MVR1,241.39	$46.99 BTN4,461.72	-41.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$9.80 MVR150.98	$3.38 BTN321.24	-65.5%
Average			-55.5%

Male vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 66.2% less for clothing

	Male	Thimphu
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$43.03 MVR662.64	$9.02 BTN856.65	-79.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$56.86 MVR875.69	$11.28 BTN1,070.81	-80.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$90.20 MVR1,389.02	$31.01 BTN2,944.74	-65.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$51.74 MVR796.84	$31.01 BTN2,944.74	-40.1%
Average			-66.2%

Male 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: June 2026

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