Cost of living comparison
compared to
Thimphu vs. San Juan Cost of Living Summary
Thimphu is 66.9% cheaper than San Juan.
- Restaurants
-
pay 78.7% less in Thimphu
- Groceries
-
pay 66.3% less in Thimphu
- Transportation
-
pay 51.8% less in Thimphu
- Housing
-
pay 85.5% less in Thimphu
- Childcare
-
pay 71.8% less in Thimphu
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 39.6% less in Thimphu
- Clothing
-
pay 74.4% less in Thimphu
Expenses including housing, restaurants, clothing, childcare, groceries, and transportation are lower in Thimphu.
Thimphu vs. San Juan Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Thimphu instead of San Juan, you would:
pay 78.7% less for restaurants
|
San Juan
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$2.82
BTN251.43
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.58
|
$3.38
BTN301.71
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.84
|
$0.53
BTN47.27
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.40
|
$0.18
BTN16.34
|
|
San Juan vs. Thimphu - Cost of restaurants
pay 66.3% less for groceries
|
San Juan
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.40
|
$0.89
BTN79.45
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.74
|
$1.61
BTN143.31
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.97
|
$3.03
BTN270.30
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.42
|
$1.96
BTN174.59
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.85
|
$1.70
BTN151.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.56
|
$1.09
BTN97.32
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.09
|
$0.65
BTN58.39
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.77
|
$0.83
BTN73.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.84
|
$0.33
BTN29.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$0.23
BTN20.15
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$0.26
BTN23.19
|
|
San Juan vs. Thimphu - Cost of groceries
pay 51.8% less for transportation
|
San Juan
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.65
|
$3.03
BTN270.45
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$30.00
|
$4.01
BTN357.20
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,000.00
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$18.89
BTN1,684.56
|
|
San Juan vs. Thimphu - Cost of transportation
pay 85.5% less for housing
|
San Juan
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$77.14
|
$26.44
BTN2,358.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,258.33
|
$122.58
BTN10,932.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$765.00
|
$71.54
BTN6,380.34
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$370.88
|
$17.80
BTN1,587.71
|
|
San Juan vs. Thimphu - Cost of housing
pay 71.8% less for childcare
|
San Juan
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$470.00
|
$235.40
BTN20,994.09
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,400.00
|
$648.40
BTN57,828.02
|
|
San Juan vs. Thimphu - Cost of childcare
pay 39.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Juan
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.00
|
$2.82
BTN251.43
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.73
|
$1.40
BTN124.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$3.66
BTN326.85
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.66
|
$46.99
BTN4,190.44
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.50
|
$3.38
BTN301.71
|
|
San Juan vs. Thimphu - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 74.4% less for clothing
|
San Juan
|
Thimphu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.33
|
$9.02
BTN804.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$56.25
|
$11.28
BTN1,005.70
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.33
|
$31.01
BTN2,765.69
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$110.00
|
$31.01
BTN2,765.69
|
|
San Juan 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
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