Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batu Kawan and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $422 a month against $963 in Batu Kawan, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Batu Kawan
Learn more

Batu Kawan Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Batu Kawan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$963

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Batu Kawan and in Dhaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Batu Kawan and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $963 in Batu Kawan versus $422 in Dhaka.

Batu Kawan $963
Dhaka $422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,506 in Batu Kawan versus $728 in Dhaka.

Batu Kawan $1,506
Dhaka $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,050 in Batu Kawan versus $1,033 in Dhaka.

Batu Kawan $2,050
Dhaka $1,033

Living in Batu Kawan is roughly 128% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Batu Kawan 29% lower, Dhaka 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 MYR 19.63

$2.40 ৳297

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 MYR 121

$12.93 ৳1,599

128.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 MYR 20.27

$4.78 ৳591

3.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳608

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳489

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.34

$2.38 ৳294

26.89%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 MYR 3.22

$0.30 ৳36.99

163.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.72

$0.17 ৳21.25

147.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 MYR 18.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 MYR 25.08

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MYR 5.92

$0.79 ৳97.2

83.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.53

$0.63 ৳78.1

76.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 MYR 2.91

$0.72 ৳88.8

-1.39%

Eggs

$2.12 MYR 8.65

$1.18 ৳146

79.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 MYR 56.7

$8.73 ৳1,080

58.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.46 MYR 18.24

$3.30 ৳407

35.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.88

$6.64 ৳822

50.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 MYR 13.60

$2.80 ৳346

18.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.24

$0.86 ৳107

105.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MYR 9.07

$2.32 ৳287

-4.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.13

$0.61 ৳75.5

145.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.96

$0.23 ৳28.22

426.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.64

$0.48 ৳59.8

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.77

$0.33 ৳41.12

254.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 MYR 2.69

$0.30 ৳37.46

120.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.23 ৳1,512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 ৳647

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 ৳805

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.30

$3.29 ৳407

36.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.69 MYR 80.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 MYR 13.79

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 MYR 20.64

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.09

$0.41 ৳51.1

85.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.18 MYR 49.76

$21.27 ৳2,630

-42.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 MYR 3.08

$1.18 ৳146

-36.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MYR 4.92

$0.38 ৳47.04

215.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 MYR 20.28

$3.27 ৳404

51.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.30

$1.16 ৳143

-30.17%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$31.9K MYR 130.2K

$29.9K ৳3.7M

6.56%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.1K MYR 139.5K

$32.5K ৳4.0M

4.97%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$63.1 MYR 258

$46.86 ৳5,795

34.61%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.70 MYR 35.56

$4.31 ৳534

101.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.35 MYR 99.5

$11.09 ৳1,371

119.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.29 MYR 132

$17.52 ৳2,166

84.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.09 MYR 28.96

$17.67 ৳2,185

-59.88%

Cinema Ticket

$3.68 MYR 15.06

$4.31 ৳533

-14.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$237 MYR 970

$139 ৳17.2K

70.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K MYR 53.0K

$2,570 ৳317.8K

404.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 MYR 293

$16.32 ৳2,018

339.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.73 MYR 175

$19.36 ৳2,394

120.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 MYR 345

$45.97 ৳5,684

83.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 MYR 351

$36.74 ৳4,543

133.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 MYR 1,685

$145 ৳17.9K

184.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 MYR 1,179

$68.1 ৳8,423

323.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 MYR 2,878

$461 ৳57.0K

52.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$555 MYR 2,270

$232 ৳28.7K

139.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,973 MYR 8,065

$1,575 ৳194.8K

25.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,208 MYR 4,936

$789 ৳97.6K

53.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,870 MYR 7,642

$245 ৳30.3K

664.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

-62.51%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Batu Kawan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Batu Kawan

$289 30%

Dhaka

$68 16.1% 76.4% $220

Groceries & Markets

Batu Kawan

$260 27%

Dhaka

$122 29% 52.9% $137

Eating Out

Batu Kawan

$129 13.4%

Dhaka

$64 15.2% 50.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Batu Kawan

$128 13.3%

Dhaka

$53 12.6% 58.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batu Kawan

$96 10%

Dhaka

$62 14.8% 35.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Batu Kawan

$40 4.1%

Dhaka

$26 6.2% 34.1% $14

Getting Around

Batu Kawan

$22 2.3%

Dhaka

$26 6.2% 18.4% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $412 in Batu Kawan and $145 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Batu Kawan pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Batu Kawan vs $13 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $122 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Batu Kawan

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

21:39 9:39 PM

2 h behind Batu Kawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,409

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Batu Kawan Dhaka 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Batu Kawan
Dhaka

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Batu Kawan vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 128% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Batu Kawan is about 7.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $412 in Batu Kawan versus $145 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $963 per month in Batu Kawan versus $422 in Dhaka – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Batu Kawan runs roughly 43% less than in Dhaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Dhaka wins on affordability, Batu Kawan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.