Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bayan Lepas and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $737 in Bayan Lepas, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$737

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bayan Lepas 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 Bayan Lepas and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Bayan Lepas versus $426 in Dhaka.

Bayan Lepas $737
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,228 in Bayan Lepas versus $735 in Dhaka.

Bayan Lepas $1,228
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,718 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Bayan Lepas $1,718
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Bayan Lepas is roughly 73% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bayan Lepas 45% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 MYR 12.69

$2.49 ৳305

24.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.08 MYR 69.7

$13.06 ৳1,604

30.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.07 MYR 16.61

$4.83 ৳594

-15.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.82 MYR 11.53

$2.34 ৳287

20.51%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.30 ৳37.38

183.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.42

$0.16 ৳19.96

268.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.76 MYR 19.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MYR 19.53

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 MYR 10.20

$0.80 ৳98.1

212.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$0.65 ৳79.3

46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 MYR 3.67

$0.71 ৳87.2

26.76%

Eggs

$2.03 MYR 8.28

$1.21 ৳149

67.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 MYR 13.94

$3.21 ৳395

6.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.75 MYR 27.57

$6.70 ৳823

0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MYR 12.57

$2.73 ৳335

12.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.52

$0.88 ৳108

81.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 MYR 12.86

$2.37 ৳291

32.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$0.65 ৳79.5

83.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$0.24 ৳29.19

450.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$0.49 ৳60.6

146.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.32 ৳38.87

121.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$0.30 ৳37.30

123.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 MYR 20.73

$3.23 ৳396

57.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.89 MYR 81.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$0.42 ৳52.1

59.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.74 MYR 60.2

$22.54 ৳2,769

-34.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$1.19 ৳147

35.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 MYR 3.03

$1.15 ৳141

-35.65%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

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

$24.26 MYR 99.1

$46.32 ৳5,690

-47.63%

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

$11.88 MYR 48.49

$4.33 ৳531

174.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.77 MYR 126

$10.63 ৳1,306

189.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 MYR 121

$16.37 ৳2,011

80.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.26 MYR 29.64

$16.14 ৳1,982

-55.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.87

$4.13 ৳508

17.92%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.73 MYR 162

$16.48 ৳2,024

141.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.50 MYR 108

$21.00 ৳2,579

26.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.2 MYR 266

$50.3 ৳6,173

29.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 MYR 336

$36.46 ৳4,478

125.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 MYR 791

$152 ৳18.6K

27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 MYR 907

$73.6 ৳9,041

201.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$499 MYR 2,036

$436 ৳53.5K

14.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 MYR 2,347

$214 ৳26.3K

168.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$970 MYR 3,960

$249 ৳30.6K

289.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

10.48

-66.60%

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

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bayan Lepas

$222 30.1%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 66.8% $148

Groceries & Markets

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 33.4% $61

Eating Out

Bayan Lepas

$110 14.9%

Dhaka

$64 15% 41.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Bayan Lepas

$96 13%

Dhaka

$56 13% 41.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.1%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 8.4% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 37.2% $15

Getting Around

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 44% $8.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $194 in Bayan Lepas and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bayan Lepas pays 290% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17.00 in Bayan Lepas vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

2 h behind Bayan Lepas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,600

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bayan Lepas Dhaka 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bayan Lepas
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

Bayan Lepas vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bayan Lepas and Dhaka differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($737 vs $426 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 290% higher in Bayan Lepas, 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: $194 in Bayan Lepas versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $17.00 in Bayan Lepas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 53% less than in Bayan Lepas. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dhaka gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Bayan Lepas and Dhaka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Bayan Lepas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.