Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boracay and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $772 in Boracay, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
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Boracay Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $772 in Boracay versus $406 in Dhaka.

Boracay $772
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,313 in Boracay versus $687 in Dhaka.

Boracay $1,313
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,854 in Boracay versus $969 in Dhaka.

Boracay $1,854
Dhaka $969

Living in Boracay is roughly 90% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Boracay 43% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 ₱361

$2.28 ৳282

151.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.15 ₱1,206

$12.33 ৳1,523

55.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.94 ₱374

$3.95 ৳488

50.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.37 ₱149

$2.28 ৳281

3.95%

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

$0.70 ₱43.78

$0.33 ৳40.88

112.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.44

$0.16 ৳19.86

43.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

Milk (1 liter)

$2.95 ₱186

$0.85 ৳104

247.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ₱61.9

$0.60 ৳74.5

63.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱56.3

$0.69 ৳85.4

28.99%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱122

$1.23 ৳152

56.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.13 ₱323

$8.80 ৳1,087

-41.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 ₱301

$3.33 ৳412

43.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 ₱459

$6.63 ৳819

9.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 ₱158

$2.85 ৳352

-11.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₱100

$0.90 ৳111

76.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ₱139

$2.34 ৳289

-5.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₱67.9

$0.63 ৳78.4

71.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 ₱133

$0.24 ৳29.59

779.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$0.46 ৳57.3

339.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₱62.5

$0.35 ৳42.79

182.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₱35.84

$0.28 ৳34.24

103.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,496

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳656

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳794

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 ₱144

$3.28 ৳405

-30.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱489

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.09

$0.42 ৳52.3

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.23 ₱707

$22.43 ৳2,772

-49.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱41.52

$1.19 ৳147

-44.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.18

$0.39 ৳48.71

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$3.28 ৳406

-40.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$1.10 ৳136

0.91%

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

$23.7K ₱1.5M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-19.60%

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

$22.0K ₱1.4M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-31.50%

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

$111 ₱6,979

$38.28 ৳4,729

189.55%

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

$14.23 ₱896

$4.09 ৳506

247.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.84 ₱2,131

$9.02 ৳1,114

275.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.95 ₱1,886

$13.66 ৳1,688

119.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.12 ₱323

$10.21 ৳1,261

-49.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.26 ₱331

$4.11 ৳508

27.98%

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

$136 ₱8,591

$90.7 ৳11.2K

50.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,041 ₱506.2K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

210.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.09 ₱2,272

$17.06 ৳2,108

111.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,209

$21.38 ৳2,641

-10.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ₱4,773

$51.4 ৳6,355

47.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ₱3,723

$36.78 ৳4,545

60.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 ₱16.9K

$133 ৳16.4K

101.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱10.9K

$65.1 ৳8,041

167.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ₱32.9K

$377 ৳46.6K

38.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$614 ₱38.6K

$192 ৳23.8K

218.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,441 ₱153.7K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

50.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 ₱61.7K

$760 ৳93.9K

28.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$229 ₱14.4K

$246 ৳30.4K

-6.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.48

-35.21%

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

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Boracay

$193 25%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 36% $70

Accommodation & Living

Boracay

$174 22.5%

Dhaka

$65 16% 62.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boracay

$159 20.6%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 67.7% $108

Eating Out

Boracay

$105 13.7%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 43.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Boracay

$86 11.1%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 33.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Boracay

$40 5.3%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 45.9% $19

Getting Around

Boracay

$14 1.8%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 95.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $268 in Boracay and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Boracay vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Boracay

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

03:01 3:01 AM

2 h behind Boracay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,296

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boracay Dhaka 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Boracay
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

Boracay vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boracay and Dhaka differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($772 vs $406 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Dhaka. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $268 in Boracay versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Boracay. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $19.00 in Boracay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Boracay 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 90% less than in Boracay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.