Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukit Mertajam and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $623 in Bukit Mertajam, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Bukit Mertajam despite lower rent and utilities.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$623

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Bukit Mertajam versus $406 in Dhaka.

Bukit Mertajam $623
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $979 in Bukit Mertajam versus $687 in Dhaka.

Bukit Mertajam $979
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,335 in Bukit Mertajam versus $969 in Dhaka.

Bukit Mertajam $1,335
Dhaka $969

Living in Bukit Mertajam is roughly 54% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bukit Mertajam 54% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$2.28 ৳282

-15.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.63 MYR 84.2

$12.33 ৳1,523

67.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.93 MYR 16.03

$3.95 ৳488

-0.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$3.14 MYR 12.80

$2.28 ৳281

37.72%

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

$0.72 MYR 2.93

$0.33 ৳40.88

118.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.16 ৳19.86

193.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.30 MYR 17.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 MYR 24.69

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$0.85 ৳104

104.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$0.60 ৳74.5

86.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$0.69 ৳85.4

181.16%

Eggs

$2.52 MYR 10.26

$1.23 ৳152

104.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.07 MYR 57.4

$8.80 ৳1,087

59.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.71

$3.33 ৳412

30.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.65 MYR 39.35

$6.63 ৳819

45.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 MYR 14.24

$2.85 ৳352

22.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 MYR 7.32

$0.90 ৳111

98.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.42

$2.34 ৳289

-1.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.23

$0.63 ৳78.4

142.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.42

$0.24 ৳29.59

454.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.76

$0.46 ৳57.3

206.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$0.35 ৳42.79

220.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.72

$0.28 ৳34.24

139.29%

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)

$4.32 MYR 17.64

$3.28 ৳405

31.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.48 MYR 79.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 MYR 14.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 MYR 20.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.19 ৳147

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$0.39 ৳48.71

220.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 MYR 20.50

$3.28 ৳406

53.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.10 ৳136

-20.91%

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

$41.2K MYR 168.3K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

40.14%

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

$34.4K MYR 140.4K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

7.01%

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

$62.4 MYR 255

$38.28 ৳4,729

63.11%

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

$8.54 MYR 34.85

$4.09 ৳506

108.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.31 MYR 107

$9.02 ৳1,114

191.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 MYR 20.65

$4.11 ৳508

23.11%

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

$242 MYR 989

$90.7 ৳11.2K

167.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K MYR 52.9K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

400.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 MYR 292

$17.06 ৳2,108

319.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.95 MYR 171

$21.38 ৳2,641

96.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 357

$51.4 ৳6,355

70.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 MYR 397

$36.78 ৳4,545

164.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$567 MYR 2,312

$246 ৳30.4K

130.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

10.48

-60.11%

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

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: 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

Bukit Mertajam

$271 43.5%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 54.4% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Bukit Mertajam

$134 21.5%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 57.5% $77

Eating Out

Bukit Mertajam

$103 16.6%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 42.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukit Mertajam

$97 15.6%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 47.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 116% $12

Getting Around

Bukit Mertajam

$7.5 * 1.2%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 266% $20

Accommodation & Living

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0%

Dhaka

$65 16%

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

Cost Breakdown

Bukit Mertajam pays 130% 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: $21.00 in Bukit Mertajam vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

2 h behind Bukit Mertajam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,329

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bukit Mertajam Dhaka 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bukit Mertajam
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

Bukit Mertajam vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bukit Mertajam and Dhaka differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($623 vs $406 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 130% higher in Bukit Mertajam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Bukit Mertajam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $623 per month in Bukit Mertajam versus $406 in Dhaka – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Bukit Mertajam 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 54% less than in Bukit Mertajam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.