Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butterworth and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $932 in Butterworth, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $932 per month in Butterworth vs $406 in Dhaka, rent included.

Butterworth $932
Dhaka $406

A couple spends around $1,402 per month in Butterworth vs $687 in Dhaka, rent included.

Butterworth $1,402
Dhaka $687

A family of three spends $1,871 per month in Butterworth vs $969 in Dhaka, rent included.

Butterworth $1,871
Dhaka $969

Butterworth costs about 130% more than Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Butterworth and Dhaka are more affordable than the global median – Butterworth 31% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.38

$2.28 ৳281

65.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.66 MYR 80.2

$12.33 ৳1,518

59.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 19.19

$3.95 ৳487

18.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳552

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳508

Cappuccino

$2.90 MYR 11.81

$2.28 ৳280

27.19%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$0.33 ৳40.74

130.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$0.16 ৳19.80

143.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.19 MYR 17.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 MYR 17.56

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$0.85 ৳104

144.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.60 ৳74.3

73.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$0.69 ৳85.1

146.38%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.86

$1.23 ৳152

76.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 MYR 56.4

$8.80 ৳1,084

56.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.74

$3.33 ৳411

30.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.79 MYR 35.87

$6.63 ৳816

32.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MYR 11.84

$2.85 ৳351

1.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$0.90 ৳111

87.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 MYR 9.52

$2.34 ৳288

-0.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$0.63 ৳78.2

123.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.29

$0.24 ৳29.49

337.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$0.46 ৳57.1

145.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.42

$0.35 ৳42.64

208.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.28 ৳34.12

103.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,491

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳654

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳791

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MYR 18.20

$3.28 ৳404

35.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.71

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MYR 19.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$0.42 ৳52.1

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.13 MYR 45.40

$22.43 ৳2,762

-50.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.89

$1.19 ৳147

0.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$0.39 ৳48.54

-5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 MYR 19.88

$3.28 ৳404

48.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.63

$1.10 ৳135

-19.09%

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

$42.2K MYR 172.2K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

43.48%

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

$34.2K MYR 139.5K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

6.34%

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

$37.79 MYR 154

$38.28 ৳4,713

-1.28%

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

$8.58 MYR 34.99

$4.09 ৳504

109.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.51 MYR 108

$9.02 ৳1,110

193.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.71 MYR 150

$13.66 ৳1,682

168.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.90 MYR 28.15

$10.21 ৳1,257

-32.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 MYR 20.50

$4.11 ৳506

22.38%

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

$297 MYR 1,210

$90.7 ৳11.2K

227.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.4K

$2,591 ৳319.1K

319.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$17.06 ৳2,100

245.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.71 MYR 146

$21.38 ৳2,632

67.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 MYR 334

$51.4 ৳6,333

59.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 MYR 290

$36.78 ৳4,529

93.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 MYR 1,672

$133 ৳16.4K

208.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MYR 1,281

$65.1 ৳8,014

382.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 MYR 3,149

$377 ৳46.5K

104.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 MYR 2,130

$192 ৳23.7K

171.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,375

$1,621 ৳199.7K

26.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,101 MYR 4,492

$760 ৳93.6K

44.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

10.48

-61.45%

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

Last update for Butterworth: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Butterworth

$314 33.7%

Dhaka

$65 16% 79.3% $249

Groceries & Markets

Butterworth

$257 27.6%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 51.8% $133

Eating Out

Butterworth

$113 12.1%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 47.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Butterworth

$111 12%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 48.8% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butterworth

$73 7.8%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 29.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Butterworth

$47 5%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 53.2% $25

Getting Around

Butterworth

$17 1.8%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 60.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $410 in Butterworth versus $133 in Dhaka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Butterworth versus $12.00 in Dhaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $124 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

2 h behind Butterworth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,132

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 = 8.12 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.22 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.22 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

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Between locations

Butterworth Dhaka 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Butterworth
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

Butterworth vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $932 in Butterworth, $406 in Dhaka – roughly 130% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,398 per month in Butterworth and $609 in Dhaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhaka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $932 in Butterworth and $406 in Dhaka. That's a gap of about 130%.

Public transport costs about 102% less in Dhaka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $932 in Butterworth and $406 in Dhaka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Dhaka – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dhaka. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Butterworth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.