Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $518 in Calamba, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Calamba versus $406 in Dhaka.

Calamba $518
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $764 in Calamba versus $687 in Dhaka.

Calamba $764
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,010 in Calamba versus $969 in Dhaka.

Calamba $1,010
Dhaka $969

Living in Calamba is roughly 28% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calamba 62% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱247

$2.28 ৳282

71.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.02 ₱757

$12.33 ৳1,523

-2.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱178

$3.95 ৳488

-28.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱113

$2.28 ৳281

-21.49%

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

$0.56 ₱35.44

$0.33 ৳40.88

69.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.06

$0.16 ৳19.86

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$0.85 ৳104

88.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$0.60 ৳74.5

85.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$0.69 ৳85.4

40.58%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱126

$1.23 ৳152

62.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₱327

$8.80 ৳1,087

-40.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₱214

$3.33 ৳412

2.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ₱491

$6.63 ৳819

17.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱145

$2.85 ৳352

-18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$0.90 ৳111

71.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱151

$2.34 ৳289

2.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$0.63 ৳78.4

68.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$0.24 ৳29.59

620.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$0.46 ৳57.3

286.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.68

$0.35 ৳42.79

74.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$0.28 ৳34.24

75.00%

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)

$2.92 ₱184

$3.28 ৳405

-10.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 ₱558

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₱132

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$1.19 ৳147

-31.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.75

$0.39 ৳48.71

-35.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$3.28 ৳406

-42.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$1.10 ৳136

-15.45%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-28.20%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-40.89%

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

$139 ₱8,759

$38.28 ৳4,729

263.43%

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

$17.36 ₱1,093

$4.09 ৳506

324.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$9.02 ৳1,114

164.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 ₱317

$4.11 ৳508

22.63%

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

$130 ₱8,193

$90.7 ৳11.2K

43.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱668.9K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

310.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.54 ₱1,797

$17.06 ৳2,108

67.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.73 ₱1,242

$21.38 ৳2,641

-7.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,468

$51.4 ৳6,355

37.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,482

$36.78 ৳4,545

50.35%

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)

$260 ₱16.4K

$246 ৳30.4K

5.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.48

-35.59%

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

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calamba

$180 34.8%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 71.5% $129

Groceries & Markets

Calamba

$175 33.7%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 29.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Calamba

$79 15.2%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 27.4% $22

Eating Out

Calamba

$73 14%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 18.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Calamba

$10 * 1.9%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 117% $12

Getting Around

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 1212% $25

Accommodation & Living

Calamba

- * 0%

Dhaka

$65 16%

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

Cost Breakdown

Calamba pays 6% 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: $12.00 in Calamba vs $12.00 in Dhaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $175 vs $124, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calamba

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

00:05 12:05 AM

2 h behind Calamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

539,671

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 = 70.79 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

Calamba Dhaka 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Calamba
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

Calamba vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Calamba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dhaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Calamba, 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 41% higher in Calamba. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Calamba versus $406 in Dhaka – a 28% 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, Calamba 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 28% less than in Calamba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.