Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $880 in Cha-am, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
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Cha-am Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$880

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $880 in Cha-am versus $406 in Dhaka.

Cha-am $880
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Cha-am versus $687 in Dhaka.

Cha-am $1,412
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Cha-am versus $969 in Dhaka.

Cha-am $1,944
Dhaka $969

Living in Cha-am is roughly 117% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cha-am 35% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.29 ฿110

$2.28 ৳282

44.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.60 ฿755

$12.33 ৳1,523

83.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 ฿243

$3.95 ৳488

84.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.04 ฿68.1

$2.28 ৳281

-10.53%

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

$0.68 ฿22.66

$0.33 ৳40.88

106.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.50

$0.16 ৳19.86

112.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ฿100

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.5

$0.85 ৳104

109.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ฿49.76

$0.60 ৳74.5

148.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.43

$0.69 ৳85.4

92.75%

Eggs

$1.95 ฿65.0

$1.23 ৳152

58.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 ฿417

$8.80 ৳1,087

41.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 ฿85.0

$3.33 ৳412

-23.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$6.63 ৳819

53.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 ฿118

$2.85 ৳352

23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.86

$0.90 ৳111

35.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 ฿62.5

$2.34 ৳289

-20.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 ฿58.3

$0.63 ৳78.4

177.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ฿59.0

$0.24 ৳29.59

633.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.28

$0.46 ৳57.3

136.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ฿38.80

$0.35 ৳42.79

231.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.07

$0.28 ৳34.24

60.71%

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)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.28 ৳405

31.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.71 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ฿57.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ฿99.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ฿30.63

$0.42 ৳52.3

119.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.26 ฿744

$22.43 ৳2,772

-0.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ฿45.80

$1.19 ৳147

15.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.67

$0.39 ৳48.71

174.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ฿121

$3.28 ৳406

10.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ฿46.86

$1.10 ৳136

27.27%

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

$16.4K ฿546.9K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-44.39%

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

$27.1K ฿905.9K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-15.71%

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

$82.1 ฿2,744

$38.28 ৳4,729

114.45%

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

$11.41 ฿381

$4.09 ৳506

178.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.66 ฿791

$9.02 ৳1,114

162.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.81 ฿796

$13.66 ৳1,688

74.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 ฿194

$10.21 ৳1,261

-43.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ฿222

$4.11 ৳508

61.80%

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

$609 ฿20.4K

$90.7 ৳11.2K

571.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ฿368.4K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

325.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ฿1,675

$17.06 ৳2,108

193.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.35 ฿981

$21.38 ৳2,641

37.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ฿2,357

$51.4 ৳6,355

37.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ฿1,758

$36.78 ৳4,545

43.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ฿12.5K

$133 ৳16.4K

180.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ฿9,109

$65.1 ৳8,041

318.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ฿25.1K

$377 ৳46.6K

98.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 ฿21.5K

$192 ৳23.8K

234.10%

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)

$351 ฿11.7K

$246 ৳30.4K

42.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

10.48

-43.13%

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

Last update for Cha-am: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cha-am

$273 31%

Dhaka

$65 16% 76.1% $207

Groceries & Markets

Cha-am

$235 26.7%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 47.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cha-am

$117 13.3%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 56.1% $66

Eating Out

Cha-am

$94 10.7%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 37.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Cha-am

$91 10.4%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 37.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cha-am

$37 4.2%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 41% $15

Getting Around

Cha-am

$33 3.7%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 16.4% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $373 in Cha-am and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cha-am pays 43% 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: $23.00 in Cha-am vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

01:24 1:24 AM

1 h behind Cha-am

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,354

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cha-am Dhaka 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cha-am
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

Cha-am vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cha-am and Dhaka differ by about 117% in total monthly costs ($880 vs $406 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Cha-am, 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: $373 in Cha-am versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $880 per month in Cha-am versus $406 in Dhaka – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 1% less than in Cha-am. 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, Cha-am 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 117% less than in Cha-am. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.