Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheras and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,130 in Cheras, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
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Cheras Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,130

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Cheras vs $406 in Dhaka, rent included.

Cheras $1,130
Dhaka $406

A couple spends around $1,541 per month in Cheras vs $687 in Dhaka, rent included.

Cheras $1,541
Dhaka $687

A family of three spends $1,952 per month in Cheras vs $969 in Dhaka, rent included.

Cheras $1,952
Dhaka $969

Cheras costs about 178% more than Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cheras and Dhaka are more affordable than the global median – Cheras 16% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.62

$2.28 ৳282

57.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.28 MYR 99.1

$12.33 ৳1,523

96.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 MYR 19.57

$3.95 ৳488

21.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.55

$2.28 ৳281

35.09%

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

$0.93 MYR 3.79

$0.33 ৳40.88

181.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 MYR 2.44

$0.16 ৳19.86

275.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.25 MYR 25.50

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.88

$0.85 ৳104

127.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$0.60 ৳74.5

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$0.69 ৳85.4

108.70%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.23

$1.23 ৳152

43.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 MYR 72.8

$8.80 ৳1,087

102.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.60

$3.33 ৳412

36.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 MYR 44.09

$6.63 ৳819

63.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 MYR 14.50

$2.85 ৳352

24.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$0.90 ৳111

115.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.73

$2.34 ৳289

12.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$0.63 ৳78.4

165.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$0.24 ৳29.59

766.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.72

$0.46 ৳57.3

258.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$0.35 ৳42.79

294.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.28 ৳34.24

82.14%

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)

$4.24 MYR 17.30

$3.28 ৳405

29.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 MYR 56.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 MYR 11.30

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MYR 12.83

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$0.42 ৳52.3

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 49.08

$22.43 ৳2,772

-46.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 MYR 4.13

$1.19 ৳147

-15.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.39 ৳48.71

-10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.96 MYR 36.57

$3.28 ৳406

173.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$1.10 ৳136

-20.00%

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

$40.9K MYR 167.0K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

39.11%

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

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

5.72%

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

$49.67 MYR 203

$38.28 ৳4,729

29.75%

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

$11.06 MYR 45.10

$4.09 ৳506

170.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.31 MYR 111

$9.02 ৳1,114

202.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.42 MYR 161

$13.66 ৳1,688

188.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.14 MYR 29.13

$10.21 ৳1,261

-30.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 MYR 20.36

$4.11 ৳508

21.41%

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

$164 MYR 667

$90.7 ৳11.2K

80.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,451 MYR 18.2K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

71.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MYR 221

$17.06 ৳2,108

218.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.39 MYR 120

$21.38 ৳2,641

37.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 MYR 332

$51.4 ৳6,355

58.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.6 MYR 402

$36.78 ৳4,545

168.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 MYR 1,669

$133 ৳16.4K

207.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MYR 1,906

$65.1 ৳8,041

617.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 MYR 2,803

$377 ৳46.6K

82.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 MYR 1,977

$192 ৳23.8K

151.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,052 MYR 8,372

$1,621 ৳200.3K

26.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 MYR 4,501

$760 ৳93.9K

45.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,189 MYR 4,851

$246 ৳30.4K

383.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

10.48

-61.26%

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

Last update for Cheras: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheras

$467 41.4%

Dhaka

$65 16% 86.1% $402

Groceries & Markets

Cheras

$268 23.8%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 54% $145

Eating Out

Cheras

$120 10.7%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 50.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Cheras

$119 10.5%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 52% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheras

$88 7.8%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 41.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cheras

$49 4.4%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 55.7% $28

Getting Around

Cheras

$18 1.6%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 54.9% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $409 in Cheras 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.

Salaries run about 383% higher in Cheras, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cheras versus $12.00 in Dhaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $124 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Cheras

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

2 h behind Cheras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

440,000

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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Cheras Dhaka 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cheras
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

Cheras vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cheras is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Cheras 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.

Groceries cost about 117% more in Cheras, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Cheras and $12.00 in Dhaka. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dhaka, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Cheras at $1,130. In Dhaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cheras it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Cheras makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.