Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cox's Bazar and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Cox’s Bazar: $348 a month against $422 in Dhaka, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cox's Bazar
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$348
/mo nomad
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$422
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $348 in Cox’s Bazar versus $422 in Dhaka.

  • Cox's Bazar $348
  • Dhaka $422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $558 in Cox’s Bazar versus $728 in Dhaka.

  • Cox's Bazar $558
  • Dhaka $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $769 in Cox’s Bazar versus $1,033 in Dhaka.

  • Cox's Bazar $769
  • Dhaka $1,033

Living in Cox’s Bazar costs roughly 18% less than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cox’s Bazar 74% lower, Dhaka 69% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.56 ৳195
$2.40 ৳298
-35.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.21 ৳1,518
$12.93 ৳1,609
-5.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.95 ৳367
$4.78 ৳595
-38.28%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ৳322
$4.92 ৳612
-47.36%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 ৳310
$3.96 ৳492
-37.12%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ৳239
$2.38 ৳296
-19.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ৳44.74
$0.30 ৳37.22
20.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.10 ৳12.95
$0.17 ৳21.38
-41.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 ৳99.6
$0.79 ৳97.8
1.27%
White Bread (500g)
$0.50 ৳62.4
$0.63 ৳78.6
-20.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.66 ৳82.2
$0.72 ৳89.4
-8.33%
Eggs
$1.04 ৳130
$1.18 ৳147
-11.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.20 ৳896
$8.73 ৳1,086
-17.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.07 ৳257
$3.30 ৳410
-37.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.29 ৳907
$6.64 ৳827
9.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ৳292
$2.80 ৳348
-16.07%
Banana (1kg)
$0.88 ৳109
$0.86 ৳107
2.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ৳200
$2.32 ৳288
-31.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.52 ৳64.4
$0.61 ৳76.0
-14.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.46 ৳57.5
$0.23 ৳28.39
100.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 ৳71.6
$0.48 ৳60.1
20.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 ৳58.7
$0.33 ৳41.37
42.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳36.87
$0.30 ৳37.69
-
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$7.68 ৳956
$12.23 ৳1,521
-37.20%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ৳317
$5.23 ৳651
-51.24%
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.56 ৳567
$6.51 ৳810
-29.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.91 ৳237
$3.29 ৳409
-41.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.41 ৳51.4
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$21.27 ৳2,646
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.29 ৳36.46
$1.18 ৳147
-75.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ৳43.36
$0.38 ৳47.33
-7.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.16 ৳518
$3.27 ৳407
27.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ৳142
$1.16 ৳144
-1.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.7K ৳3.9M
$29.9K ৳3.7M
5.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.0K ৳4.2M
$32.5K ৳4.0M
4.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$12.20 ৳1,518
$46.86 ৳5,830
-73.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.63 ৳328
$4.31 ৳537
-38.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.12 ৳1,383
$11.09 ৳1,380
0.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.05 ৳1,997
$17.52 ৳2,179
-8.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.07 ৳506
$17.67 ৳2,198
-76.97%
Cinema Ticket
$2.36 ৳294
$4.31 ৳536
-45.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$24.65 ৳3,067
$139 ৳17.3K
-82.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,454 ৳180.9K
$2,570 ৳319.7K
-43.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.55 ৳2,805
$16.32 ৳2,031
38.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.21 ৳2,265
$19.36 ৳2,409
-5.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$32.91 ৳4,094
$45.97 ৳5,719
-28.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$34.87 ৳4,338
$36.74 ৳4,570
-5.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$164 ৳20.4K
$145 ৳18.0K
13.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$96.1 ৳11.9K
$68.1 ৳8,474
41.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$300 ৳37.3K
$461 ৳57.3K
-34.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$164 ৳20.4K
$232 ৳28.9K
-29.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$348 ৳43.2K
$1,575 ৳196.0K
-77.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$261 ৳32.5K
$789 ৳98.2K
-66.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$286 ৳35.5K
$245 ৳30.4K
16.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
10.67
7.78%

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

Last update for Cox's Bazar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Cox's Bazar
$108
Dhaka
$122 13.8% $15
Accommodation & Living
Cox's Bazar
$96
Dhaka
$68 29.1% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Cox's Bazar
$49
Dhaka
$53 9.1% $4.4
Eating Out
Cox's Bazar
$46
Dhaka
$64 38.3% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cox's Bazar
$26
Dhaka
$62 140% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Cox's Bazar
$21
Dhaka
$26 25.8% $5.4
Getting Around
Cox's Bazar
$2 *
Dhaka
$26 1175% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $164 in Cox’s Bazar and $145 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cox’s Bazar pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12 in Cox’s Bazar vs $13 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $122 per month, with Cox’s Bazar cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Cox's Bazar
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🕒 Local time
10:59 10:59 AM
10:59 10:59 AM
Same time as Cox's Bazar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
223,522
21,741,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.04 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cox's Bazar Dhaka 300 km
From you
  • Cox's Bazar
  • 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
Cox's Bazar vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cox’s Bazar and in Dhaka?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $348 in Cox’s Bazar and $422 in Dhaka, so Cox’s Bazar is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Cox’s Bazar or Dhaka?
Average pay runs 17% higher in Cox’s Bazar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Cox’s Bazar and in Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $164 in Cox’s Bazar versus $145 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Dhaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Cox’s Bazar or Dhaka?
All in, you’ll spend $348 per month in Cox’s Bazar versus $422 in Dhaka – Cox’s Bazar is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $1,200 go in Cox’s Bazar compared to Dhaka?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Cox’s Bazar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Cox’s Bazar and Dhaka?
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.

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