Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cox's Bazar and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cox’s Bazar: $348 a month against $502 in Mardan, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Cox's Bazar
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Cox's Bazar Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
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Mardan Living Index

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Cox's Bazar

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$348

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cox's Bazar and in Mardan

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 Mardan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $348 in Cox’s Bazar versus $502 in Mardan.

Cox's Bazar $348
Mardan $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $558 in Cox’s Bazar versus $788 in Mardan.

Cox's Bazar $558
Mardan $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $769 in Cox’s Bazar versus $1,074 in Mardan.

Cox's Bazar $769
Mardan $1,074

Living in Cox’s Bazar costs roughly 31% less than in Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cox’s Bazar 74% lower, Mardan 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.56 ৳194

$3.53 PKR 978

-55.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.21 ৳1,514

$23.47 PKR 6,495

-47.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 ৳366

$5.44 PKR 1,504

-45.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ৳321

$3.66 PKR 1,014

-29.23%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ৳309

$6.77 PKR 1,872

-63.22%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ৳238

$2.55 PKR 705

-24.71%

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

$0.36 ৳44.61

$0.34 PKR 94.7

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ৳12.91

$0.23 PKR 63.9

-56.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳99.3

$0.90 PKR 250

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ৳62.2

$0.78 PKR 216

-35.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ৳81.9

$1.29 PKR 358

-48.84%

Eggs

$1.04 ৳129

$1.22 PKR 337

-14.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 ৳893

$2.93 PKR 811

145.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.07 ৳256

$3.17 PKR 878

-34.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 ৳904

$3.72 PKR 1,029

95.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ৳291

$0.87 PKR 240

170.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳109

$0.73 PKR 203

20.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ৳199

$1.03 PKR 286

55.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ৳64.2

$0.35 PKR 96.6

48.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$0.27 PKR 74.2

70.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ৳71.4

$0.38 PKR 106

52.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ৳58.6

$0.28 PKR 77.2

67.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳36.76

$0.35 PKR 96.0

-14.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.68 ৳953

$1.79 PKR 496

329.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ৳317

$1.20 PKR 333

112.50%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ৳565

$2.32 PKR 642

96.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 ৳237

$1.84 PKR 508

3.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 54.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.72 PKR 2,966

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 ৳36.35

$1.27 PKR 352

-77.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ৳43.24

$0.69 PKR 190

-49.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 ৳516

$1.60 PKR 442

160.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ৳142

$1.05 PKR 292

8.57%

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

$31.7K ৳3.9M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

45.42%

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

$34.0K ৳4.2M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

44.10%

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

$12.20 ৳1,513

$104 PKR 28.7K

-88.22%

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

$2.63 ৳327

$6.02 PKR 1,666

-56.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.12 ৳1,379

$16.99 PKR 4,702

-34.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.05 ৳1,991

$12.89 PKR 3,566

24.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.07 ৳504

$8.04 PKR 2,223

-49.38%

Cinema Ticket

$2.36 ৳293

$4.89 PKR 1,353

-51.74%

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

$24.65 ৳3,058

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

-41.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,454 ৳180.3K

$1,058 PKR 292.8K

37.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 ৳2,797

$25.98 PKR 7,189

-13.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.21 ৳2,258

$34.63 PKR 9,583

-47.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.91 ৳4,082

$96.3 PKR 26.7K

-65.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.87 ৳4,325

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

-13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 ৳20.4K

$134 PKR 37.1K

22.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.1 ৳11.9K

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

11.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ৳37.2K

$264 PKR 73.1K

13.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ৳20.3K

$182 PKR 50.3K

-9.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$348 ৳43.1K

$865 PKR 239.3K

-59.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$261 ৳32.4K

$578 PKR 159.9K

-54.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$286 ৳35.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

13.08

-12.08%

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 Mardan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cox's Bazar

$108 31%

Mardan

$84 16.8% 21.8% $23

Accommodation & Living

Cox's Bazar

$96 27.6%

Mardan

$86 17.1% 10.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Cox's Bazar

$49 14.1%

Mardan

$89 17.7% 81.6% $40

Eating Out

Cox's Bazar

$46 13.3%

Mardan

$77 15.4% 67.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cox's Bazar

$26 7.5%

Mardan

$127 25.2% 388% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Cox's Bazar

$21 6%

Mardan

$23 4.5% 9.1% $1.9

Getting Around

Cox's Bazar

$2 * 0.6%

Mardan

$16 3.2% 695% $14

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 $134 in Mardan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Cox’s Bazar vs $23 in Mardan. Groceries flip the comparison at $108 vs $84, with Mardan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Cox's Bazar

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

05:13 5:13 AM

1 h behind Cox's Bazar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,522

358,604

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cox's Bazar Mardan 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cox's Bazar
Mardan

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 Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $348 in Cox’s Bazar and $502 in Mardan, so Cox’s Bazar is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $521 in Cox’s Bazar and $753 in Mardan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $164 in Cox’s Bazar versus $134 in Mardan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Mardan pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $348 per month in Cox’s Bazar versus $502 in Mardan – Cox’s Bazar is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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.