Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Alabang

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $740 in Alabang, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Alabang
Learn more

Alabang Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Alabang

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Alabang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dhaka and in Alabang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $740 in Alabang, rent included.

Dhaka $406
Alabang $740

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $1,123 in Alabang, rent included.

Dhaka $687
Alabang $1,123

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $1,506 in Alabang, rent included.

Dhaka $969
Alabang $1,506

Dhaka is about 45% cheaper than Alabang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhaka and Alabang are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Alabang 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$4.02 ₱253

-43.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$19.41 ₱1,222

-36.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$2.85 ₱179

38.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.28 ৳281

$2.41 ₱152

-5.39%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.74 ₱46.70

-55.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.31 ₱19.42

-48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱62.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₱123

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.63 ₱102

-47.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.16 ₱73.1

-48.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.90 ₱56.6

-23.33%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.76 ₱111

-30.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$5.21 ₱328

68.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$3.51 ₱221

-5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$6.90 ₱435

-3.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.22 ₱140

28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.38 ₱86.6

-34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.30 ₱145

1.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.03 ₱65.2

-38.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.68 ₱106

-85.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.71 ₱108

-73.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.67 ₱42.07

-47.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.50 ₱31.47

-44.00%

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)

$3.28 ৳405

$2.82 ₱177

16.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 ₱463

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.27 ₱17.25

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$12.43 ₱783

80.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.84 ₱52.9

41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.21 ₱13.18

85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$1.89 ₱119

73.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.20 ₱75.5

-8.33%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

36.45%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

71.46%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$143 ₱8,974

-73.14%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$14.41 ₱907

-71.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$23.56 ₱1,484

-61.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$34.52 ₱2,174

-60.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$4.53 ₱285

125.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$5.33 ₱336

-22.89%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$74.1 ₱4,664

22.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$2,528 ₱159.1K

2.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$28.82 ₱1,815

-40.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$19.68 ₱1,239

8.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$72.1 ₱4,536

-28.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$56.4 ₱3,548

-34.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$222 ₱14.0K

-40.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$170 ₱10.7K

-61.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$513 ₱32.3K

-26.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$356 ₱22.4K

-46.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,233 ₱140.6K

-27.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$903 ₱56.9K

-15.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

6.75

55.26%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alabang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Alabang

$166 22.5% 34.6% $43

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Alabang

$170 23% 161% $105

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Alabang

$83 11.2% 39.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Alabang

$80 10.8% 39.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Alabang

$181 24.4% 251% $129

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Alabang

$15 2.1% 43.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Alabang

$45 6.1% 106% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $222 in Alabang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Dhaka versus $19.00 in Alabang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $166 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 Alabang

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

02:18 2:18 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

71,075

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

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).

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).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Alabang 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Alabang

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

Dhaka vs Alabang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Alabang is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $609 per month in Dhaka and $1,109 in Alabang. 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 35% more in Alabang, 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 $12.00 in Dhaka and $19.00 in Alabang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $406 in Dhaka and $740 in Alabang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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