Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Albany

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $2,486 in Albany, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Albany
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Albany Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Albany

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,486

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Albany

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $2,486 in Albany.

Dhaka $406
Albany $2,486

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $3,609 in Albany.

Dhaka $687
Albany $3,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $4,732 in Albany.

Dhaka $969
Albany $4,732

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 84% less than in Albany, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dhaka is 70% below, Albany is 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$19.51 A$28.07

-88.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$84.9 A$122

-85.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$10.11 A$14.54

-60.93%

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

$4.33 A$6.22

-47.34%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$2.49 A$3.58

-86.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$2.03 A$2.92

-92.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.50 A$12.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.55 A$10.87

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.55 A$2.23

-45.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$2.69 A$3.88

-77.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$2.14 A$3.08

-67.76%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$5.19 A$7.47

-76.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$10.46 A$15.05

-15.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$9.32 A$13.41

-64.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$12.64 A$18.18

-47.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$4.07 A$5.85

-29.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$3.13 A$4.51

-71.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$3.75 A$5.39

-37.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$4.53 A$6.52

-86.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$2.71 A$3.90

-91.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$2.35 A$3.38

-80.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$2.12 A$3.05

-83.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$1.38 A$1.99

-79.71%

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)

$3.28 ৳405

$42.14 A$60.6

-92.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.68 A$21.13

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 A$6.40

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 A$8.53

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$2.95 A$4.25

-85.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$79.8 A$115

-71.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$2.98 A$4.29

-60.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$1.56 A$2.24

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$35.56 A$51.2

-90.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.19 A$1.71

-7.56%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$25.6K A$36.9K

14.91%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$33.5K A$48.1K

-3.86%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$202 A$290

-81.00%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$27.79 A$39.99

-85.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$48.77 A$70.2

-81.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$53.4 A$76.9

-74.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$17.39 A$25.03

-41.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$14.90 A$21.43

-72.42%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$2,234 A$3,215

-95.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$20.4K A$29.3K

-87.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$77.9 A$112

-78.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$50.4 A$72.5

-57.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$116 A$167

-55.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$112 A$161

-67.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$1,194 A$1,718

-88.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$1,182 A$1,701

-94.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$2,181 A$3,139

-82.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$1,789 A$2,574

-89.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$5,564 A$8,006

-70.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$4,761 A$6,851

-84.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$2,598 A$3,738

-90.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

5.84

79.45%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Albany: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Albany

$366 14.7% 196% $242

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Albany

$1.2K 47.6% 1716% $1.1K

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Albany

$314 12.6% 429% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Albany

$160 6.4% 181% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Albany

$278 11.2% 441% $227

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Albany

$102 4.1% 275% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Albany

$83 3.4% 280% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $1,194 in Albany. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albany pays 956% 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: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $85.0 in Albany for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $366 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇦🇺 Albany

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

23:05 11:05 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

31,128

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Albany 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Albany

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 Albany: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka wins on cost – living expenses run 513% lower than in Albany. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dhaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 956% lower in Albany. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Dhaka versus $1,194 in Albany. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $2,486 in Albany – a 513% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 256% less than in Albany. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $2,486 in Albany, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Albany. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Dhaka and Albany 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 513% less than in Albany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.