Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $881 in Alor Setar, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
Learn more

Alor Setar Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Alor Setar

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

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $881 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Dhaka $406
Alor Setar $881

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $1,277 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Dhaka $687
Alor Setar $1,277

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $1,672 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Dhaka $969
Alor Setar $1,672

Dhaka is about 54% cheaper than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhaka and Alor Setar are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Alor Setar 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$2.08 MYR 8.48

9.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$12.30 MYR 50.2

0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$4.28 MYR 17.44

-7.71%

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

$1.82 MYR 7.40

25.27%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.56 MYR 2.30

-41.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.30 MYR 1.24

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 MYR 17.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.68

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.60 MYR 6.51

-46.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$0.85 MYR 3.49

-29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.68 MYR 6.85

-58.93%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.51 MYR 6.17

-18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$13.63 MYR 55.6

-35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.35 MYR 17.76

-23.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$8.75 MYR 35.68

-24.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.94 MYR 11.98

-3.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.24 MYR 5.04

-27.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.72 MYR 11.10

-13.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.45 MYR 5.91

-56.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.06 MYR 4.33

-77.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.13 MYR 4.62

-59.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.10 MYR 4.48

-68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.54 MYR 2.18

-48.15%

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

$4.50 MYR 18.37

-27.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 MYR 77.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 MYR 21.88

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-46.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$10.78 MYR 43.98

108.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.67 MYR 6.80

-28.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.40 MYR 1.65

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$7.37 MYR 30.08

-55.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.51 MYR 2.09

115.69%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$41.8K MYR 170.3K

-29.52%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$35.9K MYR 146.6K

-10.51%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$37.61 MYR 153

1.78%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$7.49 MYR 30.57

-45.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$21.82 MYR 89.0

-58.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$39.96 MYR 163

-65.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$7.19 MYR 29.33

42.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$4.95 MYR 20.19

-16.97%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$427 MYR 1,741

-78.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$10.7K MYR 43.7K

-75.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$60.3 MYR 246

-71.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$34.46 MYR 141

-37.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$82.4 MYR 336

-37.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$68.8 MYR 281

-46.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$371 MYR 1,513

-64.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$305 MYR 1,246

-78.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$662 MYR 2,700

-42.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$449 MYR 1,831

-57.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,986 MYR 8,103

-18.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$970 MYR 3,958

-21.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$1,642 MYR 6,697

-85.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.04

159.41%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Alor Setar

$246 27.9% 98.7% $122

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Alor Setar

$305 34.7% 369% $240

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Alor Setar

$85 9.6% 42.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Alor Setar

$111 12.6% 94.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Alor Setar

$67 7.6% 30.2% $16

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Alor Setar

$18 2% 35.4% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Alor Setar

$50 5.7% 128% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $371 in Alor Setar. 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 567% higher in Alor Setar, 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 $12.00 in Dhaka versus $12.00 in Alor Setar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $246 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

423,868

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Alor Setar 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Alor Setar

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 Alor Setar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alor Setar costs about 117% more than Dhaka, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $609 per month in Dhaka and $1,321 in Alor Setar. 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.

Kindergarten costs $90.7 per month in Dhaka and $427 in Alor Setar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 99% more in Alor Setar, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $406 in Dhaka and $881 in Alor Setar, 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, Alor Setar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.