Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Ampang Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,009 in Ampang Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Ampang Jaya
Learn more

Ampang Jaya Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Ampang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Ampang Jaya

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

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $1,009 in Ampang Jaya, rent included.

Dhaka $406
Ampang Jaya $1,009

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $1,506 in Ampang Jaya, rent included.

Dhaka $687
Ampang Jaya $1,506

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $2,003 in Ampang Jaya, rent included.

Dhaka $969
Ampang Jaya $2,003

Dhaka is about 60% cheaper than Ampang Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhaka and Ampang Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Ampang Jaya 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$3.69 MYR 15.07

-38.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$24.43 MYR 99.6

-49.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$4.95 MYR 20.19

-20.20%

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

$3.06 MYR 12.48

-25.49%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.93 MYR 3.79

-64.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.55 MYR 2.26

-70.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 MYR 26.19

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-51.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.50 MYR 6.10

-54.00%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-30.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$9.99 MYR 40.76

-11.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$3.47 MYR 14.16

-4.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$9.91 MYR 40.42

-33.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$3.37 MYR 13.73

-15.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.69 MYR 6.91

-46.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$3.21 MYR 13.09

-27.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.62 MYR 6.62

-61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.43 MYR 5.83

-83.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.72 MYR 7.02

-73.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.38 MYR 5.61

-74.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.52 MYR 2.13

-46.15%

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

$4.54 MYR 18.51

-27.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 MYR 80.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.61

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MYR 18.70

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$1.01 MYR 4.10

-58.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$19.59 MYR 79.9

14.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.25 MYR 5.08

-4.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.35 MYR 1.44

11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$6.21 MYR 25.33

-47.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.87 MYR 3.55

26.44%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$42.5K MYR 173.4K

-30.75%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

-6.92%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$48.90 MYR 199

-21.72%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$11.23 MYR 45.79

-63.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$28.37 MYR 116

-68.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$36.16 MYR 148

-62.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$7.54 MYR 30.76

35.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$5.04 MYR 20.54

-18.45%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$193 MYR 786

-52.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$4,453 MYR 18.2K

-41.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$53.2 MYR 217

-67.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$30.19 MYR 123

-29.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$81.6 MYR 333

-36.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$86.6 MYR 353

-57.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$436 MYR 1,780

-69.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$364 MYR 1,484

-82.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$1,491 MYR 6,083

-74.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$590 MYR 2,407

-67.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$836 MYR 3,412

-70.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.51

132.37%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ampang Jaya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Ampang Jaya

$249 24.7% 101% $125

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Ampang Jaya

$364 36.1% 459% $299

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Ampang Jaya

$122 12.1% 105% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Ampang Jaya

$113 11.2% 98.6% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Ampang Jaya

$88 8.8% 72.2% $37

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Ampang Jaya

$27 2.6% 2.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Ampang Jaya

$46 4.6% 111% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $436 in Ampang Jaya. 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 240% higher in Ampang Jaya, 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 $24.00 in Ampang Jaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $249 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Ampang Jaya

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

19:30 7:30 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

531,904

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Ampang Jaya 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Ampang Jaya

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 Ampang Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $406 in Dhaka, $1,009 in Ampang Jaya – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $609 per month in Dhaka and $1,513 in Ampang Jaya. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $406 in Dhaka and $1,009 in Ampang Jaya. That's a gap of about 149%.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Dhaka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dhaka, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Ampang Jaya at $1,009. In Dhaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ampang Jaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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