Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Balga

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $2,511 in Balga, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Balga
Learn more

Balga Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Balga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $2,511 in Balga.

Dhaka $406
Balga $2,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $3,781 in Balga.

Dhaka $687
Balga $3,781

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $5,052 in Balga.

Dhaka $969
Balga $5,052

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Dhaka is 70% below, Balga is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$19.89 A$28.62

-88.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$84.9 A$122

-85.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$10.54 A$15.16

-62.52%

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

$4.47 A$6.43

-48.99%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$2.83 A$4.08

-88.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$2.21 A$3.18

-92.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 A$11.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.48 A$12.21

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.71 A$2.46

-50.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$3.14 A$4.52

-80.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.97 A$2.83

-64.97%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$5.30 A$7.62

-76.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$9.50 A$13.66

-7.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$9.43 A$13.57

-64.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$13.90 A$20.00

-52.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$4.60 A$6.61

-38.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$3.10 A$4.45

-70.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$3.42 A$4.92

-31.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$4.99 A$7.18

-87.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$2.82 A$4.05

-91.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.98 A$2.84

-76.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$2.25 A$3.23

-84.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$1.32 A$1.90

-78.79%

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

$41.48 A$59.7

-92.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$18.21

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.32 A$6.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 A$5.11

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$2.62 A$3.77

-83.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$73.4 A$106

-69.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$3.57 A$5.14

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$1.43 A$2.06

-72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$41.05 A$59.1

-92.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.39 A$2.00

-20.86%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$27.0K A$38.8K

9.13%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$29.2K A$42.0K

10.23%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$194 A$279

-80.26%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$32.84 A$47.26

-87.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$62.9 A$90.5

-85.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$63.7 A$91.7

-78.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$17.91 A$25.77

-42.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$17.18 A$24.72

-76.08%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$2,261 A$3,253

-95.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$22.8K A$32.9K

-88.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$76.6 A$110

-77.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$64.9 A$93.4

-67.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$121 A$174

-57.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$165 A$237

-77.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$1,321 A$1,901

-89.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$1,147 A$1,650

-94.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$2,150 A$3,094

-82.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$1,981 A$2,851

-90.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$5,585 A$8,037

-70.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$5,491 A$7,902

-86.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$3,320 A$4,778

-92.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

5.91

77.33%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Balga: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Balga

$366 14.6% 196% $243

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Balga

$1.1K 45.7% 1662% $1.1K

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Balga

$323 12.9% 444% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Balga

$192 7.7% 237% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Balga

$290 11.5% 464% $238

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Balga

$95 3.8% 247% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Balga

$98 3.9% 348% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $1,321 in Balga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balga pays 1249% 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 Balga 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

🇦🇺 Balga

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

01:42 1:42 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

12,685

💱 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 Balga 6,750 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Balga

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 Balga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka and Balga differ by about 519% in total monthly costs ($406 vs $2,511 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1249% lower in Balga. 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 $1,321 in Balga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $85.0 in Balga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $2,511 in Balga – a 519% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $2,511 in Balga, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Balga. 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 Balga 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 519% less than in Balga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.