Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Bangkok

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,144 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
Learn more

Bangkok Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Bangkok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $1,144 in Bangkok.

Dhaka $426
Bangkok $1,144

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,806 in Bangkok.

Dhaka $735
Bangkok $1,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $2,467 in Bangkok.

Dhaka $1,043
Bangkok $2,467

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 63% less than in Bangkok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Bangkok 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳306

$2.95 ฿99.1

-15.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,605

$36.28 ฿1,220

-64.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$6.83 ฿229

-29.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.34 ৳287

$2.73 ฿91.7

-14.29%

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

$0.30 ৳37.39

$0.63 ฿21.33

-52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.36 ฿12.23

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ฿87.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ฿151

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.90 ฿64.0

-57.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.52 ฿51.0

-57.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.3

$1.43 ฿47.92

-50.35%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$2.49 ฿83.6

-51.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$17.59 ฿591

-50.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$3.64 ฿122

-11.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$13.19 ฿443

-49.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$4.01 ฿135

-31.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳109

$1.76 ฿59.1

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$2.78 ฿93.5

-14.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.6

$1.88 ฿63.1

-65.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.20

$1.74 ฿58.6

-86.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.7

$1.56 ฿52.3

-68.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.88

$1.29 ฿43.48

-75.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.31

$0.52 ฿17.43

-42.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳819

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 ৳396

$4.66 ฿157

-30.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 ฿507

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿62.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ฿111

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$1.10 ฿37.13

-61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,770

$35.25 ฿1,185

-36.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.06 ฿35.48

12.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.60

$1.21 ฿40.81

-66.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$6.01 ฿202

-44.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$1.36 ฿45.82

-15.44%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$31.0K ฿1.0M

-2.36%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$26.7K ฿896.2K

23.93%

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

$46.32 ৳5,692

$106 ฿3,580

-56.50%

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

$4.33 ৳532

$14.72 ฿495

-70.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$17.94 ฿603

-40.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,012

$57.8 ฿1,944

-71.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,983

$18.80 ฿632

-14.15%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$7.46 ฿251

-44.64%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$579 ฿19.5K

-84.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.5K

$16.3K ฿546.9K

-83.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,025

$69.7 ฿2,344

-76.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,580

$42.48 ฿1,428

-50.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,175

$97.8 ฿3,287

-48.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,480

$108 ฿3,621

-66.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$664 ฿22.3K

-77.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,044

$342 ฿11.5K

-78.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.6K

$1,977 ฿66.5K

-77.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$744 ฿25.0K

-71.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.3K

$5,940 ฿199.7K

-72.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$3,098 ฿104.2K

-75.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$626 ฿21.0K

-60.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

5.25

99.62%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bangkok: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Bangkok

$277 24.7% 126% $155

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Bangkok

$342 30.5% 365% $269

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Bangkok

$103 9.1% 59.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Bangkok

$139 12.4% 127% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Bangkok

$143 12.7% 156% $87

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Bangkok

$47 4.2% 70.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Bangkok

$73 6.5% 195% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $664 in Bangkok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangkok pays 151% 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: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $36.00 in Bangkok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $277 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

5,666,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Bangkok 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Bangkok

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 Bangkok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka and Bangkok differ by about 169% in total monthly costs ($426 vs $1,144 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 151% lower in Bangkok. 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: $152 in Dhaka versus $664 in Bangkok. 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 $13.00 versus $36.00 in Bangkok. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Dhaka versus $1,144 in Bangkok – a 169% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,144 in Bangkok, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Bangkok. 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 Bangkok 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 169% less than in Bangkok. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.