Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Batam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $596 in Batam, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Batam
Learn more

Batam Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Batam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $596 in Batam.

Dhaka $426
Batam $596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,010 in Batam.

Dhaka $735
Batam $1,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $1,424 in Batam.

Dhaka $1,043
Batam $1,424

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 29% less than in Batam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Batam 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

26.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$8.33 Rp 148.9K

56.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$4.01 Rp 71.7K

20.45%

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

$2.12 Rp 37.9K

10.38%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$0.65 Rp 11.6K

-53.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.31 Rp 5,612

-48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 Rp 45.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Rp 65.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.15 Rp 20.5K

-30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.11 Rp 19.8K

-41.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

-12.35%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$1.24 Rp 22.1K

-2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$7.40 Rp 132.3K

17.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$2.40 Rp 43.0K

33.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$4.35 Rp 77.7K

54.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$2.25 Rp 40.3K

21.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

-55.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$2.02 Rp 36.2K

17.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

-35.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$0.97 Rp 17.4K

-75.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.93 Rp 34.4K

-74.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$1.32 Rp 23.6K

-75.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.44 Rp 7,945

-31.82%

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 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 ৳396

$2.74 Rp 48.9K

17.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 Rp 248.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 Rp 30.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 Rp 43.6K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.37 Rp 6,661

13.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.15 Rp 20.5K

3.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$0.63 Rp 11.3K

-36.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$3.55 Rp 63.4K

-5.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$0.82 Rp 14.6K

40.24%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$28.3K Rp 506.4M

6.93%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$24.4K Rp 435.8M

35.49%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$68.6 Rp 1.2M

-32.50%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$4.08 Rp 72.9K

6.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$23.00 Rp 411.2K

-53.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$26.70 Rp 477.3K

-38.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$5.69 Rp 101.7K

183.66%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$2.62 Rp 46.9K

57.63%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$82.4 Rp 1.5M

10.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$3,273 Rp 58.5M

-19.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$31.39 Rp 561.2K

-47.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$18.43 Rp 329.5K

13.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$65.2 Rp 1.2M

-22.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$24.41 Rp 436.3K

49.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$270 Rp 4.8M

-43.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$148 Rp 2.7M

-50.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$818 Rp 14.6M

-46.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$496 Rp 8.9M

-56.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$559 Rp 10.0M

190.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$343 Rp 6.1M

-27.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

13.17

-20.43%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Batam: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Batam

$173 29.1% 41% $50

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Batam

$148 25% 102% $75

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Batam

$77 13% 20% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Batam

$96 16.1% 56.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Batam

$63 10.6% 12.3% $6.9

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Batam

$5.8 * 1% 78.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Batam

$32 5.4% 29.7% $7.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $270 in Batam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Batam pays 38% 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 $8.00 in Batam. Groceries flip the comparison at $123 vs $173, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇮🇩 Batam

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,196,396

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Batam 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Batam

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 Batam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Batam. 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 $270 in Batam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Batam. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Dhaka versus $596 in Batam – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dhaka gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Batam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.