Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $849 in Bintulu, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
Learn more

Bintulu Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Bintulu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $849 in Bintulu.

Dhaka $426
Bintulu $849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,312 in Bintulu.

Dhaka $735
Bintulu $1,312

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $1,775 in Bintulu.

Dhaka $1,043
Bintulu $1,775

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 50% less than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Bintulu 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$3.95 MYR 16.13

-36.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$18.43 MYR 75.3

-29.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$5.79 MYR 23.63

-16.58%

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

$2.99 MYR 12.20

-21.74%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$0.63 MYR 2.59

-52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.38 MYR 1.54

-57.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 MYR 12.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 MYR 21.12

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$2.15 MYR 8.77

-62.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.37 MYR 5.59

-52.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$1.32 MYR 5.41

-46.21%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$2.16 MYR 8.83

-43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$16.81 MYR 68.6

-48.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$3.48 MYR 14.19

-7.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$5.90 MYR 24.11

13.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$1.76 MYR 7.19

55.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.02 MYR 4.18

-13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$1.76 MYR 7.17

34.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$1.13 MYR 4.60

-42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$0.51 MYR 2.08

-52.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.19 MYR 4.85

-58.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$0.69 MYR 2.84

-53.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.42 MYR 1.71

-28.57%

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

$4.18 MYR 17.08

-22.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.74 MYR 80.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MYR 8.17

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$1.20 MYR 4.91

-65.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$16.62 MYR 67.9

35.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.02 MYR 4.18

16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$0.83 MYR 3.39

-51.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$2.50 MYR 10.21

34.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$0.63 MYR 2.57

82.54%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$44.5K MYR 181.7K

-31.92%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$38.5K MYR 157.0K

-14.12%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$59.2 MYR 242

-21.78%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$31.51 MYR 129

-86.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$29.98 MYR 122

-64.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$66.4 MYR 271

-75.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$12.43 MYR 50.8

29.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$4.33 MYR 17.67

-4.62%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$124 MYR 508

-27.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$7,230 MYR 29.5K

-63.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$64.2 MYR 262

-74.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$36.02 MYR 147

-41.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$80.5 MYR 329

-37.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$90.8 MYR 371

-59.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$220 MYR 898

-31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$157 MYR 642

-53.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$485 MYR 1,979

-10.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$333 MYR 1,361

-35.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$1,730 MYR 7,062

-6.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$1,137 MYR 4,644

-33.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$598 MYR 2,441

-58.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.5

132.89%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Bintulu

$232 27.4% 89.7% $110

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Bintulu

$157 18.5% 114% $84

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Bintulu

$114 13.5% 77.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Bintulu

$121 14.2% 97% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Bintulu

$122 14.4% 119% $66

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Bintulu

$27 3.1% 2.9% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Bintulu

$75 8.9% 205% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $220 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bintulu pays 140% 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 $18.00 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $232 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

13:29 1:29 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

240,172

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Bintulu 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka wins on cost – living expenses run 99% lower than in Bintulu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dhaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 140% lower in Bintulu. 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 $220 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Dhaka versus $849 in Bintulu – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 36% less than in Bintulu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Bintulu 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 99% less than in Bintulu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.