Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $772 in Boracay, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
Learn more

Boracay Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Boracay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $772 in Boracay.

Dhaka $406
Boracay $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,313 in Boracay.

Dhaka $687
Boracay $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,854 in Boracay.

Dhaka $969
Boracay $1,854

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 47% less than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Boracay 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$5.73 ₱361

-60.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$19.15 ₱1,206

-35.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$5.94 ₱374

-33.50%

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

$2.37 ₱149

-3.80%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.70 ₱43.78

-52.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.23 ₱14.44

-30.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$2.95 ₱186

-71.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$0.98 ₱61.9

-38.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.89 ₱56.3

-22.47%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.93 ₱122

-36.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$5.13 ₱323

71.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.78 ₱301

-30.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$7.28 ₱459

-8.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.51 ₱158

13.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.59 ₱100

-43.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.21 ₱139

5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.08 ₱67.9

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$2.11 ₱133

-88.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$2.02 ₱127

-77.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.99 ₱62.5

-64.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.57 ₱35.84

-50.88%

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

$2.28 ₱144

43.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱489

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₱110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.24 ₱15.09

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$11.23 ₱707

99.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.66 ₱41.52

80.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.23 ₱14.18

69.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$1.94 ₱122

69.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.11 ₱69.7

-0.90%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$23.7K ₱1.5M

24.38%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$22.0K ₱1.4M

45.99%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$111 ₱6,979

-65.46%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$14.23 ₱896

-71.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$33.84 ₱2,131

-73.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$29.95 ₱1,886

-54.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$5.12 ₱323

99.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$5.26 ₱331

-21.86%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$136 ₱8,591

-33.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$8,041 ₱506.2K

-67.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$36.09 ₱2,272

-52.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$19.21 ₱1,209

11.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$75.8 ₱4,773

-32.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$59.1 ₱3,723

-37.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$268 ₱16.9K

-50.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$174 ₱10.9K

-62.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$523 ₱32.9K

-27.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$614 ₱38.6K

-68.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,441 ₱153.7K

-33.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$979 ₱61.7K

-22.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$229 ₱14.4K

7.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

6.79

54.34%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Boracay

$193 25% 56.3% $70

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Boracay

$174 22.5% 167% $109

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Boracay

$105 13.7% 77.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Boracay

$86 11.1% 50.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Boracay

$159 20.6% 209% $108

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Boracay

$14 1.8% 48.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Boracay

$40 5.3% 84.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $268 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $19.00 in Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $193 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

12,296

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Boracay 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka and Boracay differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($406 vs $772 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Dhaka, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Dhaka versus $268 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Boracay. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $19.00 in Boracay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Boracay 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 90% less than in Boracay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.