Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Dhaka $426
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Dhaka $735
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Dhaka $1,043
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 68% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dhaka is 68% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳306

$14.46 RON 68.9

-82.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,605

$57.7 RON 275

-77.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$7.50 RON 35.72

-35.60%

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

$3.43 RON 16.32

-31.78%

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

$0.30 ৳37.39

$2.46 RON 11.72

-87.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$2.33 RON 11.09

-93.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 18.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.56

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.65 RON 7.85

-51.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.35 RON 6.44

-51.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.3

$1.78 RON 8.48

-60.11%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$3.66 RON 17.46

-66.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$8.57 RON 40.84

1.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$6.80 RON 32.41

-52.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$11.72 RON 55.8

-42.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$1.29 RON 6.16

111.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳109

$1.56 RON 7.43

-43.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$1.54 RON 7.34

53.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.6

$2.48 RON 11.84

-73.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.20

$0.83 RON 3.95

-71.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.7

$0.80 RON 3.80

-38.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.88

$0.84 RON 4.01

-61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.31

$0.93 RON 4.42

-67.74%

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

$6.44 RON 30.68

-49.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 30.13

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.99

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.65

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.81 RON 3.88

-48.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,770

$21.13 RON 101

6.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.60 RON 2.88

98.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.60

$0.61 RON 2.93

-34.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$6.17 RON 29.41

-45.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$1.96 RON 9.34

-41.33%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$28.1K RON 134.2K

7.61%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$26.3K RON 125.3K

25.65%

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

$46.32 ৳5,692

$197 RON 938

-76.47%

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

$4.33 ৳532

$8.34 RON 39.74

-48.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$9.19 RON 43.80

15.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,012

$49.87 RON 238

-67.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,983

$24.99 RON 119

-35.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$8.46 RON 40.31

-51.18%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$639 RON 3,046

-85.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.5K

$14.4K RON 68.6K

-81.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,025

$90.6 RON 432

-81.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,580

$38.05 RON 181

-44.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,175

$79.7 RON 380

-36.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,480

$93.2 RON 444

-60.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$673 RON 3,209

-77.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,044

$449 RON 2,139

-83.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.6K

$1,098 RON 5,234

-60.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$729 RON 3,474

-70.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.3K

$3,740 RON 17.8K

-56.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-65.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$1,323 RON 6,306

-81.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

6.74

55.49%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 80.9% $99

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 510% $375

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 251% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Bucharest

$214 16% 250% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 143% $80

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 2.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 171% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 431% 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 $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $222 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

3 h behind Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Bucharest 6,180 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Bucharest

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 Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka and Bucharest differ by about 217% in total monthly costs ($426 vs $1,351 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 431% lower in Bucharest. 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 $673 in Bucharest. 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 $1,351 in Bucharest – a 217% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 7% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. 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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 217% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.