Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $426 per month in Dhaka vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Dhaka $426
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $735 per month in Dhaka vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Dhaka $735
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,043 per month in Dhaka vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Dhaka $1,043
Budapest $3,489

Dhaka is about 74% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dhaka sits 68% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-82.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-78.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-51.51%

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

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-30.77%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$2.13 Ft 692

-85.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$1.87 Ft 608

-91.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.13 Ft 368

-29.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.84 Ft 599

-64.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$2.39 Ft 777

-70.29%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-68.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-23.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-52.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-54.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$1.84 Ft 597

48.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$2.01 Ft 653

-56.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$2.36 Ft 767

0.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-82.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$0.96 Ft 313

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.03 Ft 334

-52.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$1.56 Ft 509

-79.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.66 Ft 216

-54.55%

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

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-59.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$1.50 Ft 489

-72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-18.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-63.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$1.30 Ft 424

-69.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-83.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$1.81 Ft 591

-36.46%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

3.29%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-3.15%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$170 Ft 55.3K

-72.74%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-81.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-54.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-75.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-15.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-56.62%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$537 Ft 174.6K

-83.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-84.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$101 Ft 33.0K

-83.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-51.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$113 Ft 36.7K

-55.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$119 Ft 38.6K

-69.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-81.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$629 Ft 204.7K

-88.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-71.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-81.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-71.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-80.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-84.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

6.43

62.99%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 110% $135

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 755% $556

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 249% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 255% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 203% $113

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 58.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 246% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $152 in Dhaka versus $805 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 553% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Dhaka versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $123 vs $258 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

04:47 4:47 AM

4 h behind Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Budapest 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 280%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $639 per month in Dhaka and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhaka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Dhaka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $90.7 per month in Dhaka and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dhaka, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Dhaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dhaka – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dhaka. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.