Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $932 in Butterworth, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
Learn more

Butterworth Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Butterworth

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

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $932 in Butterworth, rent included.

Dhaka $406
Butterworth $932

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $1,402 in Butterworth, rent included.

Dhaka $687
Butterworth $1,402

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $1,871 in Butterworth, rent included.

Dhaka $969
Butterworth $1,871

Dhaka is about 56% cheaper than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhaka and Butterworth are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Butterworth 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$3.77 MYR 15.38

-39.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$19.66 MYR 80.2

-37.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$4.70 MYR 19.19

-15.96%

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

$2.90 MYR 11.82

-21.38%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.76 MYR 3.11

-56.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.39 MYR 1.59

-58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.19 MYR 17.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 MYR 17.56

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-59.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.04 MYR 4.26

-42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.70 MYR 6.94

-59.41%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.17 MYR 8.86

-43.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$13.81 MYR 56.4

-36.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.35 MYR 17.74

-23.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$8.79 MYR 35.87

-24.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.90 MYR 11.84

-1.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-46.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.33 MYR 9.52

0.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.41 MYR 5.75

-55.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.05 MYR 4.29

-77.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.13 MYR 4.61

-59.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.08 MYR 4.42

-67.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-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

$4.46 MYR 18.20

-26.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.33 MYR 78.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MYR 19.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.70 MYR 2.86

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$11.13 MYR 45.40

101.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.20 MYR 4.89

-0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.37 MYR 1.52

5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$4.87 MYR 19.88

-32.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.89 MYR 3.63

23.60%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$42.2K MYR 172.3K

-30.30%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$34.2K MYR 139.5K

-5.96%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$37.79 MYR 154

1.30%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$8.58 MYR 34.99

-52.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$26.51 MYR 108

-65.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$36.71 MYR 150

-62.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$6.90 MYR 28.15

47.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$5.03 MYR 20.50

-18.29%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$297 MYR 1,211

-69.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$10.9K MYR 44.4K

-76.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$58.9 MYR 240

-71.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$35.71 MYR 146

-40.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$81.9 MYR 334

-37.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$71.0 MYR 290

-48.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$410 MYR 1,672

-67.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$314 MYR 1,281

-79.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$772 MYR 3,149

-51.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$522 MYR 2,130

-63.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,053 MYR 8,376

-21.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,101 MYR 4,493

-31.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.04

159.41%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Butterworth

$257 27.6% 108% $133

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Butterworth

$314 33.7% 383% $249

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Butterworth

$113 12.1% 90.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Butterworth

$111 12% 95.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Butterworth

$73 7.8% 41.8% $21

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 37.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Butterworth

$47 5% 114% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $410 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Dhaka versus $20.00 in Butterworth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $257 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

09:08 9:08 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

339,132

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Butterworth 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $406 in Dhaka, $932 in Butterworth – roughly 130% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $609 per month in Dhaka and $1,398 in Butterworth. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $406 in Dhaka and $932 in Butterworth. That's a gap of about 130%.

Public transport costs about 102% less in Dhaka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $406 in Dhaka and $932 in Butterworth, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Butterworth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.