Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Cabanatuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $618 in Cabanatuan, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$406
/mo nomad
Cabanatuan
🇵🇭 Philippines
$618
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Cabanatuan

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

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $618 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

  • Dhaka $406
  • Cabanatuan $618

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $957 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

  • Dhaka $687
  • Cabanatuan $957

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $1,296 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

  • Dhaka $969
  • Cabanatuan $1,296

Dhaka is about 34% cheaper than Cabanatuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhaka and Cabanatuan are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Cabanatuan 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.28 ৳282
$4.09 ₱258
-44.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.33 ৳1,523
$17.04 ₱1,073
-27.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.95 ৳488
$2.76 ₱174
43.12%
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
$1.76 ₱111
29.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ৳40.88
$0.60 ₱38.01
-45.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16 ৳19.86
$0.31 ₱19.25
-48.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.01 ₱63.8
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.63 ₱103
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 ৳104
$1.60 ₱101
-46.88%
White Bread (500g)
$0.60 ৳74.5
$1.12 ₱70.3
-46.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.69 ৳85.4
$0.93 ₱58.7
-25.81%
Eggs
$1.23 ৳152
$2.03 ₱128
-39.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.80 ৳1,087
$5.21 ₱328
68.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.33 ৳412
$3.40 ₱214
-2.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.63 ৳819
$7.85 ₱494
-15.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ৳352
$2.31 ₱146
23.38%
Banana (1kg)
$0.90 ৳111
$1.11 ₱69.6
-18.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ৳289
$2.32 ₱146
0.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.63 ৳78.4
$0.78 ₱49.05
-19.23%
Potato (1kg)
$0.24 ৳29.59
$1.73 ₱109
-86.13%
Onion (1kg)
$0.46 ৳57.3
$1.73 ₱109
-73.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 ৳42.79
$0.63 ₱39.49
-44.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.28 ৳34.24
$0.49 ₱30.84
-42.86%
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
$3.00 ₱189
9.33%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$8.74 ₱551
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.97 ₱60.9
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.05 ₱129
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 ৳52.3
$0.27 ₱17.23
55.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.43 ৳2,772
$12.74 ₱802
76.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ৳147
$0.76 ₱47.88
56.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.39 ৳48.71
$0.25 ₱15.83
56.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.28 ৳406
$1.88 ₱118
74.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ৳136
$0.95 ₱59.8
15.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K ৳3.6M
$21.4K ₱1.3M
37.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K ৳4.0M
$19.3K ₱1.2M
66.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.28 ৳4,729
$53.5 ₱3,370
-28.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.09 ৳506
$17.42 ₱1,097
-76.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.02 ৳1,114
$21.66 ₱1,364
-58.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.66 ৳1,688
$11.25 ₱708
21.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.21 ৳1,261
$5.16 ₱325
97.87%
Cinema Ticket
$4.11 ৳508
$5.31 ₱334
-22.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$90.7 ৳11.2K
$131 ₱8,249
-30.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,591 ৳320.2K
$10.9K ₱688.0K
-76.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.06 ৳2,108
$23.58 ₱1,484
-27.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.38 ৳2,641
$19.50 ₱1,227
9.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$51.4 ৳6,355
$59.1 ₱3,723
-13.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.78 ৳4,545
$55.2 ₱3,474
-33.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$133 ৳16.4K
$248 ₱15.6K
-46.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$65.1 ৳8,041
$173 ₱10.9K
-62.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$377 ৳46.6K
$479 ₱30.1K
-21.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$192 ৳23.8K
$317 ₱20.0K
-39.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,621 ৳200.3K
$2,513 ₱158.2K
-35.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$760 ৳93.9K
$1,092 ₱68.7K
-30.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Cabanatuan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$246 ৳30.4K
$159 ₱10.0K
54.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.48
6.75
55.26%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cabanatuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$124
Cabanatuan
$170 37.6% $46
Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$65
Cabanatuan
$173 165% $108
Eating Out
Dhaka
$59
Cabanatuan
$74 24.8% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$57
Cabanatuan
$71 24.3% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$51
Cabanatuan
$93 80.2% $41
Getting Around
Dhaka
$27
Cabanatuan
$16 41.9% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$22
Cabanatuan
$22 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $248 in Cabanatuan. 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 55% higher in Dhaka, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Dhaka versus $17.00 in Cabanatuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $170 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🇵🇭 Cabanatuan
🕒 Local time
00:59 12:59 AM
02:59 2:59 AM
2 h ahead of Dhaka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,741,000 Capital
302,231
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dhaka Cabanatuan 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Dhaka
  • Cabanatuan

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 Cabanatuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Dhaka and in Cabanatuan compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $406 in Dhaka, $618 in Cabanatuan – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Dhaka compared to Cabanatuan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $609 per month in Dhaka and $927 in Cabanatuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Dhaka and Cabanatuan?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Dhaka and $17.00 in Cabanatuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Dhaka or Cabanatuan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $406 in Dhaka and $618 in Cabanatuan. That's a gap of about 52%.
How far does $1,000 go in Dhaka compared to Cabanatuan?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $406 in Dhaka and $618 in Cabanatuan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Dhaka or Cabanatuan?
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.
Is Dhaka or Cabanatuan safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Dhaka and Cabanatuan?
If budget matters most, go with Dhaka. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cabanatuan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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