Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $504 in Caloocan, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
Learn more

Caloocan Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Caloocan

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

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $504 in Caloocan, rent included.

Dhaka $406
Caloocan $504

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $674 in Caloocan, rent included.

Dhaka $687
Caloocan $674

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $845 in Caloocan, rent included.

Dhaka $969
Caloocan $845

Dhaka is about 19% cheaper than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhaka and Caloocan are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Caloocan 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳281

$2.74 ₱173

-16.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,518

$16.50 ₱1,039

-25.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳487

$2.22 ₱140

77.93%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳552

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳508

Cappuccino

$2.28 ৳280

$0.91 ₱57.3

150.55%

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

$0.33 ৳40.74

$0.40 ₱25.01

-17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.80

$0.33 ₱21.08

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₱102

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.62 ₱102

-47.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.3

$1.11 ₱69.7

-45.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.1

$1.00 ₱63.0

-31.00%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.81 ₱114

-32.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,084

$5.19 ₱327

69.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳411

$3.44 ₱217

-3.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳816

$7.94 ₱500

-16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳351

$2.21 ₱139

28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$0.92 ₱57.7

-2.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳288

$2.38 ₱150

-1.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.2

$1.04 ₱65.5

-39.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.49

$1.12 ₱70.7

-78.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.1

$1.70 ₱107

-72.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.64

$0.65 ₱41.18

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.12

$0.49 ₱31.13

-42.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,491

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳654

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳791

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ৳404

$3.00 ₱189

9.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.68 ₱295

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱126

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.22 ₱13.86

90.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,762

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.82 ₱51.9

45.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.54

$0.25 ₱15.83

56.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳404

$1.90 ₱119

72.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳135

$1.09 ₱68.5

0.92%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

37.84%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

66.86%

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

$38.28 ৳4,713

$53.2 ₱3,353

-28.07%

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

$4.09 ৳504

$9.80 ₱617

-58.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,110

$23.23 ₱1,463

-61.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,682

$4.76 ₱300

186.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,257

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳506

$5.04 ₱318

-18.45%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$134 ₱8,415

-32.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳319.1K

$10.9K ₱688.5K

-76.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,100

$29.00 ₱1,827

-41.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,632

$19.90 ₱1,253

7.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,333

$55.3 ₱3,480

-6.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,529

$47.92 ₱3,019

-23.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$205 ₱12.9K

-35.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,014

$121 ₱7,624

-46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳199.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.3K

$320 ₱20.2K

-23.08%

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 Caloocan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Caloocan

$160 31.7% 29.1% $36

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Caloocan

$121 24% 86% $56

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Caloocan

$51 10.1% 14.5% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Caloocan

$68 13.6% 20.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Caloocan

$86 17.1% 67.9% $35

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Caloocan

$3 * 0.6% 89.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Caloocan

$15 3% 32.2% $7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $205 in Caloocan. 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 30% higher in Caloocan, 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 $12.00 in Dhaka versus $16.00 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $160 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,661,584

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.22 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 = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.22 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Caloocan 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caloocan costs about 24% more than Dhaka, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $609 per month in Dhaka and $756 in Caloocan. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Dhaka and $16.00 in Caloocan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Caloocan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $406 in Dhaka and $504 in Caloocan, 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, Caloocan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.