Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Cha-am

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $880 in Cha-am, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
Learn more

Cha-am Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Cha-am

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 Cha-am actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $880 in Cha-am.

Dhaka $406
Cha-am $880

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,412 in Cha-am.

Dhaka $687
Cha-am $1,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,944 in Cha-am.

Dhaka $969
Cha-am $1,944

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 54% less than in Cha-am, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Cha-am 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳281

$3.29 ฿110

-30.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,518

$22.60 ฿755

-45.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳487

$7.27 ฿243

-45.67%

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

$2.04 ฿68.1

11.76%

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

$0.33 ৳40.74

$0.68 ฿22.66

-51.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.80

$0.34 ฿11.50

-52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ฿100

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.78 ฿59.5

-52.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.3

$1.49 ฿49.76

-59.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.1

$1.33 ฿44.43

-48.12%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.95 ฿65.0

-36.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,084

$12.47 ฿417

-29.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳411

$2.54 ฿85.0

31.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳816

$10.20 ฿341

-35.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳351

$3.53 ฿118

-19.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.22 ฿40.86

-26.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳288

$1.87 ฿62.5

25.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.2

$1.75 ฿58.3

-64.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.49

$1.76 ฿59.0

-86.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.1

$1.09 ฿36.28

-57.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.64

$1.16 ฿38.80

-69.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.12

$0.45 ฿15.07

-37.78%

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

$4.31 ฿144

-23.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.71 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ฿57.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ฿99.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.92 ฿30.63

-54.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,762

$22.26 ฿744

0.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.37 ฿45.80

-13.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.54

$1.07 ฿35.67

-63.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳404

$3.62 ฿121

-9.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳135

$1.40 ฿46.86

-21.43%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$16.4K ฿546.9K

79.84%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$27.1K ฿905.9K

18.64%

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

$38.28 ৳4,713

$82.1 ฿2,744

-53.37%

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

$4.09 ৳504

$11.41 ฿381

-64.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,110

$23.66 ฿791

-61.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,682

$23.81 ฿796

-42.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,257

$5.81 ฿194

75.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳506

$6.65 ฿222

-38.20%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$609 ฿20.4K

-85.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳319.1K

$11.0K ฿368.4K

-76.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,100

$50.1 ฿1,675

-65.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,632

$29.35 ฿981

-27.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,333

$70.5 ฿2,357

-27.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,529

$52.6 ฿1,758

-30.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$373 ฿12.5K

-64.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,014

$273 ฿9,109

-76.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.5K

$750 ฿25.1K

-49.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.7K

$643 ฿21.5K

-70.07%

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

$351 ฿11.7K

-29.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

5.96

75.84%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cha-am: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Cha-am

$235 26.7% 90.3% $112

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Cha-am

$273 31% 319% $207

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Cha-am

$94 10.7% 59% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Cha-am

$91 10.4% 60% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Cha-am

$117 13.3% 128% $66

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Cha-am

$33 3.7% 19.6% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Cha-am

$37 4.2% 69.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $373 in Cha-am. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cha-am pays 43% 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: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $23.00 in Cha-am for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $235 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

31,354

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Cha-am 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Cha-am

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 Cha-am: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka and Cha-am differ by about 117% in total monthly costs ($406 vs $880 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Cha-am. 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: $133 in Dhaka versus $373 in Cha-am. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $880 in Cha-am – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 1% less than in Cha-am. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dhaka gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Cha-am are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Cha-am. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.