Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Chennai (Madras)

For one person, living costs are similar in Dhaka and in Chennai (Madras): $406 and $414 a month, rent and utilities included.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
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Chennai (Madras) Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Chennai (Madras)

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 Chennai (Madras) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $414 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Dhaka $406
Chennai (Madras) $414

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $693 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Dhaka $687
Chennai (Madras) $693

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $973 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Dhaka $969
Chennai (Madras) $973

Dhaka is about 2% cheaper than Chennai (Madras), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dhaka and Chennai (Madras) are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Chennai (Madras) 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$2.06 ₹196

10.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$12.41 ₹1,179

-0.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$4.25 ₹404

-7.06%

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

$1.81 ₹172

25.97%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.36 ₹34.57

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.18 ₹16.64

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 ₹148

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ₹289

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$0.56 ₹53.4

51.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$0.54 ₹51.6

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.74 ₹70.2

-6.76%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$0.82 ₹77.9

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$6.06 ₹575

45.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$3.23 ₹307

3.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.89 ₹275

-1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$0.80 ₹76.2

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.40 ₹133

67.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$0.43 ₹40.70

46.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$0.45 ₹42.42

-46.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$0.43 ₹40.45

6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.52 ₹49.61

-32.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.28 ₹26.44

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

$5.14 ₹488

-36.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ₹714

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₹176

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₹254

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.78 ₹644

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.30 ₹28.41

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$10.31 ₹979

117.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.07 ₹102

11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.32 ₹30.55

21.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$2.14 ₹204

53.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.09 ₹104

0.92%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$15.5K ₹1.5M

90.09%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$19.7K ₹1.9M

63.40%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$38.87 ₹3,691

-1.52%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$4.07 ₹387

0.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$7.93 ₹753

13.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$12.80 ₹1,216

6.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$6.83 ₹648

49.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$2.56 ₹243

60.55%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$86.7 ₹8,229

4.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$2,119 ₹201.2K

22.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$20.39 ₹1,936

-16.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$16.65 ₹1,581

28.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$35.60 ₹3,381

44.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$30.60 ₹2,906

20.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$181 ₹17.2K

-26.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$101 ₹9,611

-35.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$506 ₹48.0K

-25.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$300 ₹28.5K

-35.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,083 ₹197.8K

-22.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$797 ₹75.6K

-4.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$654 ₹62.1K

-62.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

9.99

4.90%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chennai (Madras): October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Chennai (Madras)

$116 28% 6.3% $7.7

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Chennai (Madras)

$101 24.5% 55.5% $36

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Chennai (Madras)

$67 16.2% 12.8% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Chennai (Madras)

$46 11.2% 18.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Chennai (Madras)

$51 12.3% 1% $0.5

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Chennai (Madras)

$14 3.4% 48% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Chennai (Madras)

$18 4.3% 18.1% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $181 in Chennai (Madras). 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 166% higher in Chennai (Madras), 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 $12.00 in Chennai (Madras). Groceries tell a different story – $124 in Dhaka vs $116 in Chennai (Madras) – so Chennai (Madras) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

22:10 10:10 PM

30 min behind Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

4,681,087

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dhaka Chennai (Madras) 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Chennai (Madras)

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 Chennai (Madras): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chennai (Madras) costs about 2% more than Dhaka, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $620 in Chennai (Madras). 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 $414 in Chennai (Madras). That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 118% 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 $414 in Chennai (Madras), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dhaka costs $406 versus $414 in Chennai (Madras). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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