Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Cheras

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,130 in Cheras, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
Learn more

Cheras Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Cheras

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

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $1,130 in Cheras, rent included.

Dhaka $406
Cheras $1,130

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $1,541 in Cheras, rent included.

Dhaka $687
Cheras $1,541

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $1,952 in Cheras, rent included.

Dhaka $969
Cheras $1,952

Dhaka is about 64% cheaper than Cheras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhaka and Cheras are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Cheras 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$3.58 MYR 14.62

-36.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$24.28 MYR 99.1

-49.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$4.80 MYR 19.57

-17.71%

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

$3.08 MYR 12.55

-25.97%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.93 MYR 3.79

-64.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.60 MYR 2.44

-73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.25 MYR 25.50

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.93 MYR 7.88

-55.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.02 MYR 4.18

-41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.44 MYR 5.89

-52.08%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.77 MYR 7.23

-30.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$17.85 MYR 72.8

-50.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.56 MYR 18.60

-26.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$10.81 MYR 44.09

-38.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$3.55 MYR 14.50

-19.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.94 MYR 7.91

-53.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.63 MYR 10.73

-11.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.67 MYR 6.80

-62.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-88.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.65 MYR 6.72

-72.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-74.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.51 MYR 2.07

-45.10%

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

$4.24 MYR 17.30

-22.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 MYR 56.6

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 MYR 11.30

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 MYR 12.83

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$12.03 MYR 49.08

86.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.01 MYR 4.13

17.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.35 MYR 1.44

11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$8.96 MYR 36.57

-63.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.88 MYR 3.58

25.00%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$40.9K MYR 167.0K

-28.12%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

-5.41%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$49.67 MYR 203

-22.93%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$11.06 MYR 45.10

-63.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$27.31 MYR 111

-66.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$39.42 MYR 161

-65.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$7.14 MYR 29.13

43.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$4.99 MYR 20.36

-17.64%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$164 MYR 667

-44.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$4,451 MYR 18.2K

-41.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$54.3 MYR 221

-68.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$29.39 MYR 120

-27.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$81.5 MYR 332

-36.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$98.6 MYR 402

-62.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$409 MYR 1,669

-67.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$467 MYR 1,906

-86.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$687 MYR 2,803

-45.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$485 MYR 1,977

-60.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,052 MYR 8,372

-21.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,103 MYR 4,501

-31.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$1,189 MYR 4,851

-79.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.06

158.13%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cheras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Cheras

$268 23.8% 117% $145

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Cheras

$467 41.4% 618% $402

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Cheras

$120 10.7% 103% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Cheras

$119 10.5% 108% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Cheras

$88 7.8% 71.3% $37

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Cheras

$18 1.6% 35.4% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Cheras

$49 4.4% 126% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $409 in Cheras. 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 383% higher in Cheras, 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 $24.00 in Cheras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $268 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Cheras

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

11:21 11:21 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

440,000

💱 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 Cheras 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Cheras

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 Cheras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cheras is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $609 per month in Dhaka and $1,695 in Cheras. 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.

Groceries cost about 117% more in Cheras, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Dhaka and $24.00 in Cheras. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dhaka, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Cheras at $1,130. In Dhaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cheras it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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