Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Chittagong

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $371 a month against $406 in Dhaka, rent and utilities included – about $420 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
Learn more

Chittagong Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Chittagong

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

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $371 in Chittagong, rent included.

Dhaka $406
Chittagong $371

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $626 in Chittagong, rent included.

Dhaka $687
Chittagong $626

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $881 in Chittagong, rent included.

Dhaka $969
Chittagong $881

Dhaka costs about 9% more than Chittagong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dhaka and Chittagong are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Chittagong 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$2.08 ৳257

9.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$12.17 ৳1,503

1.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$5.37 ৳664

-26.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

$2.62 ৳323

70.99%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

$4.18 ৳516

-1.20%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ৳281

$1.94 ৳239

17.53%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.40 ৳48.92

-17.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.11 ৳13.77

45.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$0.75 ৳93.0

13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$0.60 ৳73.9

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.63 ৳77.6

9.52%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.16 ৳144

6.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$7.21 ৳891

22.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$2.03 ৳251

64.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$7.22 ৳892

-8.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.35 ৳291

21.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$0.84 ৳104

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.06 ৳255

13.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$0.86 ৳106

-26.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$0.44 ৳54.3

-45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$0.78 ৳96.9

-41.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.49 ৳60.7

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.32 ৳39.89

-12.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,496

$4.38 ৳541

176.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳656

$0.84 ৳104

532.14%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳794

$1.48 ৳183

333.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ৳405

$3.04 ৳376

7.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.21 ৳25.83

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.80 ৳98.7

48.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.58 ৳72.1

-32.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$3.94 ৳487

-16.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.15 ৳142

-4.35%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$32.0K ৳4.0M

-8.12%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$45.5K ৳5.6M

-29.28%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$30.32 ৳3,746

26.25%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$5.57 ৳689

-26.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$12.57 ৳1,553

-28.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$19.87 ৳2,455

-31.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$13.88 ৳1,714

-26.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$3.68 ৳455

11.68%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$36.24 ৳4,478

150.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$1,444 ৳178.4K

79.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$23.22 ৳2,869

-26.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$19.79 ৳2,445

8.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$57.1 ৳7,053

-9.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$34.68 ৳4,285

6.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$124 ৳15.3K

7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$60.0 ৳7,418

8.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$268 ৳33.1K

40.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$163 ৳20.1K

18.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$782 ৳96.7K

107.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$462 ৳57.1K

64.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$281 ৳34.7K

-12.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

11.5

-8.87%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chittagong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Chittagong

$112 30.2% 9.2% $11

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Chittagong

$60 16.2% 7.7% $5

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Chittagong

$58 15.6% 2.4% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Chittagong

$61 16.3% 6.4% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Chittagong

$48 13.1% 5.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Chittagong

$4.6 * 1.2% 83.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Chittagong

$27 7.3% 24.4% $5.3

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 $124 in Chittagong. 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 14% higher in Chittagong, 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 $12.00 in Chittagong. Groceries tell a different story – $124 in Dhaka vs $112 in Chittagong – so Chittagong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

Same time as Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

2,592,439

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Chittagong 220 km

From you

Dhaka
Chittagong

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 Chittagong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $406 in Dhaka, $371 in Chittagong – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $609 per month in Dhaka and $557 in Chittagong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chittagong, 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 $12.00 in Chittagong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Dhaka, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $406 in Dhaka and $371 in Chittagong, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chittagong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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