Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Cotabato City

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $764 in Cotabato City, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
Learn more

Cotabato City Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Cotabato City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $764 in Cotabato City.

Dhaka $428
Cotabato City $764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,169 in Cotabato City.

Dhaka $724
Cotabato City $1,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,574 in Cotabato City.

Dhaka $1,019
Cotabato City $1,574

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 44% less than in Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Cotabato City 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$4.65 ₱293

-46.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$16.57 ₱1,044

-19.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$4.00 ₱252

24.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 ৳602

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳511

Cappuccino

$2.35 ৳291

$2.23 ₱141

5.38%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$1.04 ₱65.4

-68.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.64 ₱40.49

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₱120

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$2.02 ₱127

-57.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.08 ₱68.0

-41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$0.78 ₱49.16

-14.10%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.89 ₱119

-37.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$6.41 ₱404

37.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$4.67 ₱294

-29.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$9.06 ₱570

-29.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$2.73 ₱172

0.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.11 ₱69.9

-15.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$2.44 ₱154

-2.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.20 ₱75.3

-46.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.94 ₱122

-86.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$3.55 ₱224

-86.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$1.20 ₱75.4

-75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.71 ₱44.58

-57.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 ৳1,512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.43 ৳671

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 ৳807

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ৳392

$2.47 ₱156

28.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 ₱507

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₱77.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.26 ₱16.40

46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$11.02 ₱694

109.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$0.84 ₱52.8

39.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.23 ₱14.37

65.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$1.94 ₱122

69.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$1.18 ₱74.4

-5.93%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

35.56%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

76.22%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$108 ₱6,788

-56.62%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$19.38 ₱1,220

-76.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$31.55 ₱1,986

-64.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$32.71 ₱2,060

-49.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$4.78 ₱301

211.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$4.64 ₱292

-9.48%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$107 ₱6,709

-14.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$7,519 ₱473.4K

-65.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$33.49 ₱2,109

-50.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$19.69 ₱1,240

0.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$71.2 ₱4,483

-34.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$60.8 ₱3,825

-39.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$270 ₱17.0K

-45.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$174 ₱11.0K

-59.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$524 ₱33.0K

-17.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$357 ₱22.5K

-40.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$2,445 ₱154.0K

-34.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$999 ₱62.9K

-24.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

8.31

28.40%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Cotabato City

$199 26.1% 61.8% $76

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Cotabato City

$174 22.8% 146% $103

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Cotabato City

$92 12.1% 41.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Cotabato City

$159 20.8% 154% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Cotabato City

$83 10.9% 53.9% $29

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Cotabato City

$14 1.8% 49.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Cotabato City

$42 5.5% 69.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $270 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $17.00 in Cotabato City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $199 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

325,079

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Cotabato City 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Cotabato City

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 Cotabato City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Cotabato City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dhaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $642 in Dhaka and $1,146 in Cotabato City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $148 in Dhaka versus $270 in Cotabato City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $428 per month in Dhaka versus $764 in Cotabato City – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 109% less than in Cotabato City. 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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Cotabato City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.