Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Cox's Bazar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cox’s Bazar: $348 a month against $422 in Dhaka, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Cox's Bazar
Learn more

Cox's Bazar Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Cox's Bazar

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Cox's Bazar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $422 in Dhaka versus $348 in Cox’s Bazar.

Dhaka $422
Cox's Bazar $348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Dhaka versus $558 in Cox’s Bazar.

Dhaka $728
Cox's Bazar $558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Dhaka versus $769 in Cox’s Bazar.

Dhaka $1,033
Cox's Bazar $769

Living in Dhaka is roughly 22% more expensive than in Cox’s Bazar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 69% lower, Cox’s Bazar 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 ৳297

$1.56 ৳194

53.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.93 ৳1,602

$12.21 ৳1,513

5.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ৳593

$2.95 ৳366

62.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳609

$2.59 ৳320

89.96%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳490

$2.49 ৳308

59.04%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ৳295

$1.92 ৳238

23.96%

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

$0.30 ৳37.07

$0.36 ৳44.57

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ৳21.30

$0.10 ৳12.90

70.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ৳97.4

$0.80 ৳99.2

-1.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳78.3

$0.50 ৳62.2

26.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ৳89.0

$0.66 ৳81.9

9.09%

Eggs

$1.18 ৳147

$1.04 ৳129

13.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ৳1,082

$7.20 ৳892

21.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$2.07 ৳256

59.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 ৳823

$7.29 ৳904

-8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ৳347

$2.35 ৳291

19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ৳107

$0.88 ৳109

-2.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ৳287

$1.60 ৳199

45.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ৳75.7

$0.52 ৳64.1

17.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.28

$0.46 ৳57.2

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ৳59.9

$0.58 ৳71.3

-17.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳41.21

$0.47 ৳58.5

-29.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.54

$0.30 ৳36.72

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.23 ৳1,515

$7.68 ৳952

59.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 ৳648

$2.55 ৳316

105.10%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 ৳807

$4.56 ৳565

42.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ৳408

$1.91 ৳236

72.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ৳51.2

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 ৳2,636

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ৳146

$0.29 ৳36.32

306.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳47.14

$0.35 ৳43.20

8.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 ৳405

$4.16 ৳516

-21.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ৳143

$1.14 ৳142

1.75%

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

$29.9K ৳3.7M

$31.7K ৳3.9M

-5.55%

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

$32.5K ৳4.0M

$34.0K ৳4.2M

-4.29%

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

$46.86 ৳5,807

$12.20 ৳1,512

284.10%

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

$4.31 ৳535

$2.63 ৳326

63.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.09 ৳1,374

$11.12 ৳1,377

-0.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.52 ৳2,171

$16.05 ৳1,989

9.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ৳2,189

$4.07 ৳504

334.15%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 ৳534

$2.36 ৳292

82.63%

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

$139 ৳17.2K

$24.65 ৳3,055

463.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,570 ৳318.5K

$1,454 ৳180.1K

76.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.32 ৳2,023

$22.55 ৳2,795

-27.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.36 ৳2,399

$18.21 ৳2,256

6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.97 ৳5,696

$32.91 ৳4,078

39.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.74 ৳4,552

$34.87 ৳4,321

5.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$145 ৳18.0K

$164 ৳20.4K

-11.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.1 ৳8,441

$96.1 ৳11.9K

-29.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ৳57.1K

$300 ৳37.1K

53.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ৳28.8K

$164 ৳20.3K

41.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,575 ৳195.2K

$348 ৳43.1K

353.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 ৳97.8K

$261 ৳32.4K

202.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$286 ৳35.4K

-14.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.5

-7.22%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cox's Bazar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$122 29%

Cox's Bazar

$108 31% 12.1% $15

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$68 16.1%

Cox's Bazar

$96 27.6% 41% $28

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15.2%

Cox's Bazar

$46 13.3% 27.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$62 14.8%

Cox's Bazar

$26 7.5% 58.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$53 12.6%

Cox's Bazar

$49 14.1% 8.3% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Cox's Bazar

$21 6% 20.5% $5.4

Getting Around

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Cox's Bazar

$2 * 0.6% 92.2% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $145 in Dhaka and $164 in Cox’s Bazar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cox’s Bazar pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13 in Dhaka vs $12 in Cox’s Bazar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $108 per month, with Cox’s Bazar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇧🇩 Cox's Bazar

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

Same time as Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

223,522

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Dhaka Cox's Bazar 300 km

From you

Dhaka
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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 Cox's Bazar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $422 in Dhaka and $348 in Cox’s Bazar, so Cox’s Bazar is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Dhaka. 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: $145 in Dhaka versus $164 in Cox’s Bazar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Dhaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $422 per month in Dhaka versus $348 in Cox’s Bazar – Cox’s Bazar is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Cox’s Bazar 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.