Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Dien Bien Phu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $770 in Dien Bien Phu, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Dien Bien Phu
Learn more

Dien Bien Phu Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Dien Bien Phu

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Dien Bien Phu

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 Dien Bien Phu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $770 in Dien Bien Phu.

Dhaka $406
Dien Bien Phu $770

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,231 in Dien Bien Phu.

Dhaka $687
Dien Bien Phu $1,231

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,692 in Dien Bien Phu.

Dhaka $969
Dien Bien Phu $1,692

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 47% less than in Dien Bien Phu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Dien Bien Phu 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$2.03 ₫52.6K

12.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$19.34 ₫500.7K

-36.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$4.39 ₫113.6K

-10.02%

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

$1.64 ₫42.5K

39.02%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.51 ₫13.1K

-35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.33 ₫8,660

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ₫22.7K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ₫37.0K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.49 ₫38.5K

-42.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.05 ₫27.2K

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.94 ₫24.3K

-26.60%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.51 ₫39.0K

-18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$11.24 ₫291.0K

-21.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$3.73 ₫96.6K

-10.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$9.86 ₫255.2K

-32.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$3.06 ₫79.3K

-6.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.12 ₫29.0K

-19.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.33 ₫34.5K

75.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.27 ₫32.9K

-50.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.07 ₫27.7K

-77.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.15 ₫29.7K

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.65 ₫16.8K

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.50 ₫13.1K

-44.00%

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

$1.36 ₫35.2K

141.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 ₫314.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₫42.5K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.31 ₫8,151

35.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$6.45 ₫167.1K

247.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.73 ₫18.8K

63.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.61 ₫15.7K

-36.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$2.39 ₫62.0K

37.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.95 ₫24.7K

15.79%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$30.4K ₫786.3M

-3.10%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$30.4K ₫786.0M

5.93%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$77.2 ₫2.0M

-50.41%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$5.79 ₫149.9K

-29.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$8.56 ₫221.6K

5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$21.91 ₫567.2K

-37.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$7.83 ₫202.6K

30.40%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$3.06 ₫79.3K

34.31%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$159 ₫4.1M

-43.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$12.4K ₫320.6M

-79.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$45.80 ₫1.2M

-62.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$25.91 ₫670.9K

-17.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$83.3 ₫2.2M

-38.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$79.7 ₫2.1M

-53.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$413 ₫10.7M

-67.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$276 ₫7.2M

-76.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$737 ₫19.1M

-48.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$607 ₫15.7M

-68.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,783 ₫72.0M

-41.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,324 ₫34.3M

-42.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

8.46

23.88%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dien Bien Phu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Dien Bien Phu

$197 25.6% 59.4% $73

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Dien Bien Phu

$276 35.9% 324% $211

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Dien Bien Phu

$60 7.8% 0.5% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Dien Bien Phu

$106 13.7% 85.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Dien Bien Phu

$92 11.9% 78.1% $40

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Dien Bien Phu

$11 1.5% 58% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Dien Bien Phu

$28 3.6% 28.1% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $413 in Dien Bien Phu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $19.00 in Dien Bien Phu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $197 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇻🇳 Dien Bien Phu

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

80,366

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dhaka Dien Bien Phu 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Dien Bien Phu

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 Dien Bien Phu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $609 in Dhaka and $1,154 in Dien Bien Phu 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: $133 in Dhaka versus $413 in Dien Bien Phu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $770 in Dien Bien Phu – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 248% less than in Dien Bien Phu. 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.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Dien Bien Phu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Dien Bien Phu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.