Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Dipolog

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $422 a month against $602 in Dipolog, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dhaka, Bangladesh
Dipolog, Philippines
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$422
/mo nomad
Dipolog
🇵🇭 Philippines
$602
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Dipolog

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $422 in Dhaka versus $602 in Dipolog.

  • Dhaka $422
  • Dipolog $602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Dhaka versus $839 in Dipolog.

  • Dhaka $728
  • Dipolog $839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Dhaka versus $1,076 in Dipolog.

  • Dhaka $1,033
  • Dipolog $1,076

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 30% less than in Dipolog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 69% lower, Dipolog 56% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.40 ৳298
$1.36 ₱86.9
76.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.93 ৳1,604
$19.30 ₱1,233
-33.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ৳593
$2.72 ₱174
75.74%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.92 ৳610
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 ৳491
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.38 ৳295
$2.02 ₱129
17.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.11
$0.64 ₱40.78
-53.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 ৳21.32
$0.29 ₱18.75
-41.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.04 ₱66.6
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.72 ₱110
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 ৳97.5
$1.60 ₱102
-50.63%
White Bread (500g)
$0.63 ৳78.4
$0.77 ₱48.93
-18.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 ৳89.1
$0.82 ₱52.5
-12.20%
Eggs
$1.18 ৳147
$1.87 ₱119
-36.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 ৳1,083
$5.77 ₱369
51.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ৳409
$4.12 ₱263
-19.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.64 ৳824
$5.71 ₱365
16.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ৳347
$1.60 ₱102
75.00%
Banana (1kg)
$0.86 ৳107
$1.07 ₱68.7
-19.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.32 ৳287
$2.91 ₱186
-20.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.61 ৳75.8
$1.43 ₱91.5
-57.34%
Potato (1kg)
$0.23 ৳28.30
$1.84 ₱118
-87.50%
Onion (1kg)
$0.48 ৳59.9
$2.68 ₱171
-82.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 ৳41.25
$1.47 ₱93.6
-77.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.58
$0.61 ₱39.25
-50.82%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$12.23 ৳1,516
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.23 ৳649
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.51 ৳808
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29 ৳408
$3.04 ₱194
8.22%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$3.93 ₱251
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.13 ₱71.9
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.26 ₱80.4
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 ৳51.3
$0.26 ₱16.72
57.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.27 ৳2,638
$10.99 ₱702
93.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 ৳147
$0.81 ₱51.5
45.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ৳47.19
$0.32 ₱20.72
18.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 ৳406
$2.32 ₱148
40.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ৳143
$0.89 ₱57.0
30.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K ৳3.7M
$21.2K ₱1.4M
41.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.5K ৳4.0M
$19.0K ₱1.2M
71.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$46.86 ৳5,813
$64.3 ₱4,106
-27.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.31 ৳535
$7.73 ₱494
-44.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.09 ৳1,376
$23.98 ₱1,532
-53.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.52 ৳2,173
$32.70 ₱2,090
-46.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.67 ৳2,191
$4.65 ₱297
280.00%
Cinema Ticket
$4.31 ৳534
$4.70 ₱300
-8.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$139 ৳17.2K
$32.00 ₱2,045
334.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,570 ৳318.8K
$8,107 ₱518.0K
-68.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.32 ৳2,025
$33.03 ₱2,111
-50.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.36 ৳2,402
$19.08 ₱1,219
1.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.97 ৳5,702
$55.9 ₱3,574
-17.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.74 ৳4,557
$23.76 ₱1,518
54.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$145 ৳18.0K
$156 ₱9,955
-6.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$68.1 ৳8,449
$172 ₱11.0K
-60.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$461 ৳57.2K
$513 ₱32.7K
-10.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$232 ৳28.8K
$134 ₱8,589
72.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,575 ৳195.4K
$2,401 ₱153.4K
-34.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$789 ৳97.9K
$1,119 ₱71.5K
-29.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Dipolog
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$245 ৳30.3K
$234 ₱15.0K
4.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.67
7.33
45.57%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dipolog: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$122
Dipolog
$163 33% $40
Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$68
Dipolog
$172 152% $104
Eating Out
Dhaka
$64
Dipolog
$56 13% $8.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$62
Dipolog
$96 54.1% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$53
Dipolog
$59 11.3% $6
Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$26
Dipolog
$42 61.2% $16
Getting Around
Dhaka
$26
Dipolog
$14 44.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $145 in Dhaka and $156 in Dipolog. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 4% 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 $19 in Dipolog for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $163 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🇵🇭 Dipolog
🕒 Local time
21:38 9:38 PM
23:38 11:38 PM
2 h ahead of Dhaka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,741,000 Capital
130,759
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dhaka Dipolog 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dhaka
  • Dipolog

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 Dipolog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Dipolog?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Dhaka or Dipolog?
Average pay runs 4% higher in Dhaka, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Dhaka and Dipolog?
Rent for a central apartment: $145 in Dhaka versus $156 in Dipolog. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Dhaka and in Dipolog?
All in, you’ll spend $422 per month in Dhaka versus $602 in Dipolog – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dipolog runs roughly 48% less than in Dhaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Dhaka or Dipolog?
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.

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