Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $2,883 in Dubai.

Dhaka $428
Dubai $2,883

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $4,403 in Dubai.

Dhaka $724
Dubai $4,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $5,923 in Dubai.

Dhaka $1,019
Dubai $5,923

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 85% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dhaka is 68% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$12.99 AED 47.72

-80.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$81.9 AED 301

-83.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$9.64 AED 35.40

-48.24%

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

$6.09 AED 22.38

-61.41%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$1.61 AED 5.93

-79.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.75 AED 2.76

-78.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.86 AED 6.83

-54.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.53 AED 5.62

-58.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$2.55 AED 9.38

-73.73%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$3.28 AED 12.06

-63.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$12.14 AED 44.57

-27.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$9.15 AED 33.62

-63.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$12.80 AED 47.00

-49.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$2.56 AED 9.39

7.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.91 AED 7.03

-50.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$1.82 AED 6.69

30.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.43 AED 5.26

-55.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.10 AED 4.04

-76.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$0.92 AED 3.40

-46.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$1.52 AED 5.58

-80.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.69 AED 2.54

-56.52%

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

$6.41 AED 23.55

-50.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$1.58 AED 5.82

-75.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$75.9 AED 279

-69.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$3.19 AED 11.72

-63.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.71 AED 2.62

-46.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$8.21 AED 30.13

-60.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$1.01 AED 3.73

9.90%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$26.1K AED 96.0K

11.38%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$21.8K AED 80.2K

50.70%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$245 AED 900

-80.91%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$57.5 AED 211

-92.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$91.3 AED 335

-87.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$105 AED 385

-84.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$46.58 AED 171

-68.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$16.04 AED 58.9

-73.82%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$873 AED 3,206

-89.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$18.0K AED 66.2K

-85.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$70.8 AED 260

-76.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$62.3 AED 229

-68.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$106 AED 390

-55.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$102 AED 376

-63.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$2,454 AED 9,014

-93.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$1,510 AED 5,545

-95.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$4,640 AED 17.0K

-90.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$2,961 AED 10.9K

-92.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$7,219 AED 26.5K

-77.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$4,232 AED 15.5K

-82.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$3,584 AED 13.2K

-93.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

4.54

135.02%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Dubai

$288 10% 134% $165

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4% 2034% $1.4K

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Dubai

$311 10.8% 378% $246

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Dubai

$394 13.7% 530% $331

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Dubai

$154 5.3% 184% $100

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 222% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Dubai

$137 4.8% 451% $112

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $2,454 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1364% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $288 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

2 h behind Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Dubai 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 573% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 1364% lower in Dubai. 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: $148 in Dhaka versus $2,454 in Dubai. 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 $2,883 in Dubai – a 573% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 229% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $428 in Dhaka versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dhaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Dubai 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 573% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.