Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Erdenet

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $377 a month against $426 in Dhaka, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$426
/mo nomad
Erdenet
🇲🇳 Mongolia
$377
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Erdenet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $377 in Erdenet.

  • Dhaka $426
  • Erdenet $377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $617 in Erdenet.

  • Dhaka $735
  • Erdenet $617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $858 in Erdenet.

  • Dhaka $1,043
  • Erdenet $858

Living in Dhaka is roughly 13% more expensive than in Erdenet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Erdenet 72% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.49 ৳305
$4.08 MNT 14.7K
-38.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.06 ৳1,604
$27.28 MNT 98.0K
-52.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.83 ৳594
$4.08 MNT 14.7K
18.38%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.93 ৳606
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.10 ৳504
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.34 ৳287
$2.29 MNT 8,214
2.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.38
$0.66 MNT 2,373
-54.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16 ৳19.96
$0.40 MNT 1,454
-60.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.70 MNT 6,100
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.63 MNT 5,840
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 ৳98.1
$1.01 MNT 3,627
-20.79%
White Bread (500g)
$0.65 ৳79.3
$0.91 MNT 3,281
-28.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.71 ৳87.2
$2.85 MNT 10.3K
-75.09%
Eggs
$1.21 ৳149
$2.02 MNT 7,270
-40.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.67 ৳1,065
$7.05 MNT 25.3K
22.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.21 ৳395
$6.78 MNT 24.4K
-52.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.70 ৳823
$4.54 MNT 16.3K
47.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 ৳335
$2.24 MNT 8,038
21.87%
Banana (1kg)
$0.88 ৳108
$1.68 MNT 6,054
-47.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 ৳291
$1.63 MNT 5,857
45.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.65 ৳79.5
$1.37 MNT 4,925
-52.55%
Potato (1kg)
$0.24 ৳29.19
$1.43 MNT 5,136
-83.22%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 ৳60.6
$0.85 MNT 3,040
-42.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.32 ৳38.87
$1.41 MNT 5,071
-77.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.30
$0.98 MNT 3,539
-69.39%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$12.07 ৳1,483
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.51 ৳677
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.66 ৳818
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.23 ৳396
$2.83 MNT 10.2K
14.13%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$5.67 MNT 20.4K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.62 MNT 5,830
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.65 MNT 5,938
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 ৳52.1
$0.15 MNT 549
180.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.54 ৳2,769
$19.59 MNT 70.4K
15.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ৳147
$0.61 MNT 2,209
95.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.40 ৳48.58
$0.43 MNT 1,546
-6.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.35 ৳411
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ৳141
$0.75 MNT 2,689
53.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K ৳3.7M
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K ৳4.1M
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$46.32 ৳5,690
$57.7 MNT 207.4K
-19.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.33 ৳531
$2.86 MNT 10.3K
51.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.63 ৳1,306
$14.06 MNT 50.5K
-24.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.37 ৳2,011
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.14 ৳1,982
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.13 ৳508
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$90.7 ৳11.1K
$281 MNT 1.0M
-67.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,649 ৳325.4K
$2,474 MNT 8.9M
7.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.48 ৳2,024
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.00 ৳2,579
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$50.3 ৳6,173
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.46 ৳4,478
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$152 ৳18.6K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$73.6 ৳9,041
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$436 ৳53.5K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$214 ৳26.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,622 ৳199.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$761 ৳93.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Erdenet
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$249 ৳30.6K
$218 MNT 782.9K
14.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.48
0
-

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Erdenet: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$123
Erdenet
$188 53.6% $66
Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$74
Erdenet
- * 100%
Eating Out
Dhaka
$64
Erdenet
$88 37.4% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$61
Erdenet
$75 21.8% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$56
Erdenet
- * 100%
Getting Around
Dhaka
$27
Erdenet
$23 16.2% $4.4
Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$25
Erdenet
- * 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dhaka pays 14% 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 $27.00 in Erdenet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $188 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🇲🇳 Erdenet
🕒 Local time
14:09 2:09 PM
16:09 4:09 PM
2 h ahead of Dhaka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,741,000 Capital
86,866
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dhaka Erdenet 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Dhaka
  • Erdenet

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 Erdenet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Erdenet cheaper than Dhaka?
Erdenet is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Dhaka or Erdenet?
Average pay runs 14% 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 are total monthly expenses in Dhaka and in Erdenet?
All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Dhaka versus $377 in Erdenet – a 13% 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 Erdenet runs roughly 15% less than in Dhaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,200 enough for either Dhaka or Erdenet?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Erdenet gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Dhaka or in Erdenet?
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.
Which city is safer, Dhaka or Erdenet?
Safety-wise, Dhaka and Erdenet are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Erdenet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Dhaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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