Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and General Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $628 in General Santos, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in General Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $628 in General Santos.

Dhaka $406
General Santos $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,009 in General Santos.

Dhaka $687
General Santos $1,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,391 in General Santos.

Dhaka $969
General Santos $1,391

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 35% less than in General Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, General Santos 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$3.38 ₱213

-32.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$27.40 ₱1,725

-55.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$2.72 ₱172

45.22%

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

$2.56 ₱161

-10.94%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.28 ₱17.41

17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.25 ₱15.83

-36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱99.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱147

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$2.00 ₱126

-57.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.08 ₱68.2

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.87 ₱54.7

-20.69%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.86 ₱117

-33.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$6.38 ₱402

37.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.77 ₱300

-30.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$9.25 ₱582

-28.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.74 ₱172

4.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.07 ₱67.2

-15.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.45 ₱154

-4.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.19 ₱74.6

-47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.98 ₱125

-87.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$3.28 ₱207

-85.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.24 ₱78.2

-71.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.68 ₱42.60

-58.82%

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

$2.46 ₱155

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱488

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.39 ₱24.37

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$8.15 ₱513

175.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.78 ₱49.25

52.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.25 ₱15.79

56.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$0.82 ₱51.4

300.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.12 ₱70.7

-1.79%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

41.02%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

68.20%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$76.6 ₱4,825

-50.05%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$6.53 ₱411

-37.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$31.67 ₱1,994

-71.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$4.91 ₱309

-16.29%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$109 ₱6,840

-16.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$7,532 ₱474.2K

-65.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$59.8 ₱3,767

-71.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$30.67 ₱1,931

-30.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$70.3 ₱4,428

-26.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$60.7 ₱3,823

-39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$174 ₱11.0K

-23.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$112 ₱7,068

-42.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$359 ₱22.6K

5.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$238 ₱15.0K

-19.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

8.31

26.11%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

General Santos

$199 31.7% 61% $75

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

General Santos

$112 17.9% 72.5% $47

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

General Santos

$81 12.8% 35.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

General Santos

$100 15.9% 74.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

General Santos

$115 18.3% 124% $63

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

General Santos

$12 1.9% 57% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6% 55.1% $12

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 $133 in Dhaka and $174 in General Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $27.00 in General Santos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $199 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 General Santos

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

697,315

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dhaka General Santos 4,200 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
General Santos

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 General Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $609 in Dhaka and $942 in General Santos 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 $174 in General Santos. 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 $628 in General Santos – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 175% less than in General Santos. 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 General Santos 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 55% less than in General Santos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.