For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,408 in Iksan, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
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 Iksan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $1,408 in Iksan.
Dhaka $406
Iksan $1,408
Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $2,188 in Iksan.
Dhaka $687
Iksan $2,188
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $2,968 in Iksan.
Dhaka $969
Iksan $2,968
🌍
Living in Dhaka costs roughly 71% less than in Iksan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Dhaka is 70% below, Iksan is 4% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.28৳282
$5.91₩7,860
-61.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.33৳1,523
$34.97₩46.5K
-64.74%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.95৳488
$6.88₩9,149
-42.59%
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
$3.75₩4,990
-39.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33৳40.88
$1.56₩2,069
-78.85%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16৳19.86
$0.62₩823
-74.19%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.42₩4,544
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.58₩6,086
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.85৳104
$2.21₩2,934
-61.54%
White Bread(500g)
$0.60৳74.5
$3.18₩4,233
-81.13%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.69৳85.4
$2.31₩3,076
-70.13%
Eggs
$1.23৳152
$3.26₩4,334
-62.27%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$8.80৳1,087
$15.55₩20.7K
-43.41%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.33৳412
$7.74₩10.3K
-56.98%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$6.63৳819
$11.13₩14.8K
-40.43%
Apples(1kg)
$2.85৳352
$7.61₩10.1K
-62.55%
Banana(1kg)
$0.90৳111
$3.20₩4,255
-71.88%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.34৳289
$7.38₩9,806
-68.29%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.63৳78.4
$6.98₩9,281
-90.97%
Potato(1kg)
$0.24৳29.59
$3.54₩4,710
-93.22%
Onion(1kg)
$0.46৳57.3
$2.47₩3,285
-81.38%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.35৳42.79
$2.08₩2,762
-83.17%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.28৳34.24
$1.34₩1,784
-79.10%
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
$3.35₩4,453
-2.09%
Wine(Bottle)
-
$18.88₩25.1K
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.18₩2,897
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.54₩4,703
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.42৳52.3
$1.14₩1,519
-63.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$22.43৳2,772
-
-
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.19৳147
$3.55₩4,717
-66.48%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.39৳48.71
$0.65₩870
-40.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$3.28৳406
$13.03₩17.3K
-74.83%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.10৳136
$1.41₩1,875
-21.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K৳3.6M
$29.8K₩39.7M
-1.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K৳4.0M
$35.8K₩47.6M
-10.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$38.28৳4,729
$207₩274.6K
-81.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.09৳506
$43.18₩57.4K
-90.53%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.02৳1,114
$21.21₩28.2K
-57.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$13.66৳1,688
$52.4₩69.6K
-73.91%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.21৳1,261
$12.04₩16.0K
-15.20%
Cinema Ticket
$4.11৳508
$10.98₩14.6K
-62.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$90.7৳11.2K
$295₩392.1K
-69.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$2,591৳320.2K
$18.0K₩23.9M
-85.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.06৳2,108
$64.3₩85.5K
-73.48%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.38৳2,641
$64.0₩85.2K
-66.61%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$51.4৳6,355
$74.7₩99.3K
-31.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.78৳4,545
$101₩134.8K
-63.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$133৳16.4K
$481₩639.8K
-72.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$65.1৳8,041
$354₩470.2K
-81.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$377৳46.6K
$1,171₩1.6M
-67.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$192৳23.8K
$750₩997.1K
-74.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,621৳200.3K
$7,071₩9.4M
-77.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$760৳93.9K
$5,496₩7.3M
-86.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Iksan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$246৳30.4K
$1,690₩2.2M
-85.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
10.48
4.1
155.61%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026
Last update for Iksan: October 11, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$124 30.5%
Iksan
$412 29.3% ↑ 234%$289
🏠Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$65 16%
Iksan
$354 25.1% ↑ 443%$289
🍽Eating Out
Dhaka
$59 14.6%
Iksan
$148 10.5% ↑ 149%$89
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$57 14.1%
Iksan
$137 9.7% ↑ 140%$80
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$51 12.7%
Iksan
$271 19.3% ↑ 427%$220
🚌Getting Around
Dhaka
$27 6.7%
Iksan
$11 * 0.8% ↓ 58.3%$16
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$22 5.4%
Iksan
$74 5.3% ↑ 240%$52
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$304 31.4%
Iksan
$949 32% ↑ 212%$645
🏠Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$192 19.9%
Iksan
$750 25.3% ↑ 290%$557
🍽Eating Out
Dhaka
$180 18.6%
Iksan
$464 15.7% ↑ 158%$284
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$127 13.1%
Iksan
$304 10.3% ↑ 140%$178
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$55 5.7%
Iksan
$314 10.6% ↑ 466%$259
🚌Getting Around
Dhaka
$55 5.7%
Iksan
$25 * 0.8% ↓ 54.8%$30
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$54 5.6%
Iksan
$161 5.4% ↑ 198%$107
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 $481 in Iksan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Iksan pays 587% 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: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $35.00 in Iksan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $412 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.
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 Iksan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Iksan cheaper than Dhaka?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 247% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Dhaka or Iksan?
On paper, salaries run 587% lower in Iksan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Dhaka and Iksan?
Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Dhaka versus $481 in Iksan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $295 in Iksan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Dhaka or in Iksan?
Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $35.00 in Iksan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Dhaka or in Iksan?
At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,408 in Iksan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Iksan. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Dhaka or in Iksan?
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 Iksan?
Safety-wise, Dhaka and Iksan 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 Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 247% less than in Iksan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.