Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Iloilo

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $693 in Iloilo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$426
/mo nomad
Iloilo
🇵🇭 Philippines
$693
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Iloilo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $693 in Iloilo.

  • Dhaka $426
  • Iloilo $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,054 in Iloilo.

  • Dhaka $735
  • Iloilo $1,054

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $1,416 in Iloilo.

  • Dhaka $1,043
  • Iloilo $1,416

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 39% less than in Iloilo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Iloilo 48% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.49 ৳305
$2.83 ₱177
-12.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.06 ৳1,604
$19.43 ₱1,219
-32.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.83 ৳594
$3.15 ₱198
53.33%
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
$2.09 ₱131
11.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.38
$0.65 ₱40.93
-53.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16 ৳19.96
$0.34 ₱21.39
-52.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.06 ₱66.6
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.81 ₱113
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 ৳98.1
$1.69 ₱106
-52.66%
White Bread (500g)
$0.65 ৳79.3
$1.20 ₱75.1
-45.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.71 ৳87.2
$0.84 ₱52.9
-15.48%
Eggs
$1.21 ৳149
$2.06 ₱129
-41.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.67 ৳1,065
$6.05 ₱379
43.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.21 ৳395
$4.04 ₱254
-20.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.70 ৳823
$6.18 ₱388
8.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 ৳335
$3.32 ₱208
-17.77%
Banana (1kg)
$0.88 ৳108
$1.04 ₱65.3
-15.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 ৳291
$3.06 ₱192
-22.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.65 ৳79.5
$1.38 ₱86.4
-52.90%
Potato (1kg)
$0.24 ৳29.19
$2.39 ₱150
-89.96%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 ৳60.6
$2.71 ₱170
-81.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.32 ৳38.87
$1.47 ₱92.4
-78.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.30
$0.81 ₱50.8
-62.96%
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
$2.99 ₱188
8.03%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$6.19 ₱388
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.10 ₱68.8
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.26 ₱78.8
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 ৳52.1
$0.24 ₱15.09
75.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.54 ৳2,769
$4.59 ₱288
391.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ৳147
$0.82 ₱51.4
45.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.40 ৳48.58
$0.34 ₱21.10
17.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.35 ৳411
$2.36 ₱148
41.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ৳141
$1.16 ₱72.9
-0.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K ৳3.7M
$21.8K ₱1.4M
39.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K ৳4.1M
$19.5K ₱1.2M
69.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$46.32 ৳5,690
$64.5 ₱4,044
-28.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.33 ৳531
$9.82 ₱616
-55.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.63 ৳1,306
$27.65 ₱1,734
-61.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.37 ৳2,011
$9.76 ₱612
67.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.14 ৳1,982
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.13 ৳508
$4.70 ₱295
-12.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$90.7 ৳11.1K
$31.77 ₱1,993
185.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,649 ৳325.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.48 ৳2,024
$23.50 ₱1,474
-29.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.00 ৳2,579
$17.74 ₱1,113
18.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$50.3 ৳6,173
$55.5 ₱3,480
-9.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.46 ৳4,478
$23.96 ₱1,503
52.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$152 ৳18.6K
$308 ₱19.3K
-50.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$73.6 ৳9,041
$246 ₱15.4K
-70.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$436 ৳53.5K
$1,184 ₱74.3K
-63.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$214 ৳26.3K
$436 ₱27.4K
-50.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,622 ৳199.2K
$3,633 ₱227.9K
-55.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$761 ৳93.5K
$1,055 ₱66.2K
-27.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Iloilo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$249 ৳30.6K
$206 ₱12.9K
20.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.48
7.33
42.97%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Iloilo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$123
Iloilo
$188 53.3% $65
Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$74
Iloilo
$246 235% $173
Eating Out
Dhaka
$64
Iloilo
$70 9.1% $5.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$61
Iloilo
$102 66.3% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$56
Iloilo
$54 2.8% $1.6
Getting Around
Dhaka
$27
Iloilo
$8.1 70.6% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$25
Iloilo
$19 22.2% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $308 in Iloilo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $19.00 in Iloilo 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
🇵🇭 Iloilo
🕒 Local time
09:31 9:31 AM
11:31 11:31 AM
2 h ahead of Dhaka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,741,000 Capital
457,626
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dhaka Iloilo 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dhaka
  • Iloilo

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 Iloilo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Iloilo cheaper than Dhaka?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Dhaka or Iloilo?
Average pay runs 21% 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 Iloilo?
Rent for a central apartment: $152 in Dhaka versus $308 in Iloilo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Dhaka and in Iloilo?
All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Dhaka versus $693 in Iloilo – a 63% 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 Dhaka runs roughly 391% less than in Iloilo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Dhaka or Iloilo?
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.
Is Dhaka or Iloilo more family-friendly?
For families, Dhaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Iloilo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Dhaka or Iloilo?
Safety-wise, Dhaka and Iloilo 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 63% less than in Iloilo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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