Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $599 in Islamabad, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Islamabad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $599 in Islamabad.

Dhaka $406
Islamabad $599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $930 in Islamabad.

Dhaka $687
Islamabad $930

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,261 in Islamabad.

Dhaka $969
Islamabad $1,261

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 32% less than in Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Islamabad 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$3.63 PKR 1,004

-37.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$23.40 PKR 6,478

-47.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$5.54 PKR 1,534

-28.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

$3.57 PKR 987

25.49%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

$6.73 PKR 1,864

-38.63%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ৳281

$2.64 PKR 730

-13.64%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.32 PKR 89.6

3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.23 PKR 63.7

-30.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$0.94 PKR 259

-9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$0.72 PKR 200

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.30 PKR 361

-46.92%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.22 PKR 339

0.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$6.05 PKR 1,674

45.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$3.09 PKR 855

7.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$5.35 PKR 1,482

23.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$1.26 PKR 350

126.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$0.87 PKR 241

3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.04 PKR 288

125.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$0.53 PKR 146

18.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$0.29 PKR 81.2

-17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$0.36 PKR 99.4

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.28 PKR 76.4

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.39 PKR 108

-28.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,496

$1.95 PKR 539

521.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳656

$1.19 PKR 331

346.22%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳794

$2.68 PKR 743

139.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ৳405

$2.24 PKR 619

46.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.16 PKR 43.07

162.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$21.34 PKR 5,905

5.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.24 PKR 344

-4.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.74 PKR 204

-47.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$1.60 PKR 442

105.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.37 PKR 378

-19.71%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$54.5K PKR 15.1M

-45.99%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

34.81%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$103 PKR 28.6K

-62.93%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$5.99 PKR 1,658

-31.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$17.15 PKR 4,746

-47.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$28.20 PKR 7,806

-51.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$8.47 PKR 2,344

20.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$4.43 PKR 1,226

-7.22%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$75.7 PKR 20.9K

19.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$5,004 PKR 1.4M

-48.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$25.72 PKR 7,118

-33.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$34.48 PKR 9,543

-37.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$95.5 PKR 26.4K

-46.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$41.32 PKR 11.4K

-10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$276 PKR 76.5K

-51.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$139 PKR 38.3K

-53.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$572 PKR 158.2K

-34.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$270 PKR 74.9K

-28.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,629 PKR 450.8K

-0.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$836 PKR 231.5K

-9.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$380 PKR 105.2K

-35.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

13.08

-19.88%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Islamabad

$102 17% 17.4% $22

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Islamabad

$139 23.1% 113% $73

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Islamabad

$80 13.3% 33.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Islamabad

$89 14.8% 55.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Islamabad

$126 21.1% 146% $75

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 1.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Islamabad

$37 6.2% 69.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $276 in Islamabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islamabad pays 54% 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 $23.00 in Islamabad. Groceries flip the comparison at $124 vs $102, with Islamabad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

04:47 4:47 AM

1 h behind Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Islamabad 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Islamabad. 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: $133 in Dhaka versus $276 in Islamabad. 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 $599 in Islamabad – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 5% less than in Islamabad. 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 Islamabad 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 48% less than in Islamabad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.