Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Jakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $793 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
Learn more

Jakarta Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Jakarta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $793 in Jakarta.

Dhaka $426
Jakarta $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,283 in Jakarta.

Dhaka $735
Jakarta $1,283

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $1,772 in Jakarta.

Dhaka $1,043
Jakarta $1,772

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 46% less than in Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Jakarta 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$2.63 Rp 47.1K

-5.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$16.93 Rp 302.6K

-22.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$3.33 Rp 59.5K

45.05%

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

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

17.00%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$0.43 Rp 7,768

-30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.25 Rp 4,468

-36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 Rp 45.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 Rp 68.8K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.42 Rp 25.4K

-43.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.09 Rp 19.4K

-40.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$0.91 Rp 16.2K

-21.98%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$1.77 Rp 31.7K

-31.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$9.22 Rp 164.8K

-5.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$3.11 Rp 55.5K

3.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$7.78 Rp 139.0K

-13.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$2.87 Rp 51.4K

-4.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.32 Rp 23.5K

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$2.50 Rp 44.6K

-5.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$1.39 Rp 24.9K

-53.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$1.38 Rp 24.7K

-82.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$2.10 Rp 37.6K

-76.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

-65.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.51 Rp 9,098

-41.18%

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

$2.80 Rp 50.0K

15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 372.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 Rp 36.7K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 Rp 54.3K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.27 Rp 4,805

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$11.86 Rp 211.9K

90.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.50 Rp 8,975

138.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$0.33 Rp 5,883

21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$3.42 Rp 61.1K

-2.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

32.18%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$27.8K Rp 496.4M

9.08%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$32.6K Rp 583.0M

1.29%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$106 Rp 1.9M

-56.24%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$6.04 Rp 107.9K

-28.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$19.04 Rp 340.4K

-44.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$25.65 Rp 458.4K

-36.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$13.65 Rp 244.1K

18.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$3.29 Rp 58.8K

25.53%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$153 Rp 2.7M

-40.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$8,270 Rp 147.8M

-67.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$58.7 Rp 1.0M

-71.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$28.37 Rp 507.1K

-25.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

-29.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$106 Rp 1.9M

-65.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$370 Rp 6.6M

-58.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$200 Rp 3.6M

-63.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$1,155 Rp 20.6M

-62.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$556 Rp 9.9M

-61.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$3,023 Rp 54.0M

-46.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$1,445 Rp 25.8M

-47.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$449 Rp 8.0M

-44.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

9.46

10.78%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Jakarta: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Jakarta

$218 27.5% 77.7% $95

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Jakarta

$200 25.3% 172% $127

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Jakarta

$78 9.9% 21.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Jakarta

$131 16.5% 114% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Jakarta

$119 15% 112% $63

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Jakarta

$15 1.9% 45% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Jakarta

$32 4.1% 30.8% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $370 in Jakarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jakarta pays 81% 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 $17.00 in Jakarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $218 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

09:49 9:49 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

11,337,563 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Jakarta 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Jakarta

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 Jakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Jakarta. 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: $152 in Dhaka versus $370 in Jakarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Dhaka versus $793 in Jakarta – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 90% less than in Jakarta. 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.

For families, Dhaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jakarta, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Jakarta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.