Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Karawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $453 in Karawang, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. The total is higher in Karawang despite lower rent and utilities.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Karawang
Learn more

Karawang Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Karawang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Karawang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $453 in Karawang.

Dhaka $406
Karawang $453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $821 in Karawang.

Dhaka $687
Karawang $821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,188 in Karawang.

Dhaka $969
Karawang $1,188

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 11% less than in Karawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Karawang 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

67.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$11.11 Rp 200.0K

10.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$3.43 Rp 61.7K

15.16%

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

$1.52 Rp 27.3K

50.00%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.41 Rp 7,379

-19.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.20 Rp 3,668

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 Rp 55.8K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

-24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.02 Rp 18.3K

-41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

-15.85%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

-12.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

220.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

13.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$8.01 Rp 144.2K

-17.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$1.82 Rp 32.8K

56.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.04 Rp 18.6K

-13.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

87.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$0.52 Rp 9,404

21.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

-73.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-69.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.70 Rp 12.6K

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.44 Rp 7,926

-36.36%

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

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

23.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.50 Rp 405.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.59 Rp 10.6K

-28.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

36.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.51 Rp 9,216

-23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$1.14 Rp 20.4K

187.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.91 Rp 16.5K

20.88%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$21.5K Rp 387.0M

36.88%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$28.6K Rp 514.5M

12.52%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$34.09 Rp 613.6K

12.29%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$4.43 Rp 79.7K

-7.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$12.32 Rp 221.7K

-26.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$20.52 Rp 369.4K

-33.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$8.33 Rp 150.0K

22.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

43.21%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$43.73 Rp 787.2K

107.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$8,398 Rp 151.2M

-69.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$16.72 Rp 301.0K

2.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$27.84 Rp 501.2K

-23.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$49.09 Rp 883.6K

4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$48.42 Rp 871.6K

-24.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$141 Rp 2.5M

-5.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

-4.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$535 Rp 9.6M

-29.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$369 Rp 6.6M

-47.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,178 Rp 21.2M

37.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$717 Rp 12.9M

6.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$412 Rp 7.4M

-40.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

11.38

-7.91%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Karawang

$175 38.5% 41.2% $51

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Karawang

$68 15.1% 5.1% $3.3

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Karawang

$64 14% 6.9% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Karawang

$64 14.1% 12.2% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Karawang

$51 11.2% 1.1% $0.5

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Karawang

$5.8 * 1.3% 78.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Karawang

$26 5.8% 20% $4.4

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 $141 in Karawang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karawang pays 67% 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 $11.00 in Karawang. Groceries flip the comparison at $124 vs $175, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇮🇩 Karawang

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

19:40 7:40 PM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

273,472

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Karawang 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Karawang

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 Karawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Karawang. 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 $141 in Karawang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $43.73 in Karawang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $11.00 in Karawang. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Karawang 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 12% less than in Karawang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.