Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Koh Tao

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,038 in Koh Tao, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
Learn more

Koh Tao Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Koh Tao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $1,038 in Koh Tao.

Dhaka $426
Koh Tao $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,702 in Koh Tao.

Dhaka $735
Koh Tao $1,702

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $2,367 in Koh Tao.

Dhaka $1,043
Koh Tao $2,367

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 59% less than in Koh Tao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Koh Tao 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$3.75 ฿126

-33.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$27.47 ฿920

-52.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$7.44 ฿249

-35.08%

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

$2.29 ฿76.7

2.18%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$0.74 ฿24.85

-59.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.42 ฿14.14

-61.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿70.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ฿106

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.56 ฿52.3

-48.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.31 ฿43.93

-50.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$1.43 ฿47.89

-50.35%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$2.08 ฿69.6

-41.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$18.59 ฿623

-53.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$3.11 ฿104

3.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$10.34 ฿346

-35.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$2.70 ฿90.5

1.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.54 ฿51.7

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$2.16 ฿72.5

9.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$1.95 ฿65.2

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$1.43 ฿48.03

-83.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.26 ฿42.12

-61.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$1.06 ฿35.35

-69.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.51 ฿17.19

-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

$4.06 ฿136

-20.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.40 ฿583

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$1.97 ฿65.9

-78.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$2.62 ฿87.6

-54.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$0.91 ฿30.50

-56.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$3.48 ฿117

-3.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$1.29 ฿43.27

-10.85%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$23.8K ฿796.9K

27.26%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$24.3K ฿813.9K

35.89%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$96.6 ฿3,235

-52.06%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$11.14 ฿373

-61.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$16.85 ฿564

-36.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$54.6 ฿1,827

-70.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$11.61 ฿389

39.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$7.88 ฿264

-47.59%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$547 ฿18.3K

-83.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$11.4K ฿383.3K

-76.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$62.7 ฿2,100

-73.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$28.43 ฿952

-26.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$96.2 ฿3,220

-47.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$88.2 ฿2,952

-58.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$535 ฿17.9K

-71.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$354 ฿11.9K

-79.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$1,533 ฿51.3K

-71.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$897 ฿30.0K

-76.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$2,660 ฿89.0K

-39.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$1,917 ฿64.2K

-60.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

5.57

88.15%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Koh Tao: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Koh Tao

$252 24.2% 106% $129

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Koh Tao

$354 34% 381% $280

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Koh Tao

$101 9.7% 57.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Koh Tao

$125 12% 103% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Koh Tao

$124 11.9% 122% $68

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Koh Tao

$15 * 1.5% 45.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Koh Tao

$70 6.8% 185% $46

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 $152 in Dhaka and $535 in Koh Tao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $27.00 in Koh Tao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $252 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,382

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Koh Tao 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Koh Tao

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 Koh Tao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 143% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $639 in Dhaka and $1,557 in Koh Tao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $152 in Dhaka versus $535 in Koh Tao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $547 in Koh Tao. 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 $13.00 versus $27.00 in Koh Tao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,038 in Koh Tao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Koh Tao. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Koh Tao 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 143% less than in Koh Tao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.