Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $917 in Kota Kinabalu, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
Learn more

Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Kota Kinabalu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu.

Dhaka $426
Kota Kinabalu $917

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu.

Dhaka $735
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu.

Dhaka $1,043
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 54% less than in Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Kota Kinabalu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$3.57 MYR 14.59

-30.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$19.54 MYR 79.8

-33.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$4.92 MYR 20.09

-1.83%

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

$2.63 MYR 10.74

-11.03%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$0.60 MYR 2.44

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.30 MYR 1.22

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MYR 15.27

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-54.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.28 MYR 5.23

-49.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$2.26 MYR 9.23

-68.58%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$3.46 MYR 14.13

-65.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$28.33 MYR 116

-69.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$3.69 MYR 15.05

-13.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$6.68 MYR 27.27

0.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$2.24 MYR 9.15

21.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$1.94 MYR 7.91

22.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$1.99 MYR 8.13

-67.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$1.67 MYR 6.81

-85.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$2.13 MYR 8.71

-77.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-65.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-36.17%

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

$4.92 MYR 20.10

-34.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 MYR 64.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 MYR 14.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$1.91 MYR 7.80

-78.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$41.92 MYR 171

-46.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.91 MYR 7.82

-37.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$0.23 MYR 0.94

73.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$0.76 MYR 3.11

51.32%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-28.11%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-7.30%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$70.5 MYR 288

-34.28%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$9.69 MYR 39.56

-55.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$32.36 MYR 132

-67.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$52.3 MYR 214

-68.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$3.09 MYR 12.64

422.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$5.22 MYR 21.31

-20.88%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$141 MYR 575

-35.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

-62.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$81.5 MYR 333

-79.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$36.64 MYR 150

-42.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$93.7 MYR 382

-46.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$48.75 MYR 199

-25.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$425 MYR 1,735

-64.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$193 MYR 788

-61.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$679 MYR 2,771

-35.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$368 MYR 1,501

-41.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$1,848 MYR 7,546

-12.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$1,099 MYR 4,489

-30.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$592 MYR 2,419

-57.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

3.9

168.72%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 135% $165

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 162% $119

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 52.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 83.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 110% $61

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 92% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 155% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $425 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kota Kinabalu pays 138% 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 $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $288 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

500,425

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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 = 7.27 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Kota Kinabalu 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kota Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 115% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 138% lower in Kota Kinabalu. 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 $425 in Kota Kinabalu. 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 $917 in Kota Kinabalu – a 115% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 86% less than in Kota Kinabalu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $917 in Kota Kinabalu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Kota Kinabalu. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Kota Kinabalu 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 115% less than in Kota Kinabalu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.