Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Kulim

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $422 a month against $891 in Kulim, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
Learn more

Kulim Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Kulim

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $422 in Dhaka versus $891 in Kulim.

Dhaka $422
Kulim $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Dhaka versus $1,374 in Kulim.

Dhaka $728
Kulim $1,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Dhaka versus $1,857 in Kulim.

Dhaka $1,033
Kulim $1,857

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 53% less than in Kulim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 69% lower, Kulim 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 ৳298

$3.72 MYR 15.17

-35.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.93 ৳1,604

$19.45 MYR 79.3

-33.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ৳593

$4.53 MYR 18.45

5.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳610

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳491

Cappuccino

$2.38 ৳295

$2.89 MYR 11.76

-17.65%

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

$0.30 ৳37.11

$0.78 MYR 3.19

-61.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ৳21.32

$0.42 MYR 1.70

-59.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 MYR 15.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.76

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ৳97.5

$1.96 MYR 7.97

-59.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.23 MYR 5.00

-48.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ৳89.1

$1.30 MYR 5.29

-44.62%

Eggs

$1.18 ৳147

$2.23 MYR 9.07

-47.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ৳1,083

$12.68 MYR 51.7

-31.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳409

$3.85 MYR 15.70

-14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 ৳824

$10.72 MYR 43.69

-38.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ৳347

$3.05 MYR 12.42

-8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ৳107

$1.89 MYR 7.68

-54.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ৳287

$2.55 MYR 10.37

-9.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ৳75.8

$1.44 MYR 5.88

-57.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.30

$1.19 MYR 4.83

-80.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ৳59.9

$1.36 MYR 5.54

-64.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳41.25

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-69.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.58

$0.53 MYR 2.15

-43.40%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.23 ৳1,516

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 ৳649

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 ৳808

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ৳408

$4.47 MYR 18.22

-26.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 MYR 85.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 MYR 12.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MYR 15.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ৳51.3

$0.75 MYR 3.06

-45.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 ৳2,638

$12.64 MYR 51.5

68.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ৳147

$1.04 MYR 4.23

13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳47.19

$0.56 MYR 2.28

-32.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 ৳406

$8.26 MYR 33.64

-60.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ৳143

$0.74 MYR 3.00

56.76%

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

$29.9K ৳3.7M

$48.9K MYR 199.1K

-38.81%

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

$32.5K ৳4.0M

$30.9K MYR 125.9K

5.17%

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

$46.86 ৳5,813

$45.19 MYR 184

3.70%

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

$4.31 ৳535

$8.70 MYR 35.44

-50.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.09 ৳1,376

$25.83 MYR 105

-57.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.52 ৳2,173

$36.10 MYR 147

-51.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ৳2,191

$7.37 MYR 30.04

139.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 ৳534

$4.46 MYR 18.16

-3.36%

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

$139 ৳17.2K

$268 MYR 1,091

-48.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,570 ৳318.8K

$7,096 MYR 28.9K

-63.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.32 ৳2,025

$62.2 MYR 253

-73.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.36 ৳2,402

$30.78 MYR 125

-37.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.97 ৳5,702

$77.2 MYR 314

-40.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.74 ৳4,557

$70.8 MYR 289

-48.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$145 ৳18.0K

$419 MYR 1,707

-65.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.1 ৳8,449

$265 MYR 1,079

-74.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ৳57.2K

$763 MYR 3,110

-39.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ৳28.8K

$497 MYR 2,026

-53.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,575 ৳195.4K

$2,141 MYR 8,723

-26.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 ৳97.9K

$1,272 MYR 5,184

-37.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

4.06

162.81%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$122 29%

Kulim

$262 29.4% 114% $139

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$68 16.1%

Kulim

$265 29.7% 289% $197

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15.2%

Kulim

$112 12.5% 74.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$62 14.8%

Kulim

$80 9% 28% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$53 12.6%

Kulim

$108 12.2% 104% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Kulim

$45 5.1% 72.3% $19

Getting Around

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Kulim

$19 2.2% 25.1% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $145 in Dhaka and $419 in Kulim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13 in Dhaka vs $19 in Kulim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $262 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Kulim

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

319,056

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Kulim 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Kulim

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 Kulim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 111% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $633 in Dhaka and $1,336 in Kulim 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: $145 in Dhaka versus $419 in Kulim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $422 per month in Dhaka versus $891 in Kulim – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kulim runs roughly 41% less than in Dhaka. 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.