Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,020 in Labuan, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Labuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $1,020 in Labuan.

Dhaka $406
Labuan $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,487 in Labuan.

Dhaka $687
Labuan $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,953 in Labuan.

Dhaka $969
Labuan $1,953

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 60% less than in Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Labuan 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$5.52 MYR 22.53

-58.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$24.16 MYR 98.6

-48.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$6.66 MYR 27.19

-40.69%

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

$3.93 MYR 16.05

-41.98%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$1.06 MYR 4.34

-68.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.45 MYR 1.83

-64.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 MYR 15.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.82 MYR 7.43

-53.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.04 MYR 4.26

-42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.49 MYR 6.07

-53.69%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.10 MYR 8.58

-41.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$16.82 MYR 68.6

-47.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.42 MYR 18.03

-24.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$9.50 MYR 38.76

-30.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$3.17 MYR 12.95

-10.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.83 MYR 7.46

-50.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.39 MYR 9.75

-2.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.76 MYR 7.17

-64.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.39 MYR 5.68

-82.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.03 MYR 4.20

-55.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-70.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.54 MYR 2.20

-48.15%

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

$5.04 MYR 20.57

-34.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 MYR 66.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 MYR 13.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.90

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$10.66 MYR 43.48

110.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.34 MYR 5.47

-11.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.48 MYR 1.97

-18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$6.48 MYR 26.43

-49.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.88 MYR 3.58

25.00%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

-33.11%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

-1.13%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$48.90 MYR 199

-21.72%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$9.68 MYR 39.49

-57.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$27.69 MYR 113

-67.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$41.60 MYR 170

-67.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$7.68 MYR 31.32

32.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$4.29 MYR 17.51

-4.20%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$208 MYR 849

-56.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

-63.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$55.8 MYR 228

-69.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$30.07 MYR 123

-28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$87.0 MYR 355

-40.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$81.8 MYR 334

-55.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$433 MYR 1,768

-69.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$342 MYR 1,397

-80.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$641 MYR 2,614

-41.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$464 MYR 1,892

-58.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,282 MYR 9,308

-28.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,136 MYR 4,636

-33.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$374 MYR 1,525

-34.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.06

158.13%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Labuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Labuan

$264 25.9% 114% $140

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Labuan

$342 33.6% 426% $277

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Labuan

$145 14.2% 144% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Labuan

$115 11.2% 101% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Labuan

$86 8.5% 67.9% $35

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Labuan

$18 1.7% 35.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Labuan

$50 4.9% 129% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $433 in Labuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Labuan pays 52% 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 $24.00 in Labuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $264 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

12:40 12:40 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

95,120

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Labuan 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Labuan

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Labuan. 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 $433 in Labuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $1,020 in Labuan – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 110% less than in Labuan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,020 in Labuan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Labuan. 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 Labuan 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 151% less than in Labuan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.