Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Langkawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $537 in Langkawi, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Langkawi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Langkawi
Learn more

Langkawi Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Langkawi

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Langkawi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $537 in Langkawi.

Dhaka $406
Langkawi $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $770 in Langkawi.

Dhaka $687
Langkawi $770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,003 in Langkawi.

Dhaka $969
Langkawi $1,003

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 24% less than in Langkawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Langkawi 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$3.27 MYR 13.33

-30.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$19.71 MYR 80.4

-37.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$6.38 MYR 26.04

-38.09%

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

$1.65 MYR 6.72

38.18%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.82 MYR 3.36

-59.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.53 MYR 2.18

-69.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 MYR 9.22

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.74 MYR 7.10

-51.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.31 MYR 5.36

-54.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.79 MYR 7.30

-31.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$17.48 MYR 71.3

-49.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.02 MYR 8.23

41.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$0.99 MYR 4.05

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.68 MYR 6.86

39.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.67 MYR 6.83

-62.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$0.76 MYR 3.09

-39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

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

$3.69 MYR 15.04

-11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.82 MYR 36.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.88 MYR 3.57

25.00%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$24.4K MYR 99.6K

20.55%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$36.65 MYR 150

4.45%

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

$4.09 ৳506

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$24.82 MYR 101

-44.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$308 MYR 1,255

-56.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$244 MYR 997

-73.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$374 MYR 1,528

0.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$320 MYR 1,304

-39.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,168 MYR 4,765

38.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$1,240 MYR 5,060

-80.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Langkawi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Langkawi

$148 * 27.5% 19.3% $24

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Langkawi

$244 45.5% 276% $179

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Langkawi

$84 15.6% 40.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Langkawi

$37 * 6.8% 28.7% $15

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Langkawi

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Langkawi

$25 * 4.6% 13.4% $2.9

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 $308 in Langkawi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Langkawi pays 404% 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 $20.00 in Langkawi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $148 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Langkawi

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

30,212

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Langkawi 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Langkawi

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 Langkawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 404% lower in Langkawi. 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 $308 in Langkawi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Langkawi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $20.00 in Langkawi. 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 Langkawi 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 32% less than in Langkawi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.