Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Madurai

For one person, living costs are similar in Dhaka and in Madurai: $422 and $416 a month, rent and utilities included.

Dhaka, Bangladesh
Madurai, India
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$422
/mo nomad
Madurai
🇮🇳 India
$416
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Madurai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $422 in Dhaka versus $416 in Madurai.

  • Dhaka $422
  • Madurai $416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Dhaka versus $703 in Madurai.

  • Dhaka $728
  • Madurai $703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Dhaka versus $989 in Madurai.

  • Dhaka $1,033
  • Madurai $989

Monthly costs are close between Dhaka and Madurai; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.40 ৳298
$1.71 ₹162
40.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.93 ৳1,609
$10.45 ₹992
23.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ৳595
$4.23 ₹402
13.00%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.92 ৳612
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 ৳492
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.38 ৳296
$2.28 ₹216
4.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.22
$0.58 ₹55.1
-48.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 ৳21.38
$0.25 ₹23.87
-32.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.14 ₹203
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.72 ₹353
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 ৳97.8
$0.55 ₹52.5
43.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.63 ৳78.6
$0.56 ₹53.4
12.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 ৳89.4
$0.68 ₹65.0
5.88%
Eggs
$1.18 ৳147
$0.84 ₹79.5
40.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 ৳1,086
$6.12 ₹581
42.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ৳410
$2.96 ₹281
11.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.64 ৳827
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ৳348
$2.98 ₹283
-6.04%
Banana (1kg)
$0.86 ৳107
$0.74 ₹70.3
16.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.32 ৳288
$1.68 ₹159
38.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.61 ৳76.0
$0.50 ₹47.66
22.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.23 ৳28.39
$0.62 ₹59.2
-62.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.48 ৳60.1
$0.70 ₹66.9
-31.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 ৳41.37
$0.67 ₹63.9
-50.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.69
$0.29 ₹27.13
3.45%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$12.23 ৳1,521
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.23 ৳651
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.51 ৳810
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29 ৳409
$5.16 ₹490
-36.24%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$10.63 ₹1,010
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.13 ₹202
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.44 ₹421
-
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$9.72 ₹923
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 ৳51.4
$0.20 ₹18.95
105.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.27 ৳2,646
$10.41 ₹988
104.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 ৳147
$1.17 ₹111
0.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ৳47.33
$0.33 ₹31.24
15.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 ৳407
$1.29 ₹122
153.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ৳144
$1.11 ₹106
4.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K ৳3.7M
$11.2K ₹1.1M
167.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.5K ৳4.0M
$23.7K ₹2.2M
37.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$46.86 ৳5,830
$23.27 ₹2,210
101.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.31 ৳537
$4.76 ₹452
-9.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.09 ৳1,380
$7.55 ₹717
46.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.52 ৳2,179
$15.81 ₹1,501
10.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.67 ৳2,198
$6.46 ₹614
173.53%
Cinema Ticket
$4.31 ৳536
$2.67 ₹254
61.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$139 ৳17.3K
$42.17 ₹4,004
229.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,570 ৳319.7K
$1,576 ₹149.6K
63.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.32 ৳2,031
$25.37 ₹2,409
-35.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.36 ৳2,409
$25.52 ₹2,423
-24.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.97 ৳5,719
$53.2 ₹5,048
-13.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.74 ৳4,570
$32.85 ₹3,119
11.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$145 ৳18.0K
$135 ₹12.8K
7.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$68.1 ৳8,474
$79.7 ₹7,571
-14.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$461 ৳57.3K
$433 ₹41.1K
6.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$232 ৳28.9K
$264 ₹25.0K
-11.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,575 ৳196.0K
$987 ₹93.8K
59.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$789 ৳98.2K
$440 ₹41.8K
79.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Madurai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$245 ৳30.4K
$363 ₹34.4K
-32.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.67
9.59
11.26%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Madurai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$122
Madurai
$129 5.4% $6.6
Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$68
Madurai
$80 17% $12
Eating Out
Dhaka
$64
Madurai
$75 17.4% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$62
Madurai
$36 42.9% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$53
Madurai
$62 15.6% $8.3
Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$26
Madurai
$21 19.1% $5
Getting Around
Dhaka
$26
Madurai
$14 46.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $145 in Dhaka and $135 in Madurai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madurai pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Dhaka vs $10 in Madurai. Groceries flip the comparison at $122 vs $129, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🇮🇳 Madurai
🕒 Local time
10:51 10:51 AM
10:21 10:21 AM
30 min behind Dhaka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,741,000 Capital
1,700,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.04 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dhaka Madurai 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dhaka
  • Madurai

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 Madurai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you earn more: Dhaka or Madurai?
On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Dhaka. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Dhaka and Madurai?
Rent for a central apartment: $145 in Dhaka versus $135 in Madurai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $139 in Dhaka versus $42 in Madurai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Dhaka or in Madurai?
Dining out is cheaper in Madurai – a meal for two runs $10 versus $13 in Dhaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,200 enough for either Dhaka or Madurai?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Madurai gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is Dhaka or Madurai more family-friendly?
For families, Madurai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dhaka, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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