Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Magelang

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $422 a month against $522 in Magelang, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Magelang
Learn more

Magelang Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Magelang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Magelang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $422 in Dhaka versus $522 in Magelang.

Dhaka $422
Magelang $522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Dhaka versus $829 in Magelang.

Dhaka $728
Magelang $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Dhaka versus $1,136 in Magelang.

Dhaka $1,033
Magelang $1,136

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 19% less than in Magelang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 69% lower, Magelang 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 ৳297

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

70.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.93 ৳1,603

$8.48 Rp 153.9K

52.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ৳593

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

88.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳610

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳490

Cappuccino

$2.38 ৳295

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

221.62%

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

$0.30 ৳37.09

$0.32 Rp 5,749

-6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ৳21.31

$0.17 Rp 3,098

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 Rp 48.0K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ৳97.5

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

-23.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳78.3

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

-44.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ৳89.1

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

-4.00%

Eggs

$1.18 ৳147

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ৳1,082

$6.45 Rp 117.1K

35.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳409

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

46.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 ৳824

$6.95 Rp 126.1K

-4.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ৳347

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

37.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ৳107

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

-22.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ৳287

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

87.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ৳75.7

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

-29.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.29

$1.00 Rp 18.2K

-77.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ৳59.9

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

-64.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳41.23

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

-58.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.56

$0.36 Rp 6,478

-16.67%

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 ৳807

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ৳408

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

71.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.50 Rp 299.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 Rp 38.4K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ৳51.3

$0.29 Rp 5,325

41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 ৳2,637

$11.28 Rp 204.7K

88.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ৳147

$0.43 Rp 7,755

174.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳47.16

$0.32 Rp 5,787

18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 ৳406

$2.18 Rp 39.5K

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ৳143

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

58.90%

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

$29.9K ৳3.7M

$25.4K Rp 460.5M

17.83%

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

$32.5K ৳4.0M

$28.0K Rp 507.7M

16.19%

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

$46.86 ৳5,810

$46.08 Rp 836.0K

1.69%

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

$4.31 ৳535

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

8.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.09 ৳1,375

$19.56 Rp 354.9K

-43.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.52 ৳2,172

$13.49 Rp 244.7K

29.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ৳2,190

$3.64 Rp 66.0K

385.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 ৳534

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

69.69%

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

$139 ৳17.2K

$43.82 Rp 795.1K

216.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,570 ৳318.6K

$3,925 Rp 71.2M

-34.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.32 ৳2,024

$19.01 Rp 345.0K

-14.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.36 ৳2,401

$19.05 Rp 345.6K

1.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.97 ৳5,699

$57.2 Rp 1.0M

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.74 ৳4,555

$51.7 Rp 937.3K

-28.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$145 ৳18.0K

$226 Rp 4.1M

-35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.1 ৳8,445

$146 Rp 2.7M

-53.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ৳57.1K

$561 Rp 10.2M

-17.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ৳28.8K

$361 Rp 6.6M

-35.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,575 ৳195.3K

$1,159 Rp 21.0M

35.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 ৳97.9K

$800 Rp 14.5M

-1.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$170 Rp 3.1M

43.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

7.5

42.27%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Magelang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$122 29%

Magelang

$165 31.6% 34.7% $42

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$68 16.1%

Magelang

$146 28.1% 115% $78

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15.2%

Magelang

$41 8% 35.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$62 14.8%

Magelang

$70 13.3% 11.8% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$53 12.6%

Magelang

$66 12.7% 24.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Magelang

$19 3.6% 28.9% $7.6

Getting Around

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Magelang

$14 2.8% 44.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $145 in Dhaka and $226 in Magelang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13 in Dhaka vs $8 in Magelang. Groceries flip the comparison at $122 vs $165, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇮🇩 Magelang

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

01:17 1:17 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

118,227

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,229 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Magelang 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Magelang

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 Magelang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Dhaka, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $145 in Dhaka versus $226 in Magelang. 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 $522 in Magelang – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Magelang runs roughly 47% 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.