Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $841 in Mandaluyong, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
Learn more

Mandaluyong Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Mandaluyong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $841 in Mandaluyong.

Dhaka $406
Mandaluyong $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,389 in Mandaluyong.

Dhaka $687
Mandaluyong $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,936 in Mandaluyong.

Dhaka $969
Mandaluyong $1,936

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 52% less than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Mandaluyong 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$4.72 ₱297

-51.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$16.62 ₱1,046

-25.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$3.53 ₱223

11.90%

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

$2.18 ₱137

4.59%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.99 ₱62.1

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.49 ₱30.84

-67.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₱152

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.68 ₱105

-49.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.30 ₱81.6

-53.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.03 ₱64.8

-33.01%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.21 ₱139

-44.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$5.18 ₱326

69.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.84 ₱305

-31.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$6.82 ₱429

-2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$3.38 ₱213

-15.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.89 ₱119

-52.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$3.09 ₱194

-24.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.85 ₱116

-65.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$2.21 ₱139

-89.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$2.63 ₱166

-82.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.62 ₱39.08

-43.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.49 ₱30.84

-42.86%

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

$2.94 ₱185

11.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 ₱564

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₱130

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.38 ₱23.73

10.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.72 ₱45.59

65.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.23 ₱14.47

69.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$1.95 ₱122

68.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.22 ₱76.5

-9.84%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

39.80%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

66.52%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$138 ₱8,711

-72.33%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$17.70 ₱1,114

-76.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$24.54 ₱1,545

-63.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$31.59 ₱1,989

-56.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$6.11 ₱385

-32.73%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$131 ₱8,261

-30.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$8,790 ₱553.4K

-70.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$29.06 ₱1,830

-41.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$27.11 ₱1,707

-21.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$71.2 ₱4,481

-27.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$54.9 ₱3,454

-32.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$622 ₱39.1K

-78.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$241 ₱15.1K

-72.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$1,177 ₱74.1K

-67.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$724 ₱45.6K

-73.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,810 ₱176.9K

-42.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$533 ₱33.6K

-53.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

6.75

55.26%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7% 61.5% $76

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6% 270% $176

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9% 53.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7% 43.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5% 251% $129

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4% 87.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2% 100% $22

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 $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandaluyong pays 117% 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 $17.00 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $200 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

06:55 6:55 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

425,758

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Mandaluyong 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 107% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Mandaluyong. 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 $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $131 in Mandaluyong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $17.00 in Mandaluyong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $841 in Mandaluyong, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Mandaluyong. 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 Mandaluyong 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 107% less than in Mandaluyong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.