Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Miri

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $814 in Miri, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Miri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $814 in Miri.

Dhaka $426
Miri $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,247 in Miri.

Dhaka $735
Miri $1,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $1,680 in Miri.

Dhaka $1,043
Miri $1,680

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 48% less than in Miri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Miri 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$3.43 MYR 14.02

-27.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$12.16 MYR 49.65

7.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$4.55 MYR 18.58

6.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.34 ৳287

$2.30 MYR 9.40

1.74%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-61.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.30 MYR 1.24

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MYR 12.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 MYR 15.59

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.40 MYR 5.72

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.81 MYR 7.40

-64.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$0.94 MYR 3.85

-24.47%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$3.50 MYR 14.27

-65.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$4.79 MYR 19.58

-32.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$15.10 MYR 61.6

-55.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.96 MYR 8.01

-55.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.36 MYR 1.47

-16.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 ৳396

$4.35 MYR 17.77

-25.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.28 MYR 78.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 MYR 12.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 MYR 9.85

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.51 MYR 2.09

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$14.41 MYR 58.8

56.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.19 MYR 4.87

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$0.64 MYR 2.60

-37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$6.05 MYR 24.71

-44.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$0.65 MYR 2.64

76.92%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$51.0K MYR 208.3K

-40.62%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$32.7K MYR 133.3K

1.16%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$49.79 MYR 203

-6.97%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$9.53 MYR 38.91

-54.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$33.24 MYR 136

-68.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$29.63 MYR 121

-44.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$6.17 MYR 25.21

161.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$4.45 MYR 18.18

-7.19%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$102 MYR 416

-11.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$6,641 MYR 27.1K

-60.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$44.13 MYR 180

-62.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$22.74 MYR 92.9

-7.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$56.2 MYR 230

-10.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$42.80 MYR 175

-14.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$341 MYR 1,390

-55.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$280 MYR 1,145

-73.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$596 MYR 2,435

-26.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$594 MYR 2,425

-64.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$1,219 MYR 4,977

33.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$671 MYR 2,741

13.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$692 MYR 2,826

-64.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.12

154.37%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Miri: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Miri

$194 * 24.4% 58.3% $71

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Miri

$280 35.2% 281% $207

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Miri

$96 12% 48.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Miri

$93 11.6% 51.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Miri

$75 9.4% 33.6% $19

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Miri

$21 2.6% 24% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Miri

$39 4.8% 56.4% $14

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 $152 in Dhaka and $341 in Miri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miri pays 178% 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: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $12.00 in Miri. Groceries flip the comparison at $123 vs $194, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Miri

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

248,877

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Miri 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Miri

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 Miri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 91% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 178% lower in Miri. 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: $152 in Dhaka versus $341 in Miri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $426 per month in Dhaka versus $814 in Miri – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 56% less than in Miri. 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.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Miri 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 91% less than in Miri. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.