Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Nilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $944 in Nilai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Nilai
Learn more

Nilai Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Nilai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $944 in Nilai.

Dhaka $428
Nilai $944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,408 in Nilai.

Dhaka $724
Nilai $1,408

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,873 in Nilai.

Dhaka $1,019
Nilai $1,873

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 55% less than in Nilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Nilai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$3.61 MYR 14.71

-30.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$19.70 MYR 80.4

-32.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$6.16 MYR 25.13

-18.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 ৳602

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳511

Cappuccino

$2.35 ৳291

$3.45 MYR 14.09

-31.88%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.81 MYR 3.32

-59.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.38 MYR 1.56

-57.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 MYR 14.54

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.29

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-50.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.38 MYR 5.65

-54.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-53.15%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$2.22 MYR 9.06

-46.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-36.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$4.32 MYR 17.61

-23.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$9.83 MYR 40.11

-34.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$3.22 MYR 13.15

-14.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.69 MYR 6.91

-44.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.55 MYR 6.33

-58.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.28 MYR 5.21

-79.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.29 MYR 5.27

-62.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-74.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.56 MYR 2.29

-46.43%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 ৳1,512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.43 ৳671

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 ৳807

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ৳392

$4.97 MYR 20.29

-36.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 MYR 85.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 MYR 10.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.73 MYR 2.99

-47.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$13.51 MYR 55.1

70.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$1.12 MYR 4.57

4.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.52 MYR 2.11

-26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$8.45 MYR 34.46

-61.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$0.96 MYR 3.93

15.63%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$42.8K MYR 174.4K

-31.91%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$30.6K MYR 125.0K

7.41%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$49.33 MYR 201

-5.19%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$9.58 MYR 39.06

-52.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$28.03 MYR 114

-59.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$36.98 MYR 151

-55.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$6.36 MYR 25.94

133.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$4.79 MYR 19.55

-12.32%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$186 MYR 759

-50.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$6,358 MYR 25.9K

-59.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$49.57 MYR 202

-66.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$37.46 MYR 153

-47.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$75.4 MYR 308

-37.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$81.2 MYR 331

-54.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$382 MYR 1,558

-61.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$297 MYR 1,210

-76.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$665 MYR 2,715

-35.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$477 MYR 1,947

-55.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$2,219 MYR 9,052

-27.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$979 MYR 3,993

-23.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$1,393 MYR 5,683

-82.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

4.06

162.81%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nilai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Nilai

$263 27.9% 114% $140

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Nilai

$297 31.4% 319% $226

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Nilai

$120 12.8% 84.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Nilai

$87 9.2% 39.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Nilai

$110 11.6% 103% $55

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Nilai

$20 2.1% 27.2% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Nilai

$47 4.9% 87.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $382 in Nilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nilai pays 469% 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 $20.00 in Nilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $263 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Nilai

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

38,612

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Nilai 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Nilai

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 Nilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 469% lower in Nilai. 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: $148 in Dhaka versus $382 in Nilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $428 per month in Dhaka versus $944 in Nilai – a 120% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 71% less than in Nilai. 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 Nilai 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 120% less than in Nilai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.