Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Pabna

For one person, living is cheaper in Pabna: $317 a month against $422 in Dhaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Pabna
Learn more

Pabna Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Pabna

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Pabna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $422 in Dhaka versus $317 in Pabna.

Dhaka $422
Pabna $317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Dhaka versus $526 in Pabna.

Dhaka $728
Pabna $526

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Dhaka versus $734 in Pabna.

Dhaka $1,033
Pabna $734

Living in Dhaka is roughly 33% more expensive than in Pabna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 69% lower, Pabna 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 ৳297

$1.99 ৳246

20.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.93 ৳1,599

$13.29 ৳1,643

-2.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ৳591

$4.93 ৳610

-3.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳608

$4.77 ৳590

3.14%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳489

$3.93 ৳487

0.76%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ৳294

$2.34 ৳289

1.71%

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

$0.30 ৳37.00

$0.19 ৳23.59

57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ৳21.26

$0.14 ৳17.15

21.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ৳97.2

$0.50 ৳61.5

58.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳78.1

$0.63 ৳77.3

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ৳88.8

$0.50 ৳62.3

44.00%

Eggs

$1.18 ৳146

$1.00 ৳123

18.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ৳1,080

$8.92 ৳1,103

-2.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$1.58 ৳195

108.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 ৳822

$5.29 ৳654

25.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ৳346

$1.63 ৳202

71.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ৳107

$0.66 ৳81.9

30.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ৳287

$1.47 ৳182

57.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ৳75.5

$0.27 ৳33.36

125.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.22

$0.23 ৳28.44

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ৳59.8

$0.45 ৳56.0

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳41.13

$0.33 ৳41.17

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.46

$0.23 ৳28.33

30.43%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.23 ৳1,512

$12.00 ৳1,484

1.92%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 ৳647

$5.48 ৳678

-4.56%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 ৳805

$6.35 ৳786

2.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ৳407

$3.21 ৳397

2.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ৳51.1

$0.35 ৳43.14

17.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 ৳2,630

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ৳146

$1.24 ৳154

-4.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳47.05

$0.42 ৳51.6

-9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 ৳405

$3.28 ৳405

-0.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ৳143

$1.10 ৳136

5.45%

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

$29.9K ৳3.7M

$29.2K ৳3.6M

2.33%

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

$32.5K ৳4.0M

$31.9K ৳3.9M

2.04%

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

$46.86 ৳5,796

$20.52 ৳2,537

128.36%

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

$4.31 ৳534

$4.54 ৳562

-5.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.09 ৳1,372

$11.31 ৳1,398

-1.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.52 ৳2,166

$13.32 ৳1,647

31.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ৳2,185

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 ৳533

$4.21 ৳521

2.38%

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

$139 ৳17.2K

$25.45 ৳3,147

445.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,570 ৳317.8K

$1,164 ৳144.0K

120.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.32 ৳2,019

$8.30 ৳1,026

96.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.36 ৳2,394

$18.96 ৳2,345

2.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.97 ৳5,685

$47.09 ৳5,823

-2.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.74 ৳4,543

$36.38 ৳4,500

0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$145 ৳17.9K

$86.7 ৳10.7K

67.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.1 ৳8,424

$51.3 ৳6,342

32.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ৳57.0K

$170 ৳21.0K

171.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ৳28.7K

$117 ৳14.4K

98.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,575 ৳194.8K

$745 ৳92.1K

111.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 ৳97.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$119 ৳14.7K

106.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pabna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$122 29%

Pabna

$93 29.3% 24.2% $30

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$68 16.1%

Pabna

$51 16.2% 24.7% $17

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15.2%

Pabna

$60 19% 6.1% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$62 14.8%

Pabna

$36 11.5% 41.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$53 12.6%

Pabna

$50 15.7% 6.5% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Pabna

$22 6.9% 16.8% $4.4

Getting Around

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Pabna

$4.7 * 1.5% 81.8% $21

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 $145 in Dhaka and $87 in Pabna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Dhaka vs $13 in Pabna. Groceries flip the comparison at $122 vs $93, with Pabna cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇧🇩 Pabna

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

Same time as Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

144,442

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Dhaka Pabna 120 km

From you

Dhaka
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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 Pabna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pabna is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dhaka is about 2.1 times higher, 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 $87 in Pabna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Dhaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $139 in Dhaka versus $25 in Pabna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Pabna 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.

It comes down to priorities – Pabna wins on affordability, Dhaka on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.