Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Pai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $881 in Pai, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Pai
Learn more

Pai Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Pai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Pai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $881 in Pai.

Dhaka $406
Pai $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,448 in Pai.

Dhaka $687
Pai $1,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $2,014 in Pai.

Dhaka $969
Pai $2,014

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 54% less than in Pai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Pai 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$3.12 ฿104

-26.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$24.15 ฿807

-48.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$6.91 ฿231

-42.84%

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

$2.01 ฿67.1

13.43%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.66 ฿21.96

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.35 ฿11.60

-54.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.71 ฿57.1

-50.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.34 ฿44.80

-55.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.31 ฿43.76

-47.33%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.11 ฿70.4

-41.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$17.04 ฿570

-48.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$3.05 ฿102

9.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$11.08 ฿370

-40.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.88 ฿96.2

-1.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.19 ฿39.67

-24.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.92 ฿64.1

21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.55 ฿51.9

-59.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.54 ฿51.6

-84.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.26 ฿42.00

-63.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.01 ฿33.81

-65.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.52 ฿17.54

-46.15%

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

$4.35 ฿145

-24.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿60.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.87 ฿29.23

-51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.06 ฿35.44

12.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$1.19 ฿39.83

-67.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$6.30 ฿211

-47.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.26 ฿42.14

-12.70%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$27.4K ฿916.3K

7.34%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$27.7K ฿925.4K

16.14%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$74.4 ฿2,486

-48.54%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$13.21 ฿441

-69.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$18.52 ฿619

-51.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$48.79 ฿1,631

-72.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$14.14 ฿473

-27.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$6.95 ฿232

-40.86%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$298 ฿9,968

-69.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$9,327 ฿311.7K

-72.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$31.59 ฿1,056

-46.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$33.72 ฿1,127

-36.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$81.9 ฿2,738

-37.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$66.4 ฿2,218

-44.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$451 ฿15.1K

-70.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$263 ฿8,805

-75.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$828 ฿27.7K

-54.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$658 ฿22.0K

-70.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,485 ฿83.0K

-34.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,833 ฿61.3K

-58.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

5.45

92.29%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Pai

$250 28.4% 103% $127

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Pai

$263 29.9% 305% $198

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Pai

$92 10.5% 55% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Pai

$96 10.9% 68.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Pai

$106 12% 107% $55

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Pai

$11 * 1.2% 61.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Pai

$63 7.1% 186% $41

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 $451 in Pai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $24.00 in Pai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $250 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇭 Pai

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

2,284

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Pai 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Pai

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 Pai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 117% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $609 in Dhaka and $1,322 in Pai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Dhaka versus $451 in Pai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $298 in Pai. 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 $24.00 in Pai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

For families, Dhaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Pai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Pai 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 117% less than in Pai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.