Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Pasay

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $907 in Pasay, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
Learn more

Pasay Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Pasay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $907 in Pasay.

Dhaka $406
Pasay $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,237 in Pasay.

Dhaka $687
Pasay $1,237

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,567 in Pasay.

Dhaka $969
Pasay $1,567

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Pasay 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$4.40 ₱277

-48.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$18.94 ₱1,193

-34.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$2.84 ₱179

39.08%

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

$2.26 ₱142

0.88%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.59 ₱37.36

-44.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.30 ₱19.20

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.3

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.71 ₱108

-50.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.13 ₱71.4

-46.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.97 ₱61.4

-28.87%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.96 ₱123

-37.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$5.15 ₱324

70.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.13 ₱260

-19.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$7.18 ₱452

-7.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.24 ₱141

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.53 ₱96.4

-41.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.31 ₱146

1.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.16 ₱73.2

-45.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$2.37 ₱149

-89.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$3.34 ₱211

-86.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.25 ₱78.7

-72.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.87 ₱55.0

-67.82%

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

$2.88 ₱181

13.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱483

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱61.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₱111

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.17 ₱10.43

147.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.77 ₱48.72

54.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.21 ₱13.20

85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$1.87 ₱118

75.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.24 ₱78.1

-11.29%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

36.78%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

67.15%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$139 ₱8,741

-72.43%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$14.54 ₱916

-71.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$24.75 ₱1,558

-63.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$47.70 ₱3,003

-71.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$5.26 ₱331

-21.86%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$71.9 ₱4,524

26.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$2,541 ₱160.0K

1.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$35.39 ₱2,228

-51.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$19.32 ₱1,217

10.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$71.6 ₱4,505

-28.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$63.6 ₱4,004

-42.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$429 ₱27.0K

-69.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$312 ₱19.7K

-79.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$827 ₱52.1K

-54.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$364 ₱22.9K

-47.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,891 ₱119.0K

-14.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$575 ₱36.2K

32.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$510 ₱32.1K

-51.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

49.71%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pasay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Pasay

$186 20.6% 50.7% $63

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Pasay

$313 34.5% 380% $247

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Pasay

$83 9.2% 40.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Pasay

$85 9.4% 49.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Pasay

$178 19.7% 247% $127

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Pasay

$2.5 * 0.3% 90.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Pasay

$58 6.4% 166% $36

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 $429 in Pasay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasay pays 107% 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 $19.00 in Pasay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $186 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 Pasay

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

01:18 1:18 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

416,522

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Dhaka
Pasay

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 Pasay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 123% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 107% lower in Pasay. 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 $429 in Pasay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $71.9 in Pasay. 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 $19.00 in Pasay. 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.

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 Pasay 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 123% less than in Pasay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.