Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
Learn more

Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Petaling Jaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $1,062 in Petaling Jaya.

Dhaka $426
Petaling Jaya $1,062

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,529 in Petaling Jaya.

Dhaka $735
Petaling Jaya $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $1,997 in Petaling Jaya.

Dhaka $1,043
Petaling Jaya $1,997

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 60% less than in Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Petaling Jaya 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$3.71 MYR 15.15

-32.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$24.45 MYR 99.8

-46.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$4.87 MYR 19.88

-0.82%

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

$2.99 MYR 12.21

-21.74%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$0.88 MYR 3.59

-65.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.44 MYR 1.80

-63.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 MYR 13.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.21

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$1.93 MYR 7.90

-58.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.03 MYR 4.20

-36.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$1.44 MYR 5.89

-50.69%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-31.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$9.66 MYR 39.44

-10.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$3.32 MYR 13.54

-3.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$9.54 MYR 38.94

-29.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$3.44 MYR 14.05

-20.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.93 MYR 7.89

-54.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$2.77 MYR 11.31

-14.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$1.83 MYR 7.47

-64.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$2.15 MYR 8.80

-88.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$2.01 MYR 8.23

-75.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$1.43 MYR 5.85

-77.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.55 MYR 2.25

-45.45%

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

$4.57 MYR 18.66

-29.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.30 MYR 78.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$1.20 MYR 4.92

-65.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$12.40 MYR 50.6

81.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.25 MYR 5.09

-4.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$0.35 MYR 1.44

14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$8.73 MYR 35.64

-61.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$0.88 MYR 3.58

30.68%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-26.28%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$32.6K MYR 133.2K

1.28%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$48.53 MYR 198

-4.55%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$8.08 MYR 33.00

-46.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$26.83 MYR 110

-60.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$51.8 MYR 211

-68.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$3.16 MYR 12.89

410.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$4.92 MYR 20.09

-16.06%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$279 MYR 1,137

-67.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$10.4K MYR 42.4K

-74.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$52.4 MYR 214

-68.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$29.65 MYR 121

-29.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$76.3 MYR 311

-34.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$84.9 MYR 347

-57.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$482 MYR 1,970

-68.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$404 MYR 1,651

-81.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$831 MYR 3,391

-47.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$554 MYR 2,260

-61.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$3,121 MYR 12.7K

-48.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$952 MYR 3,888

-20.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$1,744 MYR 7,120

-85.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.51

132.37%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Petaling Jaya

$250 24% 104% $127

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Petaling Jaya

$404 38.8% 449% $331

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.9% 76.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Petaling Jaya

$83 8% 36.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Petaling Jaya

$109 10.5% 95.9% $54

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 26.2% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Petaling Jaya

$62 5.9% 150% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $482 in Petaling Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 600% 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 $24.00 in Petaling Jaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $250 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

771,687

💱 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 Petaling Jaya 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 149% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 600% lower in Petaling Jaya. 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 $482 in Petaling Jaya. 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 $1,062 in Petaling Jaya – a 149% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 82% less than in Petaling Jaya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Petaling Jaya. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Petaling Jaya 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 149% less than in Petaling Jaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.