Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,037 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
Learn more

Phnom Penh Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Phnom Penh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Dhaka versus $1,037 in Phnom Penh.

Dhaka $426
Phnom Penh $1,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $735 in Dhaka versus $1,654 in Phnom Penh.

Dhaka $735
Phnom Penh $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,043 in Dhaka versus $2,271 in Phnom Penh.

Dhaka $1,043
Phnom Penh $2,271

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 59% less than in Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Phnom Penh 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 ৳305

$4.08 ៛16.6K

-38.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.06 ৳1,604

$39.62 ៛160.7K

-67.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ৳594

$6.91 ៛28.0K

-30.10%

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

$3.02 ៛12.3K

-22.52%

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

$0.30 ৳37.38

$1.87 ៛7,583

-83.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.96

$0.61 ៛2,487

-73.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ៛3,969

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ៛11.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳98.1

$2.17 ៛8,815

-63.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ৳79.3

$1.61 ៛6,516

-59.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ৳87.2

$1.07 ៛4,322

-33.64%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳149

$1.73 ៛7,033

-30.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ৳1,065

$14.96 ៛60.7K

-42.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ৳395

$4.07 ៛16.5K

-21.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 ৳823

$9.25 ៛37.5K

-27.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ৳335

$3.87 ៛15.7K

-29.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳108

$1.70 ៛6,889

-48.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳291

$4.30 ៛17.4K

-44.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ৳79.5

$2.13 ៛8,659

-69.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.19

$1.62 ៛6,559

-85.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.28 ៛5,180

-61.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ৳38.87

$1.15 ៛4,663

-72.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.30

$0.77 ៛3,104

-61.04%

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

$1.95 ៛7,895

65.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 ៛45.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,171

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,274

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.47 ៛1,903

-10.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

$9.74 ៛39.5K

131.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.10 ៛4,461

8.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ৳48.58

$0.98 ៛3,960

-59.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ৳411

$5.15 ៛20.9K

-34.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ৳141

$1.35 ៛5,492

-14.81%

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

$30.3K ৳3.7M

$35.5K ៛144.1M

-14.75%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$43.9K ៛177.9M

-24.67%

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

$46.32 ৳5,690

$106 ៛431.9K

-56.50%

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

$4.33 ৳531

$7.39 ៛30.0K

-41.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.63 ৳1,306

$25.24 ៛102.4K

-57.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.37 ৳2,011

$40.80 ៛165.5K

-59.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ৳1,982

$10.94 ៛44.4K

47.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ৳508

$4.97 ៛20.2K

-16.90%

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

$90.7 ৳11.1K

$665 ៛2.7M

-86.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,649 ৳325.4K

$11.0K ៛44.6M

-75.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.48 ৳2,024

$27.67 ៛112.2K

-40.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ৳2,579

$24.26 ៛98.4K

-13.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.3 ৳6,173

$89.8 ៛364.1K

-44.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.46 ৳4,478

$59.1 ៛239.7K

-38.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ৳18.6K

$639 ៛2.6M

-76.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.6 ৳9,041

$370 ៛1.5M

-80.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 ৳53.5K

$1,148 ៛4.7M

-62.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ৳26.3K

$803 ៛3.3M

-73.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,622 ৳199.2K

$2,883 ៛11.7M

-43.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$761 ৳93.5K

$1,488 ៛6.0M

-48.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

$330 ៛1.3M

-24.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

8.07

29.86%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.5%

Phnom Penh

$252 24.5% 105% $129

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$74 17.1%

Phnom Penh

$370 35.9% 402% $296

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15%

Phnom Penh

$110 10.7% 71.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$61 14.3%

Phnom Penh

$139 13.5% 127% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$56 13%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.8% 61.7% $34

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.4%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7% 35.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.7%

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9% 106% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Dhaka and $639 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phnom Penh pays 33% 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 $40.00 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $252 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, 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).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,549 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Phnom Penh 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 143% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Phnom Penh. 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 $639 in Phnom Penh. 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 $1,037 in Phnom Penh – a 143% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 131% less than in Phnom Penh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,037 in Phnom Penh, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. 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 Phnom Penh, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Phnom Penh 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 143% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.