Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Polomolok

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $620 in Polomolok, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Polomolok
Learn more

Polomolok Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Polomolok

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Polomolok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $620 in Polomolok.

Dhaka $406
Polomolok $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $985 in Polomolok.

Dhaka $687
Polomolok $985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,350 in Polomolok.

Dhaka $969
Polomolok $1,350

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 35% less than in Polomolok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Polomolok 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$1.58 ₱99.2

44.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$16.91 ₱1,065

-27.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$2.12 ₱133

86.32%

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

$2.23 ₱140

2.24%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.41 ₱26.06

-19.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.67 ₱42.48

-76.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.12 ₱70.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₱120

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.67 ₱105

-49.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$0.87 ₱54.7

-31.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.67 ₱42.21

2.99%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.92 ₱121

-35.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$6.47 ₱407

36.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$2.69 ₱170

23.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$5.63 ₱355

17.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.59 ₱163

10.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$0.54 ₱34.16

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.42 ₱153

-3.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$0.77 ₱48.17

-18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.22 ₱76.6

-80.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$2.80 ₱176

-83.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.78 ₱49.30

-55.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.71 ₱44.43

-60.56%

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

$2.40 ₱151

36.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 ₱453

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₱63.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ₱92.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.22 ₱13.74

90.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$11.28 ₱710

98.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.77 ₱48.76

54.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.25 ₱15.81

56.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$1.89 ₱119

73.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.93 ₱58.3

18.28%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$16.2K ₱1.0M

81.74%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$17.3K ₱1.1M

85.73%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$52.3 ₱3,290

-26.74%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$19.17 ₱1,207

-78.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$26.21 ₱1,650

-65.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$31.95 ₱2,011

-57.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$4.68 ₱295

118.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$3.87 ₱244

6.20%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$109 ₱6,848

-16.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$1,344 ₱84.6K

92.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$33.49 ₱2,109

-49.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$19.40 ₱1,222

10.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$62.8 ₱3,952

-18.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$60.6 ₱3,818

-39.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$269 ₱17.0K

-50.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$171 ₱10.8K

-61.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$580 ₱36.5K

-34.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$374 ₱23.6K

-48.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,452 ₱154.4K

-33.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,010 ₱63.6K

-24.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$243 ₱15.3K

1.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

74.67%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Polomolok: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Polomolok

$158 25.6% 28.2% $35

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Polomolok

$171 27.6% 163% $106

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Polomolok

$59 9.6% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Polomolok

$79 12.8% 39.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Polomolok

$98 15.8% 90% $46

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Polomolok

$14 2.3% 48% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Polomolok

$40 6.4% 81.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $269 in Polomolok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $17.00 in Polomolok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $158 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 Polomolok

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

172,605

💱 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 = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Polomolok 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Polomolok

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 Polomolok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Dhaka, 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: $133 in Dhaka versus $269 in Polomolok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $620 in Polomolok – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 99% less than in Polomolok. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Polomolok. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.