Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Samarinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $647 in Samarinda, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
Learn more

Samarinda Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Samarinda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $647 in Samarinda.

Dhaka $406
Samarinda $647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,021 in Samarinda.

Dhaka $687
Samarinda $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,395 in Samarinda.

Dhaka $969
Samarinda $1,395

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 37% less than in Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Samarinda 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

34.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$13.69 Rp 246.4K

-9.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$3.35 Rp 60.2K

17.91%

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

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

49.02%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.44 Rp 7,903

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.25 Rp 4,499

-36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

-20.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

-27.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

-2.82%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.40 Rp 25.3K

-12.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$7.21 Rp 129.9K

22.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$3.61 Rp 65.0K

-7.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$10.04 Rp 180.7K

-33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$5.14 Rp 92.4K

-44.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

-18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

114.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

-81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

-73.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

-53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.51 Rp 9,097

-45.10%

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

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

57.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.04 Rp 378.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 Rp 45.4K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.30 Rp 5,403

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$0.50 Rp 8,935

138.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.34 Rp 6,183

14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$2.67 Rp 48.0K

22.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

35.80%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$26.8K Rp 482.4M

9.81%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$31.1K Rp 559.1M

3.53%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$67.2 Rp 1.2M

-43.07%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$4.75 Rp 85.5K

-13.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$18.78 Rp 338.0K

-51.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$19.72 Rp 354.9K

-30.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$8.94 Rp 160.9K

14.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

49.45%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$89.9 Rp 1.6M

0.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$8,095 Rp 145.7M

-67.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$47.77 Rp 859.9K

-64.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$32.33 Rp 582.0K

-33.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

-33.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$74.1 Rp 1.3M

-50.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$195 Rp 3.5M

-31.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$148 Rp 2.7M

-55.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$491 Rp 8.8M

-23.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$338 Rp 6.1M

-43.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,107 Rp 19.9M

46.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$730 Rp 13.1M

4.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$336 Rp 6.0M

-26.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

9.46

10.78%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Samarinda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Samarinda

$213 32.9% 72.2% $89

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Samarinda

$148 22.8% 127% $83

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Samarinda

$63 9.7% 6.1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Samarinda

$104 16.1% 82.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Samarinda

$91 14% 76.6% $39

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Samarinda

$3.4 * 0.5% 87.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Samarinda

$25 3.9% 15.2% $3.3

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 $195 in Samarinda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samarinda pays 37% 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 $14.00 in Samarinda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $213 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

726,223

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Samarinda 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Samarinda

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 Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Samarinda. 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 $195 in Samarinda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $89.9 in Samarinda. 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 $14.00 in Samarinda. 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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Samarinda. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.