Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Sarawak

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $933 in Sarawak, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
Learn more

Sarawak Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Sarawak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $933 in Sarawak.

Dhaka $428
Sarawak $933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,391 in Sarawak.

Dhaka $724
Sarawak $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,849 in Sarawak.

Dhaka $1,019
Sarawak $1,849

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 54% less than in Sarawak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Sarawak 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$3.65 MYR 14.88

-31.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$19.77 MYR 80.6

-32.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$4.75 MYR 19.38

5.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 ৳602

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳511

Cappuccino

$2.35 ৳291

$2.88 MYR 11.74

-18.40%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.81 MYR 3.29

-59.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.39 MYR 1.61

-58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 MYR 14.68

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.81

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.86 MYR 7.58

-54.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.04 MYR 4.24

-39.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$1.48 MYR 6.04

-54.73%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$2.04 MYR 8.32

-41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$13.84 MYR 56.5

-36.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$4.30 MYR 17.54

-23.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$9.43 MYR 38.47

-32.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$3.14 MYR 12.83

-12.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.71 MYR 6.97

-45.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$2.51 MYR 10.22

-5.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.61 MYR 6.55

-60.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.27 MYR 5.18

-79.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.15 MYR 4.68

-57.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$1.17 MYR 4.79

-74.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.53 MYR 2.18

-43.40%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 ৳1,512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.43 ৳671

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 ৳807

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ৳392

$4.54 MYR 18.52

-30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 MYR 78.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 MYR 12.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-46.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$12.15 MYR 49.57

89.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-6.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.51 MYR 2.07

-25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$7.21 MYR 29.41

-54.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$0.82 MYR 3.34

35.37%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$42.2K MYR 172.1K

-30.99%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$34.8K MYR 141.8K

-5.31%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$48.56 MYR 198

-3.69%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$9.65 MYR 39.38

-53.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$27.71 MYR 113

-59.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$40.76 MYR 166

-59.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$7.10 MYR 28.98

109.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$4.92 MYR 20.05

-14.63%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$190 MYR 775

-51.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$7,067 MYR 28.8K

-63.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$56.8 MYR 232

-70.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$34.52 MYR 141

-42.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$79.8 MYR 325

-41.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$75.9 MYR 310

-51.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$410 MYR 1,674

-64.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$299 MYR 1,219

-76.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$672 MYR 2,742

-35.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$477 MYR 1,946

-55.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$2,042 MYR 8,329

-21.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$1,074 MYR 4,381

-30.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$339 MYR 1,381

-27.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

4.06

162.81%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Sarawak

$258 27.6% 109% $134

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Sarawak

$299 32% 322% $228

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Sarawak

$110 11.8% 68.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Sarawak

$86 9.2% 37.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Sarawak

$111 11.9% 105% $57

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Sarawak

$19 2% 32.2% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 104% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $410 in Sarawak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarawak pays 38% 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 $20.00 in Sarawak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $258 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Sarawak 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Sarawak

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 Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Sarawak. 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: $148 in Dhaka versus $410 in Sarawak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $428 per month in Dhaka versus $933 in Sarawak – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 90% less than in Sarawak. 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.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Sarawak 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 118% less than in Sarawak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.