Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,020 in Selangor, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
Learn more

Selangor Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Selangor

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $1,020 in Selangor.

Dhaka $406
Selangor $1,020

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,469 in Selangor.

Dhaka $687
Selangor $1,469

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,918 in Selangor.

Dhaka $969
Selangor $1,918

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Selangor 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$4.33 MYR 17.67

-47.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$19.20 MYR 78.3

-35.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$4.04 MYR 16.46

-2.23%

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

$2.26 MYR 9.23

0.88%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.78 MYR 3.18

-57.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-65.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-55.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.05 MYR 4.30

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.53 MYR 6.25

-54.90%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.92 MYR 7.82

-35.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$14.26 MYR 58.2

-38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.36 MYR 17.78

-23.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$9.60 MYR 39.16

-30.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$3.44 MYR 14.04

-17.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.84 MYR 7.52

-51.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.34 MYR 9.55

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.59 MYR 6.49

-60.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.34 MYR 5.45

-82.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.03 MYR 4.21

-55.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.11 MYR 4.52

-68.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.54 MYR 2.19

-48.15%

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

$4.50 MYR 18.35

-27.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$12.26 MYR 50.0

82.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-4.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-68.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$4.34 MYR 17.72

-24.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.73 MYR 2.99

50.68%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

-29.77%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

-8.76%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$63.4 MYR 258

-39.58%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$8.50 MYR 34.69

-51.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$25.97 MYR 106

-65.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$41.09 MYR 168

-66.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$6.87 MYR 28.04

48.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$5.05 MYR 20.59

-18.61%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$122 MYR 499

-25.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

-63.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$70.8 MYR 289

-75.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$41.40 MYR 169

-48.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$77.1 MYR 315

-33.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$83.0 MYR 339

-55.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$511 MYR 2,083

-73.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$346 MYR 1,413

-81.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$880 MYR 3,589

-57.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$481 MYR 1,963

-60.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,578 MYR 6,438

2.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$705 MYR 2,875

7.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$1,019 MYR 4,157

-75.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

3.96

164.65%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Selangor

$266 26.1% 115% $143

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Selangor

$346 34% 432% $281

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Selangor

$111 10.9% 86.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Selangor

$123 12% 115% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Selangor

$98 9.6% 90.4% $46

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Selangor

$25 2.4% 10.2% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Selangor

$51 5% 134% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $511 in Selangor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Selangor pays 314% 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 $19.00 in Selangor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $266 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Selangor

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

12:10 12:10 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

281,717

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Selangor 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Selangor

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 Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 314% lower in Selangor. 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 $511 in Selangor. 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 $1,020 in Selangor – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 83% less than in Selangor. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,020 in Selangor, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Selangor. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Selangor 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 151% less than in Selangor. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.