Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Semenyih

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $958 in Semenyih, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Semenyih
Learn more

Semenyih Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Semenyih

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Semenyih

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $958 in Semenyih.

Dhaka $428
Semenyih $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,428 in Semenyih.

Dhaka $724
Semenyih $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,899 in Semenyih.

Dhaka $1,019
Semenyih $1,899

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 55% less than in Semenyih, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Semenyih 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$3.71 MYR 15.14

-32.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$18.05 MYR 73.6

-26.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$5.05 MYR 20.59

-1.19%

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

$2.90 MYR 11.83

-18.97%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.64 MYR 2.61

-48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.59 MYR 2.42

-72.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 MYR 17.49

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 MYR 24.78

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-49.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.00 MYR 4.09

-37.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$1.43 MYR 5.85

-53.15%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.72 MYR 7.02

-30.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$18.23 MYR 74.4

-51.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$4.66 MYR 19.00

-29.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$10.49 MYR 42.80

-38.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$3.24 MYR 13.23

-15.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.70 MYR 6.92

-44.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$3.82 MYR 15.60

-37.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.62 MYR 6.62

-60.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.43 MYR 5.83

-81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.68 MYR 6.84

-70.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$1.38 MYR 5.62

-78.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.51 MYR 2.07

-41.18%

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

$4.24 MYR 17.30

-25.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.80 MYR 56.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 MYR 11.71

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MYR 12.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-49.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$12.19 MYR 49.73

89.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$0.94 MYR 3.82

24.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-46.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$9.73 MYR 39.70

-66.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$0.52 MYR 2.13

113.46%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$42.0K MYR 171.4K

-30.71%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$35.2K MYR 143.8K

-6.60%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$53.1 MYR 217

-11.92%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$11.18 MYR 45.59

-59.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$28.15 MYR 115

-60.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$40.45 MYR 165

-59.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$7.15 MYR 29.18

107.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$5.04 MYR 20.54

-16.67%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$161 MYR 657

-43.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$4,497 MYR 18.3K

-42.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$53.9 MYR 220

-69.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$16.40 MYR 66.9

20.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$80.2 MYR 327

-41.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$99.2 MYR 405

-62.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$401 MYR 1,635

-63.17%

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

$689 MYR 2,813

-37.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$476 MYR 1,940

-55.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$2,017 MYR 8,228

-20.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$1,075 MYR 4,386

-30.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$668 MYR 2,724

-63.33%

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 Semenyih: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Semenyih

$266 27.8% 116% $143

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Semenyih

$299 31.2% 322% $228

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Semenyih

$118 12.3% 81.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Semenyih

$92 9.7% 47.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Semenyih

$112 11.7% 108% $58

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Semenyih

$20 2.1% 29% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Semenyih

$51 5.3% 104% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $401 in Semenyih. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Semenyih pays 173% 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 $18.00 in Semenyih for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $266 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Semenyih

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

45,000

💱 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 Semenyih 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Semenyih

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 Semenyih: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 124% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 173% lower in Semenyih. 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 $401 in Semenyih. 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 $958 in Semenyih – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 89% less than in Semenyih. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $428 in Dhaka versus $958 in Semenyih, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Semenyih. 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 Semenyih 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 124% less than in Semenyih. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.