Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Sibolga

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $622 in Sibolga, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Sibolga
Learn more

Sibolga Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Sibolga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Sibolga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $622 in Sibolga.

Dhaka $428
Sibolga $622

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $990 in Sibolga.

Dhaka $724
Sibolga $990

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,358 in Sibolga.

Dhaka $1,019
Sibolga $1,358

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 31% less than in Sibolga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Sibolga 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

52.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$13.70 Rp 246.7K

-3.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$3.22 Rp 57.9K

54.97%

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

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

58.78%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.44 Rp 7,872

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.25 Rp 4,506

-36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 Rp 39.8K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 Rp 61.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

-27.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

-41.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

-22.99%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$7.11 Rp 128.0K

24.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

10.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$7.76 Rp 139.7K

-17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$2.26 Rp 40.6K

21.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

-25.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

41.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

-47.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.29 Rp 23.3K

-79.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.90 Rp 34.1K

-74.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

-62.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.43 Rp 7,745

-30.23%

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

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

15.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.29 Rp 5,222

31.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$0.52 Rp 9,423

125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.38 Rp 6,798

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$2.60 Rp 46.8K

26.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

37.04%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$23.7K Rp 426.4M

22.90%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$30.5K Rp 548.3M

8.07%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

-28.77%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$4.24 Rp 76.3K

6.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$19.44 Rp 349.9K

-42.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$19.82 Rp 356.7K

-17.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$8.41 Rp 151.4K

76.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

54.41%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$93.2 Rp 1.7M

-1.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$7,764 Rp 139.7M

-66.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$43.07 Rp 775.2K

-61.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$28.87 Rp 519.7K

-31.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$75.4 Rp 1.4M

-37.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$70.3 Rp 1.3M

-47.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$231 Rp 4.2M

-36.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$149 Rp 2.7M

-52.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$541 Rp 9.7M

-20.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$367 Rp 6.6M

-41.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$1,188 Rp 21.4M

35.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$785 Rp 14.1M

-4.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

9.46

12.79%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sibolga: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Sibolga

$196 31.5% 59.1% $73

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Sibolga

$149 24% 111% $78

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Sibolga

$61 9.8% 6.2% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Sibolga

$89 14.4% 42.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Sibolga

$98 15.7% 80.9% $44

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Sibolga

$3.6 * 0.6% 87.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Sibolga

$25 4.1% 1.7% $0.4

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 $148 in Dhaka and $231 in Sibolga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $14.00 in Sibolga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $196 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇮🇩 Sibolga

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

95,471

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Sibolga 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Sibolga

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 Sibolga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $642 in Dhaka and $933 in Sibolga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $148 in Dhaka versus $231 in Sibolga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $91.6 in Dhaka versus $93.2 in Sibolga. 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 $13.00 versus $14.00 in Sibolga. 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 45% less than in Sibolga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.