Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Song Be

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $839 in Song Be, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Song Be
Learn more

Song Be Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Song Be

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Song Be

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $839 in Song Be.

Dhaka $428
Song Be $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,363 in Song Be.

Dhaka $724
Song Be $1,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,887 in Song Be.

Dhaka $1,019
Song Be $1,887

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 49% less than in Song Be, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Song Be 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$1.92 ₫49.6K

30.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$23.01 ₫595.6K

-42.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$4.75 ₫123.1K

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

$1.85 ₫47.9K

27.03%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.34 ₫8,819

-52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₫28.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₫44.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.64 ₫42.5K

-48.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.06 ₫27.4K

-40.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$1.06 ₫27.4K

-36.79%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.62 ₫41.8K

-26.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$11.93 ₫309.0K

-25.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$3.66 ₫94.7K

-9.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$10.42 ₫269.7K

-38.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$2.98 ₫77.2K

-7.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-25.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$1.57 ₫40.7K

50.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.25 ₫32.4K

-48.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.18 ₫30.6K

-77.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.19 ₫30.9K

-58.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$0.73 ₫18.8K

-58.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.52 ₫13.5K

-42.31%

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

$1.25 ₫32.4K

153.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 ₫333.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ₫38.0K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.35 ₫9,126

8.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$6.85 ₫177.5K

236.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$0.74 ₫19.3K

58.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.62 ₫16.0K

-38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$3.00 ₫77.7K

9.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$0.90 ₫23.4K

23.33%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$31.4K ₫812.5M

-7.23%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$29.7K ₫769.5M

10.76%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$105 ₫2.7M

-55.55%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$5.87 ₫152.1K

-23.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$10.60 ₫274.4K

5.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$25.41 ₫657.8K

-35.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$7.53 ₫195.0K

97.48%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$3.82 ₫98.9K

9.95%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$448 ₫11.6M

-79.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-89.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$52.2 ₫1.4M

-68.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$34.58 ₫895.3K

-42.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$90.9 ₫2.4M

-48.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-61.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$362 ₫9.4M

-59.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$280 ₫7.2M

-74.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$836 ₫21.6M

-48.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$675 ₫17.5M

-68.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$1,961 ₫50.8M

-18.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$1,360 ₫35.2M

-44.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

8.64

23.50%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Song Be: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Song Be

$206 24.6% 67.4% $83

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Song Be

$280 33.3% 295% $209

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Song Be

$64 7.7% 1.4% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Song Be

$122 14.5% 94.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Song Be

$123 14.6% 127% $69

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Song Be

$12 1.4% 56.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Song Be

$33 3.9% 33.1% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $362 in Song Be. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $23.00 in Song Be for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $206 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇻🇳 Song Be

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Song Be 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Song Be

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 Song Be: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $642 in Dhaka and $1,259 in Song Be 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 $362 in Song Be. 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 $839 in Song Be – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 237% less than in Song Be. 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 Song Be 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 96% less than in Song Be. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.