Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Subang Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $951 in Subang Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Subang Jaya
Learn more

Subang Jaya Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Subang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Subang Jaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $951 in Subang Jaya.

Dhaka $406
Subang Jaya $951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,448 in Subang Jaya.

Dhaka $687
Subang Jaya $1,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,945 in Subang Jaya.

Dhaka $969
Subang Jaya $1,945

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 57% less than in Subang Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Subang Jaya 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$3.58 MYR 14.61

-36.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$19.71 MYR 80.4

-37.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$4.56 MYR 18.60

-13.38%

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

$3.03 MYR 12.37

-24.75%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.77 MYR 3.14

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.40 MYR 1.63

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 MYR 16.76

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.47

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-54.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.04 MYR 4.26

-42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.68 MYR 6.85

-58.93%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.24 MYR 9.15

-45.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$13.42 MYR 54.7

-34.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$4.54 MYR 18.53

-26.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$8.45 MYR 34.46

-21.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$3.06 MYR 12.48

-6.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.78 MYR 7.28

-49.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.27 MYR 9.24

3.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.40 MYR 5.70

-55.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.11 MYR 4.52

-78.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.12 MYR 4.58

-58.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.09 MYR 4.46

-67.89%

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

$4.42 MYR 18.05

-25.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 MYR 76.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.28

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MYR 20.00

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.84 MYR 3.42

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$12.39 MYR 50.6

81.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.21 MYR 4.92

-1.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.40 MYR 1.64

-2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$4.77 MYR 19.44

-31.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.88 MYR 3.57

25.00%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$42.4K MYR 172.8K

-30.52%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$34.9K MYR 142.3K

-7.80%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$36.42 MYR 149

5.11%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$9.61 MYR 39.20

-57.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$29.25 MYR 119

-69.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$24.81 MYR 101

-44.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$2.41 MYR 9.85

323.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$5.04 MYR 20.56

-18.45%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$296 MYR 1,209

-69.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$10.7K MYR 43.7K

-75.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$59.5 MYR 243

-71.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$34.85 MYR 142

-38.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$86.0 MYR 351

-40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$70.6 MYR 288

-47.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$566 MYR 2,308

-76.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$342 MYR 1,394

-80.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$714 MYR 2,914

-47.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$620 MYR 2,529

-68.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,360 MYR 9,629

-31.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,857 MYR 7,574

-59.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$918 MYR 3,747

-73.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

4.04

159.41%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Subang Jaya: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Subang Jaya

$254 26.7% 105% $130

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Subang Jaya

$342 36% 425% $277

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Subang Jaya

$113 11.9% 90.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Subang Jaya

$113 11.9% 98.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Subang Jaya

$75 7.9% 46.5% $24

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Subang Jaya

$19 2% 30.5% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Subang Jaya

$35 3.7% 59.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $566 in Subang Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Subang Jaya pays 273% 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 $20.00 in Subang Jaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $254 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇲🇾 Subang Jaya

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

902,086

💱 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 Subang Jaya 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Subang Jaya

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 Subang Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 134% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 273% lower in Subang Jaya. 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 $566 in Subang Jaya. 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 $951 in Subang Jaya – a 134% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 81% less than in Subang Jaya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $951 in Subang Jaya, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Subang Jaya. 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 Subang Jaya 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 134% less than in Subang Jaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.