Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $775 in Surat Thani, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
Learn more

Surat Thani Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Surat Thani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $775 in Surat Thani.

Dhaka $428
Surat Thani $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,414 in Surat Thani.

Dhaka $724
Surat Thani $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $2,053 in Surat Thani.

Dhaka $1,019
Surat Thani $2,053

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 45% less than in Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$1.89 ฿63.0

32.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$17.87 ฿597

-25.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$4.51 ฿151

10.64%

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

$1.50 ฿50.2

56.67%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.50 ฿16.68

-34.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.29 ฿9.66

-44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.66 ฿55.4

-48.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.19 ฿39.89

-47.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$1.17 ฿39.13

-42.74%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.87 ฿62.4

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$19.18 ฿641

-53.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$3.33 ฿111

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$7.44 ฿249

-13.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$2.91 ฿97.2

-5.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.68 ฿56.3

-44.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$1.76 ฿58.7

34.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$2.05 ฿68.4

-68.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.30 ฿43.57

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.37 ฿45.90

-64.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$1.11 ฿37.24

-72.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.41 ฿13.66

-26.83%

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

$3.07 ฿103

3.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$1.02 ฿34.00

-62.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$20.95 ฿700

10.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$1.18 ฿39.50

-0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.63 ฿21.05

-39.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$3.49 ฿117

-6.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$1.16 ฿38.93

-4.31%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$26.6K ฿890.1K

9.32%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$27.3K ฿911.7K

20.68%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$72.9 ฿2,437

-35.86%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$11.12 ฿372

-59.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$17.32 ฿579

-35.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$48.24 ฿1,612

-65.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$11.52 ฿385

29.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$4.53 ฿151

-7.28%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$549 ฿18.3K

-83.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$11.6K ฿386.5K

-77.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$61.9 ฿2,070

-73.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$29.16 ฿974

-32.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$97.3 ฿3,252

-51.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$86.5 ฿2,892

-57.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$237 ฿7,910

-37.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$149 ฿4,985

-52.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$1,150 ฿38.4K

-62.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$709 ฿23.7K

-70.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$2,226 ฿74.4K

-27.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$1,404 ฿46.9K

-46.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

5.57

91.56%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 98.2% $121

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 111% $78

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 7.4% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 62.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 129% $70

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 6.1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 131% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $237 in Surat Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $18.00 in Surat Thani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $244 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

23:07 11:07 PM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

132,040

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Surat Thani 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $642 in Dhaka and $1,163 in Surat Thani 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 $237 in Surat Thani. 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 $775 in Surat Thani – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 10% less than in Surat Thani. 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 Surat Thani 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 81% less than in Surat Thani. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.