Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Surin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $869 in Surin, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Surin
Learn more

Surin Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Surin

🇹🇭 Thailand

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Surin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $869 in Surin.

Dhaka $428
Surin $869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,444 in Surin.

Dhaka $724
Surin $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $2,018 in Surin.

Dhaka $1,019
Surin $2,018

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 51% less than in Surin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Surin 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$3.03 ฿101

-17.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$24.70 ฿826

-46.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$7.23 ฿242

-30.98%

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

$1.74 ฿58.3

35.06%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.61 ฿20.30

-45.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.33 ฿10.89

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 ฿73.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 ฿114

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.57 ฿52.4

-45.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.31 ฿43.79

-51.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$1.47 ฿48.98

-54.42%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.90 ฿63.5

-37.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$17.41 ฿582

-49.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$2.48 ฿83.0

33.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$8.89 ฿297

-27.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$2.57 ฿86.0

7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.02 ฿34.23

-7.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$2.48 ฿82.9

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$2.05 ฿68.5

-68.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.44 ฿48.20

-81.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$0.95 ฿31.77

-48.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$0.94 ฿31.37

-68.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.44 ฿14.59

-31.82%

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

$4.27 ฿143

-25.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.36 ฿547

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ฿52.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ฿100

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.92 ฿30.79

-58.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$1.37 ฿45.65

-14.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$1.01 ฿33.73

-62.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$6.04 ฿202

-45.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$1.35 ฿45.06

-17.78%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$22.7K ฿758.4K

28.30%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$27.1K ฿904.4K

21.65%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$77.8 ฿2,601

-39.90%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$11.53 ฿385

-60.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$18.68 ฿624

-39.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$41.58 ฿1,390

-60.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$11.45 ฿383

29.87%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$6.51 ฿218

-35.48%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$628 ฿21.0K

-85.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$12.1K ฿405.0K

-78.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$53.1 ฿1,773

-68.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$27.95 ฿934

-29.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$73.3 ฿2,451

-36.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$68.0 ฿2,274

-45.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$440 ฿14.7K

-66.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$273 ฿9,126

-74.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$1,185 ฿39.6K

-63.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$714 ฿23.9K

-70.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$1,730 ฿57.8K

-7.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$1,518 ฿50.7K

-50.54%

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 Surin: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Surin

$235 27% 90.3% $111

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Surin

$273 31.4% 286% $202

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Surin

$88 10.2% 35.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Surin

$108 12.4% 72.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Surin

$100 11.5% 84.9% $46

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Surin

$10 * 1.2% 63.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Surin

$55 6.3% 120% $30

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 $440 in Surin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $25.00 in Surin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $235 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇭 Surin

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

04:57 4:57 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

40,104

💱 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 Surin 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Surin

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 Surin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $642 in Dhaka and $1,303 in Surin 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 $440 in Surin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $91.6 in Dhaka versus $628 in Surin. 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 $25.00 in Surin. 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.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Surin 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 103% less than in Surin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.