Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Tagaytay

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $710 in Tagaytay, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$406
/mo nomad
Tagaytay
🇵🇭 Philippines
$710
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Tagaytay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $710 in Tagaytay.

  • Dhaka $406
  • Tagaytay $710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,066 in Tagaytay.

  • Dhaka $687
  • Tagaytay $1,066

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,422 in Tagaytay.

  • Dhaka $969
  • Tagaytay $1,422

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 43% less than in Tagaytay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Tagaytay 47% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.28 ৳282
$1.94 ₱122
17.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.33 ৳1,523
$10.95 ₱689
12.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.95 ৳488
$3.16 ₱199
25.00%
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
$1.44 ₱90.9
58.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ৳40.88
$0.36 ₱22.36
-8.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16 ৳19.86
$0.38 ₱24.04
-57.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.55 ₱161
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.94 ₱122
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 ৳104
$1.48 ₱93.4
-42.57%
White Bread (500g)
$0.60 ৳74.5
$1.23 ₱77.6
-51.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.69 ৳85.4
$0.99 ₱62.1
-30.30%
Eggs
$1.23 ৳152
$2.12 ₱133
-41.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.80 ৳1,087
$6.29 ₱396
39.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.33 ৳412
$4.14 ₱260
-19.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.63 ৳819
$7.93 ₱499
-16.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ৳352
$2.46 ₱155
15.85%
Banana (1kg)
$0.90 ৳111
$1.46 ₱92.2
-38.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ৳289
$2.67 ₱168
-12.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.63 ৳78.4
$1.12 ₱70.8
-43.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.24 ৳29.59
$2.21 ₱139
-89.14%
Onion (1kg)
$0.46 ৳57.3
$1.88 ₱119
-75.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 ৳42.79
$0.85 ₱53.4
-58.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.28 ৳34.24
$0.62 ₱39.30
-54.84%
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
$3.25 ₱205
0.92%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$7.83 ₱493
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.95 ₱60.1
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.88 ₱118
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 ৳52.3
$0.27 ₱17.24
55.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.43 ৳2,772
$11.03 ₱694
103.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ৳147
$0.71 ₱44.74
67.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.39 ৳48.71
$0.22 ₱14.14
77.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.28 ৳406
$2.07 ₱130
58.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ৳136
$1.05 ₱66.4
4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K ৳3.6M
$23.6K ₱1.5M
24.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K ৳4.0M
$20.1K ₱1.3M
59.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.28 ৳4,729
$119 ₱7,510
-67.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.09 ৳506
$13.97 ₱880
-70.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.02 ৳1,114
$24.13 ₱1,519
-62.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.66 ৳1,688
$33.09 ₱2,084
-58.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.21 ৳1,261
$4.55 ₱286
124.40%
Cinema Ticket
$4.11 ৳508
$5.06 ₱319
-18.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$90.7 ৳11.2K
$139 ₱8,780
-34.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,591 ৳320.2K
$7,085 ₱446.1K
-63.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.06 ৳2,108
$32.82 ₱2,066
-48.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.38 ৳2,641
$20.72 ₱1,305
3.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$51.4 ৳6,355
$68.8 ₱4,333
-25.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.78 ৳4,545
$52.9 ₱3,328
-30.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$133 ৳16.4K
$271 ₱17.1K
-50.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$65.1 ৳8,041
$169 ₱10.6K
-61.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$377 ৳46.6K
$511 ₱32.2K
-26.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$192 ৳23.8K
$349 ₱22.0K
-44.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,621 ৳200.3K
$2,563 ₱161.4K
-36.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$760 ৳93.9K
$967 ₱60.9K
-21.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Tagaytay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$246 ৳30.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.48
6.79
54.34%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tagaytay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$124
Tagaytay
$186 50.3% $62
Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$65
Tagaytay
$169 160% $104
Eating Out
Dhaka
$59
Tagaytay
$62 4.3% $2.5
Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$57
Tagaytay
$79 38.4% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$51
Tagaytay
$157 206% $106
Getting Around
Dhaka
$27
Tagaytay
$14 48.8% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$22
Tagaytay
$43 97.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $271 in Tagaytay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $11.00 in Tagaytay. Groceries flip the comparison at $124 vs $186, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🇵🇭 Tagaytay
🕒 Local time
06:02 6:02 AM
08:02 8:02 AM
2 h ahead of Dhaka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,741,000 Capital
85,330
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dhaka Tagaytay 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Dhaka
  • Tagaytay

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 Tagaytay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tagaytay cheaper than Dhaka?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $609 in Dhaka and $1,065 in Tagaytay 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.
What is the rent difference between Dhaka and Tagaytay?
Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Dhaka versus $271 in Tagaytay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Dhaka and in Tagaytay?
All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $710 in Tagaytay – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 103% less than in Tagaytay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Dhaka or Tagaytay?
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.
Is it better to live in Dhaka or in Tagaytay?
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.
Which city is safer, Dhaka or Tagaytay?
Safety-wise, Dhaka and Tagaytay are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Tagaytay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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