Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Tongi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tongi: $330 a month against $422 in Dhaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Tongi
Learn more

Tongi Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Tongi

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Tongi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $422 in Dhaka versus $330 in Tongi.

Dhaka $422
Tongi $330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Dhaka versus $535 in Tongi.

Dhaka $728
Tongi $535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Dhaka versus $740 in Tongi.

Dhaka $1,033
Tongi $740

Living in Dhaka is roughly 28% more expensive than in Tongi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 69% lower, Tongi 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 ৳298

$2.07 ৳256

15.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.93 ৳1,604

$9.47 ৳1,175

36.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ৳593

$4.64 ৳576

3.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳610

$2.32 ৳287

112.07%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳491

$3.80 ৳472

4.21%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ৳295

$1.91 ৳237

24.61%

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

$0.30 ৳37.11

$0.30 ৳36.83

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ৳21.32

$0.13 ৳16.11

30.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ৳97.5

$0.75 ৳93.0

5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$0.52 ৳64.0

21.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ৳89.1

$0.61 ৳76.2

18.03%

Eggs

$1.18 ৳147

$1.11 ৳137

6.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ৳1,083

$7.46 ৳925

17.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳409

$1.95 ৳242

69.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 ৳824

$6.13 ৳760

8.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ৳347

$2.40 ৳298

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ৳107

$0.73 ৳91.0

17.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ৳287

$2.27 ৳282

2.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ৳75.8

$0.71 ৳88.3

-14.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.30

$0.23 ৳28.09

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ৳59.9

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳41.25

$0.50 ৳61.9

-34.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.58

$0.25 ৳31.10

20.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.23 ৳1,516

$8.00 ৳992

52.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 ৳649

$2.41 ৳299

117.01%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 ৳808

$4.80 ৳595

35.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ৳408

$2.90 ৳360

13.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ৳51.3

$0.41 ৳50.9

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 ৳2,638

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ৳147

$0.79 ৳98.6

49.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳47.19

$0.44 ৳54.3

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 ৳406

$2.79 ৳346

17.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ৳143

$1.18 ৳147

-1.69%

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

$29.9K ৳3.7M

$32.4K ৳4.0M

-7.80%

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

$32.5K ৳4.0M

$36.5K ৳4.5M

-10.94%

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

$46.86 ৳5,813

$30.11 ৳3,735

55.63%

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

$4.31 ৳535

$4.39 ৳544

-1.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.09 ৳1,376

$7.94 ৳984

39.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.52 ৳2,173

$13.75 ৳1,705

27.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ৳2,191

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 ৳534

$3.62 ৳449

19.06%

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

$139 ৳17.2K

$25.80 ৳3,201

438.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,570 ৳318.8K

$1,531 ৳190.0K

67.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.32 ৳2,025

$21.41 ৳2,656

-23.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.36 ৳2,402

$23.90 ৳2,964

-19.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.97 ৳5,702

$32.41 ৳4,020

41.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.74 ৳4,557

$33.08 ৳4,104

11.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$145 ৳18.0K

$87.5 ৳10.8K

65.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.1 ৳8,449

$50.9 ৳6,314

33.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ৳57.2K

$171 ৳21.2K

170.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ৳28.8K

$114 ৳14.1K

104.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,575 ৳195.4K

$644 ৳79.9K

144.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 ৳97.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$100 ৳12.4K

143.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tongi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$122 29%

Tongi

$106 32.1% 13.7% $17

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$68 16.1%

Tongi

$51 15.4% 25.3% $17

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15.2%

Tongi

$55 16.7% 13.8% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$62 14.8%

Tongi

$42 12.9% 31.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$53 12.6%

Tongi

$50 15.1% 6.4% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Tongi

$21 6.4% 19.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Tongi

$4.6 * 1.4% 82.2% $21

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 $145 in Dhaka and $87 in Tongi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Dhaka vs $9 in Tongi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $106 per month, with Tongi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇧🇩 Tongi

🕒 Local time

21:10 9:10 PM

Same time as Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

406,420

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dhaka Tongi 17 km

From you

Dhaka
Tongi

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 Tongi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tongi is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and eating out. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dhaka is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $145 in Dhaka versus $87 in Tongi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $139 in Dhaka versus $26 in Tongi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tongi – a meal for two runs $9 versus $13 in Dhaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Tongi 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.

It comes down to priorities – Tongi wins on affordability, Dhaka on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.