Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Ube

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,237 in Ube, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Ube
Learn more

Ube Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Ube

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $1,237 in Ube.

Dhaka $406
Ube $1,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,931 in Ube.

Dhaka $687
Ube $1,931

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $2,625 in Ube.

Dhaka $969
Ube $2,625

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 67% less than in Ube, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Ube 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$6.94 ¥1,097

-67.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$34.14 ¥5,394

-63.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$5.52 ¥873

-28.44%

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

$3.19 ¥504

-28.53%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$1.08 ¥171

-69.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.76 ¥121

-78.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ¥321

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥487

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.51 ¥239

-43.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.60 ¥252

-62.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$4.73 ¥747

-85.41%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.28 ¥361

-46.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$10.00 ¥1,581

-12.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$6.43 ¥1,016

-48.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$15.58 ¥2,462

-57.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$5.41 ¥854

-47.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$2.63 ¥415

-65.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$4.07 ¥643

-42.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$4.59 ¥725

-86.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$3.17 ¥500

-92.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$2.67 ¥422

-82.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.38 ¥218

-74.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.87 ¥138

-67.82%

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

$4.20 ¥664

-21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 ¥1,036

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥316

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ¥374

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$1.66 ¥263

-74.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$55.6 ¥8,781

-59.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$3.52 ¥556

-66.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$3.00 ¥474

-87.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$20.87 ¥3,297

-84.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.18 ¥187

-6.78%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

28.96%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$17.1K ¥2.7M

87.93%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$142 ¥22.5K

-73.09%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$27.17 ¥4,293

-84.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$33.35 ¥5,268

-72.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$57.6 ¥9,103

-76.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$13.79 ¥2,179

-25.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$13.14 ¥2,076

-68.72%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$280 ¥44.2K

-67.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

-80.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$43.41 ¥6,859

-60.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$30.01 ¥4,741

-28.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$59.1 ¥9,343

-13.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$92.3 ¥14.6K

-60.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$473 ¥74.7K

-71.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$326 ¥51.4K

-80.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$869 ¥137.3K

-56.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$660 ¥104.3K

-70.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,817 ¥445.1K

-42.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,733 ¥273.7K

-56.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

1.81

479.01%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ube: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Ube

$309 25% 150% $185

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Ube

$326 26.3% 400% $261

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Ube

$134 10.8% 126% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Ube

$101 8.2% 77.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Ube

$203 16.4% 295% $151

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Ube

$81 6.5% 196% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Ube

$84 6.8% 283% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $473 in Ube. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $34.00 in Ube for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $309 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇯🇵 Ube

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

3 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

162,570

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dhaka Ube 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Ube

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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 205% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $609 in Dhaka and $1,856 in Ube 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: $133 in Dhaka versus $473 in Ube. 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 $1,237 in Ube – a 205% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 148% less than in Ube. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,237 in Ube, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Ube. 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 Ube 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 205% less than in Ube. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.