Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Zamboanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $748 in Zamboanga, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zamboanga
Learn more

Zamboanga Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Zamboanga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Zamboanga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $748 in Zamboanga.

Dhaka $428
Zamboanga $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,123 in Zamboanga.

Dhaka $724
Zamboanga $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,497 in Zamboanga.

Dhaka $1,019
Zamboanga $1,497

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Zamboanga 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$1.33 ₱83.5

87.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$16.41 ₱1,033

-19.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$3.50 ₱220

42.57%

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

$2.09 ₱132

12.44%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.86 ₱54.0

-61.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.40 ₱24.88

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.44 ₱90.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.75 ₱110

-51.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.41 ₱89.0

-55.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$1.16 ₱73.0

-42.24%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.46 ₱91.7

-18.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$10.01 ₱630

-11.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$4.05 ₱255

-18.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$3.33 ₱209

92.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$3.17 ₱200

-13.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.18 ₱74.1

-20.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$3.82 ₱241

-37.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.16 ₱73.1

-44.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.26 ₱79.6

-79.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$2.56 ₱161

-80.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$0.86 ₱54.4

-65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.51 ₱32.39

-41.18%

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

$2.74 ₱172

15.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.23 ₱266

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₱82.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.22 ₱13.88

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$11.19 ₱704

106.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$0.82 ₱51.9

42.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.23 ₱14.50

65.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$1.88 ₱118

74.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$1.02 ₱64.4

8.82%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

33.94%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

69.40%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$124 ₱7,826

-62.37%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$15.48 ₱975

-70.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$47.25 ₱2,975

-76.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$35.74 ₱2,250

-54.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$4.67 ₱294

218.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$5.07 ₱319

-17.16%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$133 ₱8,372

-31.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$8,082 ₱508.9K

-67.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$32.93 ₱2,073

-49.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$19.29 ₱1,215

2.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$70.8 ₱4,457

-33.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$55.7 ₱3,505

-33.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$266 ₱16.8K

-44.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$175 ₱11.0K

-59.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$332 ₱20.9K

30.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$360 ₱22.6K

-40.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$2,366 ₱149.0K

-32.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$998 ₱62.9K

-24.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$193 ₱12.2K

26.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

6.79

57.14%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zamboanga: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Zamboanga

$184 24.6% 49.2% $61

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Zamboanga

$175 23.3% 147% $104

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Zamboanga

$62 8.4% 4% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Zamboanga

$187 25% 199% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Zamboanga

$80 10.7% 48.5% $26

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Zamboanga

$14 1.9% 49.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Zamboanga

$46 6.1% 84.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $266 in Zamboanga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $16.00 in Zamboanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $184 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇵🇭 Zamboanga

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Zamboanga 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Zamboanga

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 Zamboanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Dhaka, 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: $148 in Dhaka versus $266 in Zamboanga. 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 $748 in Zamboanga – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 106% less than in Zamboanga. 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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Zamboanga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.