Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Nido and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $739 in El Nido, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in El Nido and in Dhaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in El Nido and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $739 in El Nido versus $428 in Dhaka.

El Nido $739
Dhaka $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,148 in El Nido versus $724 in Dhaka.

El Nido $1,148
Dhaka $724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,557 in El Nido versus $1,019 in Dhaka.

El Nido $1,557
Dhaka $1,019

Living in El Nido is roughly 73% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.84 ₱305

$2.50 ৳309

93.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.13 ₱1,771

$13.26 ৳1,638

112.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.70 ₱233

$4.99 ৳616

-25.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 ৳602

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳511

Cappuccino

$2.25 ₱142

$2.35 ৳291

-4.26%

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

$1.17 ₱73.8

$0.33 ৳41.07

254.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱20.45

$0.16 ৳19.62

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ₱81.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱100

$0.85 ৳105

87.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₱63.1

$0.63 ৳77.9

58.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$0.67 ৳83.1

92.54%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$1.19 ৳147

63.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 ₱336

$8.83 ৳1,092

-39.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 ₱250

$3.30 ৳408

20.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.98 ₱439

$6.41 ৳792

8.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₱142

$2.75 ৳340

-18.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱97.1

$0.94 ৳116

63.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$2.37 ৳293

-4.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱72.8

$0.64 ৳79.1

81.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$0.26 ৳32.25

650.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 ₱127

$0.49 ৳60.6

310.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$0.30 ৳37.63

206.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.65

$0.30 ৳37.49

76.67%

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)

$3.35 ₱211

$3.17 ৳392

5.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 ₱456

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₱62.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₱118

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.07

$0.38 ৳47.44

-36.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.28 ₱648

$23.06 ৳2,849

-55.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ₱53.8

$1.17 ৳145

-27.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$0.38 ৳46.99

-47.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 ₱108

$3.28 ৳405

-47.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.3

$1.11 ৳137

18.02%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$29.1K ৳3.6M

-34.12%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$32.9K ৳4.1M

-34.40%

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

$121 ₱7,638

$46.77 ৳5,779

159.38%

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

$14.38 ₱906

$4.51 ৳557

218.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.44 ₱1,539

$11.22 ৳1,387

117.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.90 ₱2,197

$16.43 ৳2,031

112.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.99 ₱251

$14.87 ৳1,838

-73.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 ₱329

$4.20 ৳519

24.52%

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

$124 ₱7,818

$91.6 ৳11.3K

35.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,869 ₱432.4K

$2,596 ৳320.8K

164.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.86 ₱2,132

$16.63 ৳2,055

103.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.81 ₱1,185

$19.80 ৳2,447

-5.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 ₱4,211

$46.87 ৳5,791

42.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.95 ₱3,145

$37.00 ৳4,572

35.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ₱17.0K

$148 ৳18.2K

82.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.2K

$70.8 ৳8,743

150.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₱33.7K

$432 ৳53.4K

23.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ₱22.5K

$213 ৳26.3K

68.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,607 ₱164.1K

$1,605 ৳198.4K

62.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$900 ₱56.7K

$751 ৳92.8K

19.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 ₱16.2K

$245 ৳30.3K

4.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.67

-36.36%

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

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Nido

$177 24%

Dhaka

$71 16.5% 60.1% $106

Groceries & Markets

El Nido

$174 23.6%

Dhaka

$123 28.8% 29.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Nido

$160 21.7%

Dhaka

$63 14.6% 61% $98

Eating Out

El Nido

$93 12.6%

Dhaka

$65 15.2% 30.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

El Nido

$76 10.3%

Dhaka

$54 12.6% 29% $22

Sport & Entertainment

El Nido

$45 6.1%

Dhaka

$25 5.8% 45.3% $21

Getting Around

El Nido

$13 1.8%

Dhaka

$28 6.5% 111% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $269 in El Nido and $148 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Nido pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $28.00 in El Nido vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 El Nido

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

22:05 10:05 PM

2 h behind El Nido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,494

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

El Nido Dhaka 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

El Nido
Dhaka

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

El Nido vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 73% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% higher in El Nido, 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: $269 in El Nido versus $148 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $739 per month in El Nido versus $428 in Dhaka – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 124% less than in El Nido. 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.

Safety-wise, El Nido and Dhaka 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 73% less than in El Nido. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.