Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,018 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan 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 Koh Phangan and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $426 in Dhaka.

Koh Phangan $1,018
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,673 in Koh Phangan versus $735 in Dhaka.

Koh Phangan $1,673
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,328 in Koh Phangan versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Koh Phangan $2,328
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 139% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 24% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ฿136

$2.49 ৳306

62.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ฿989

$13.06 ৳1,605

125.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 ฿255

$4.83 ৳594

57.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.50 ฿84.2

$2.34 ৳287

6.84%

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

$0.81 ฿27.09

$0.30 ৳37.39

170.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$0.16 ৳19.96

181.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 ฿77.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 ฿114

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.5

$0.80 ৳98.1

98.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ฿45.86

$0.65 ৳79.3

109.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.71 ৳87.3

111.27%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.9

$1.21 ৳149

69.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.36 ฿617

$8.67 ৳1,065

111.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿107

$3.21 ৳395

-1.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ฿357

$6.70 ৳823

58.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.9

$2.73 ৳335

2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$0.88 ৳109

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.5

$2.37 ৳291

-11.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.65 ৳79.6

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$0.24 ৳29.20

500.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ฿41.97

$0.49 ৳60.7

155.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿34.39

$0.32 ৳38.88

218.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$0.30 ৳37.31

60.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳819

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 ฿139

$3.23 ৳396

28.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.24 ฿580

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 ฿67.2

$0.42 ৳52.1

376.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,770

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ฿87.4

$1.19 ৳147

118.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$0.40 ৳48.60

132.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 ฿113

$3.35 ৳411

0.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.20

$1.15 ৳141

12.17%

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

$24.1K ฿809.2K

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-20.55%

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

$24.1K ฿810.2K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-27.04%

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

$98.9 ฿3,324

$46.32 ৳5,692

113.45%

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

$11.05 ฿371

$4.33 ৳532

155.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.87 ฿567

$10.63 ৳1,306

58.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ฿1,784

$16.37 ৳2,012

224.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.77 ฿362

$16.14 ৳1,983

-33.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ฿253

$4.13 ৳508

82.32%

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

$557 ฿18.7K

$90.7 ৳11.1K

514.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿392.3K

$2,649 ৳325.5K

340.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 ฿2,151

$16.48 ৳2,025

288.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿959

$21.00 ৳2,580

35.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,223

$50.3 ৳6,175

90.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,922

$36.46 ৳4,480

138.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ฿17.2K

$152 ৳18.6K

237.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ฿10.8K

$73.6 ৳9,044

336.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 ฿48.5K

$436 ৳53.6K

230.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 ฿28.4K

$214 ৳26.3K

294.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 ฿81.4K

$1,622 ৳199.3K

49.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,779 ฿59.8K

$761 ৳93.5K

133.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 ฿23.8K

$249 ৳30.6K

184.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.48

-46.85%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$321 31.6%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 77.1% $248

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$253 24.9%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 51.5% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 51.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2%

Dhaka

$56 13% 54.9% $68

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.7%

Dhaka

$64 15% 40.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 63.8% $43

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 80% $12

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 $513 in Koh Phangan and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 185% 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: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

12:34 12:34 PM

1 h behind Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Phangan Dhaka 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
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

Koh Phangan vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 139% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 185% higher in Koh Phangan, 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: $513 in Koh Phangan versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $557 in Koh Phangan versus $90.7 in Dhaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $29.00 in Koh Phangan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,018 in Koh Phangan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. 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, Koh Phangan 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 139% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.