Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,038 in Koh Tao, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
Learn more

Koh Tao Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,038

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Koh Tao versus $426 in Dhaka.

Koh Tao $1,038
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,702 in Koh Tao versus $735 in Dhaka.

Koh Tao $1,702
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,367 in Koh Tao versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Koh Tao $2,367
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Koh Tao is roughly 143% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Tao 23% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 ฿126

$2.49 ৳305

50.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.47 ฿920

$13.06 ৳1,604

110.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 ฿249

$4.83 ৳594

54.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.29 ฿76.7

$2.34 ৳287

-2.14%

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

$0.74 ฿24.85

$0.30 ৳37.38

146.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.14

$0.16 ৳19.96

162.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿70.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ฿106

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.80 ৳98.1

95.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.93

$0.65 ৳79.3

101.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿47.89

$0.71 ৳87.2

101.41%

Eggs

$2.08 ฿69.6

$1.21 ৳149

71.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 ฿623

$8.67 ৳1,065

114.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ฿104

$3.21 ৳395

-3.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 ฿346

$6.70 ৳823

54.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.5

$2.73 ৳335

-1.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$0.88 ৳108

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.5

$2.37 ৳291

-8.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.2

$0.65 ৳79.5

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.03

$0.24 ৳29.19

495.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.12

$0.49 ৳60.6

157.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$0.32 ৳38.87

231.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.30 ৳37.30

70.00%

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 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 ฿136

$3.23 ৳396

25.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.40 ฿583

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 ฿65.9

$0.42 ৳52.1

369.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.54 ৳2,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 ฿87.6

$1.19 ৳147

120.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 ฿30.50

$0.40 ৳48.58

127.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ฿117

$3.35 ৳411

3.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.27

$1.15 ৳141

12.17%

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

$23.8K ฿796.9K

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-21.42%

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

$24.3K ฿813.9K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-26.41%

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

$96.6 ฿3,235

$46.32 ৳5,690

108.61%

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

$11.14 ฿373

$4.33 ৳531

157.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿564

$10.63 ৳1,306

58.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 ฿1,827

$16.37 ৳2,011

233.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.61 ฿389

$16.14 ৳1,982

-28.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ฿264

$4.13 ৳508

90.80%

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

$547 ฿18.3K

$90.7 ৳11.1K

502.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿383.3K

$2,649 ৳325.4K

332.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 ฿2,100

$16.48 ৳2,024

280.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.43 ฿952

$21.00 ৳2,579

35.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,220

$50.3 ৳6,173

91.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,952

$36.46 ৳4,478

141.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ฿17.9K

$152 ৳18.6K

252.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ฿11.9K

$73.6 ৳9,041

380.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ฿51.3K

$436 ৳53.5K

251.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ฿30.0K

$214 ৳26.3K

319.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 ฿89.0K

$1,622 ৳199.2K

64.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$761 ৳93.5K

151.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ৳30.6K

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 Tao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Tao

$354 34%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 79.2% $280

Groceries & Markets

Koh Tao

$252 24.2%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 51.3% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Tao

$125 12%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 50.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Tao

$124 11.9%

Dhaka

$56 13% 54.9% $68

Eating Out

Koh Tao

$101 9.7%

Dhaka

$64 15% 36.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Tao

$70 6.8%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 65% $46

Getting Around

Koh Tao

$15 * 1.5%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 82.1% $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 $535 in Koh Tao and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Koh Tao vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

16:34 4:34 PM

1 h behind Koh Tao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.27 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 = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 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 = 7.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Tao Dhaka 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 143% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,557 in Koh Tao and $639 in Dhaka 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: $535 in Koh Tao versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $547 in Koh Tao 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 $27.00 in Koh Tao. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,038 in Koh Tao, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Koh Tao. 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 Tao 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 143% less than in Koh Tao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.