Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $692 in Kota Bharu, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$692

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Kota Bharu versus $406 in Dhaka.

Kota Bharu $692
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,072 in Kota Bharu versus $687 in Dhaka.

Kota Bharu $1,072
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,452 in Kota Bharu versus $969 in Dhaka.

Kota Bharu $1,452
Dhaka $969

Living in Kota Bharu is roughly 70% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kota Bharu 49% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.18 MYR 8.90

$2.28 ৳282

-4.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.41 MYR 79.2

$12.33 ৳1,523

57.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 MYR 18.70

$3.95 ৳488

15.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.18 MYR 8.89

$2.28 ৳281

-4.39%

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

$0.48 MYR 1.94

$0.33 ৳40.88

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 MYR 1.05

$0.16 ৳19.86

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 MYR 18.33

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MYR 6.62

$0.85 ৳104

90.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 MYR 3.74

$0.60 ৳74.5

53.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 MYR 3.39

$0.69 ৳85.4

20.29%

Eggs

$1.61 MYR 6.58

$1.23 ৳152

30.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.74 MYR 56.1

$8.80 ৳1,087

56.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 12.00

$3.33 ৳412

-11.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.65 MYR 27.13

$6.63 ৳819

0.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 MYR 11.88

$2.85 ৳352

2.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.12

$0.90 ৳111

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.15

$2.34 ৳289

16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

$0.63 ৳78.4

79.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 MYR 3.94

$0.24 ৳29.59

304.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.59

$0.46 ৳57.3

143.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$0.35 ৳42.79

225.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.84

$0.28 ৳34.24

60.71%

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)

$3.34 MYR 13.61

$3.28 ৳405

1.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.00 MYR 77.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 MYR 11.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.32 MYR 21.71

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.42 ৳52.3

83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.33 MYR 50.3

$22.43 ৳2,772

-45.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$1.19 ৳147

45.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.53

$0.39 ৳48.71

-5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 MYR 15.04

$3.28 ৳406

12.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 MYR 2.14

$1.10 ৳136

-52.73%

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

$31.5K MYR 128.5K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

6.98%

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

$29.0K MYR 118.2K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-9.93%

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

$37.43 MYR 153

$38.28 ৳4,729

-2.22%

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

$8.65 MYR 35.27

$4.09 ৳506

111.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.39 MYR 104

$9.02 ৳1,114

181.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.63 MYR 202

$13.66 ৳1,688

263.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 MYR 18.26

$4.11 ৳508

9.00%

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

$125 MYR 508

$90.7 ৳11.2K

37.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MYR 44.2K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

317.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 MYR 222

$17.06 ৳2,108

219.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.29 MYR 78.7

$21.38 ৳2,641

-9.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 MYR 322

$51.4 ৳6,355

53.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.6 MYR 284

$36.78 ৳4,545

89.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 MYR 1,010

$133 ৳16.4K

86.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$122 MYR 499

$65.1 ৳8,041

88.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 MYR 2,745

$377 ৳46.6K

78.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 MYR 913

$192 ৳23.8K

16.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$299 MYR 1,221

$246 ৳30.4K

21.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

10.48

-61.45%

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

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kota Bharu

$230 33.2%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 46.1% $106

Accommodation & Living

Kota Bharu

$122 17.7%

Dhaka

$65 16% 46.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Bharu

$100 14.5%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 43% $43

Eating Out

Kota Bharu

$90 13.1%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 34.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Bharu

$71 10.3%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 28.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Bharu

$59 8.5%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 62.6% $37

Getting Around

Kota Bharu

$19 2.8%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 43.6% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $248 in Kota Bharu and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kota Bharu pays 22% 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: $19.00 in Kota Bharu vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

2 h behind Kota Bharu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

568,900

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kota Bharu Dhaka 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kota Bharu
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

Kota Bharu vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Kota Bharu, 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: $248 in Kota Bharu versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $692 per month in Kota Bharu versus $406 in Dhaka – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 82% less than in Kota Bharu. 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, Kota Bharu 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 70% less than in Kota Bharu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.