Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lipis and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $939 in Kuala Lipis, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Kuala Lipis
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$939
/mo nomad
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$406
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $939 in Kuala Lipis versus $406 in Dhaka.

  • Kuala Lipis $939
  • Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Kuala Lipis versus $687 in Dhaka.

  • Kuala Lipis $1,395
  • Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,852 in Kuala Lipis versus $969 in Dhaka.

  • Kuala Lipis $1,852
  • Dhaka $969

Living in Kuala Lipis is roughly 131% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuala Lipis 30% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.72 MYR 15.17
$2.28 ৳282
63.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.25 MYR 98.9
$12.33 ৳1,523
96.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.97 MYR 20.26
$3.95 ৳488
25.82%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.48 ৳554
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.13 ৳510
-
Cappuccino
$3.12 MYR 12.74
$2.28 ৳281
36.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 MYR 3.47
$0.33 ৳40.88
157.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 MYR 1.83
$0.16 ৳19.86
181.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.37 MYR 13.76
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.84 MYR 23.84
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.93 MYR 7.86
$0.85 ৳104
127.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 MYR 4.36
$0.60 ৳74.5
78.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MYR 6.00
$0.69 ৳85.4
113.04%
Eggs
$1.86 MYR 7.57
$1.23 ৳152
51.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.63 MYR 39.28
$8.80 ৳1,087
9.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 MYR 13.45
$3.33 ৳412
-0.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.46 MYR 38.59
$6.63 ৳819
42.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.47 MYR 14.16
$2.85 ৳352
21.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 MYR 7.64
$0.90 ৳111
107.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.63 MYR 10.75
$2.34 ৳289
12.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.74 MYR 7.09
$0.63 ৳78.4
176.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 MYR 8.59
$0.24 ৳29.59
775.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.95 MYR 7.95
$0.46 ৳57.3
323.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 MYR 5.89
$0.35 ৳42.79
311.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 MYR 2.09
$0.28 ৳34.24
82.14%
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)
$4.55 MYR 18.56
$3.28 ৳405
38.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.95 MYR 81.4
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.76 MYR 11.28
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.68 MYR 19.11
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.70 MYR 2.86
$0.42 ৳52.3
66.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$14.01 MYR 57.1
$22.43 ৳2,772
-37.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 MYR 4.93
$1.19 ৳147
1.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 MYR 1.57
$0.39 ৳48.71
-2.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.96 MYR 36.55
$3.28 ৳406
173.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 MYR 3.52
$1.10 ৳136
-21.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.4K MYR 172.9K
$29.4K ৳3.6M
44.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.6K MYR 133.1K
$32.2K ৳4.0M
1.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$50.1 MYR 205
$38.28 ৳4,729
30.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.01 MYR 32.68
$4.09 ৳506
95.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.76 MYR 109
$9.02 ৳1,114
196.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.90 MYR 159
$13.66 ৳1,688
184.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.94 MYR 28.30
$10.21 ৳1,261
-32.03%
Cinema Ticket
$4.91 MYR 20.05
$4.11 ৳508
19.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$274 MYR 1,119
$90.7 ৳11.2K
202.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K MYR 42.6K
$2,591 ৳320.2K
303.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.2 MYR 213
$17.06 ৳2,108
205.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.64 MYR 121
$21.38 ৳2,641
38.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 MYR 318
$51.4 ৳6,355
51.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.9 MYR 350
$36.78 ৳4,545
133.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$433 MYR 1,767
$133 ৳16.4K
225.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 MYR 1,260
$65.1 ৳8,041
374.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$777 MYR 3,171
$377 ৳46.6K
106.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$467 MYR 1,907
$192 ৳23.8K
142.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,798 MYR 7,336
$1,621 ৳200.3K
10.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,129 MYR 4,606
$760 ৳93.9K
48.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kuala Lipis
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$246 ৳30.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
10.48
-56.97%

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

Last update for Kuala Lipis: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kuala Lipis
$309
Dhaka
$65 78.9% $244
Groceries & Markets
Kuala Lipis
$250
Dhaka
$124 50.6% $126
Eating Out
Kuala Lipis
$116
Dhaka
$59 48.7% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Kuala Lipis
$111
Dhaka
$57 48.4% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kuala Lipis
$85
Dhaka
$51 39.5% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Kuala Lipis
$49
Dhaka
$22 55.1% $27
Getting Around
Kuala Lipis
$20
Dhaka
$27 36.9% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $433 in Kuala Lipis and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Kuala Lipis vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇾 Kuala Lipis
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🕒 Local time
09:41 9:41 AM
07:41 7:41 AM
2 h behind Kuala Lipis
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,000
21,741,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kuala Lipis Dhaka 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kuala Lipis
  • 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
Kuala Lipis vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Kuala Lipis?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 131% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,408 in Kuala Lipis and $609 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.
What is the rent difference between Kuala Lipis and Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $433 in Kuala Lipis versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Kuala Lipis and in Dhaka?
All in, you'll spend $939 per month in Kuala Lipis versus $406 in Dhaka – a 131% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 60% less than in Kuala Lipis. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Kuala Lipis or in Dhaka?
At $406 in Dhaka versus $939 in Kuala Lipis, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Kuala Lipis. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Kuala Lipis or in Dhaka?
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.
Which city is safer, Kuala Lipis or Dhaka?
Safety-wise, Kuala Lipis 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Kuala Lipis. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Kuala Lipis vs other spots: cost of living compared

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