Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kulim and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $422 a month against $891 in Kulim, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
Learn more

Kulim Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $891 in Kulim versus $422 in Dhaka.

Kulim $891
Dhaka $422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,374 in Kulim versus $728 in Dhaka.

Kulim $1,374
Dhaka $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,857 in Kulim versus $1,033 in Dhaka.

Kulim $1,857
Dhaka $1,033

Living in Kulim is roughly 111% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kulim 35% lower, Dhaka 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.21

$2.40 ৳297

55.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.45 MYR 79.5

$12.93 ৳1,599

50.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 MYR 18.50

$4.78 ৳591

-5.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳608

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳489

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.80

$2.38 ৳294

21.43%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.20

$0.30 ৳36.99

160.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.71

$0.17 ৳21.25

147.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 MYR 15.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.82

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MYR 7.99

$0.79 ৳97.2

148.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$0.63 ৳78.1

95.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$0.72 ৳88.8

80.56%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.10

$1.18 ৳146

88.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 MYR 51.8

$8.73 ৳1,080

45.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 MYR 15.75

$3.30 ৳407

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 MYR 43.82

$6.64 ৳822

61.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MYR 12.46

$2.80 ৳346

8.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MYR 7.71

$0.86 ৳107

119.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MYR 10.40

$2.32 ৳287

9.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.90

$0.61 ৳75.5

136.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$0.23 ৳28.22

417.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.55

$0.48 ৳59.8

183.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.42

$0.33 ৳41.12

227.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.16

$0.30 ৳37.46

76.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.23 ৳1,512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 ৳647

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 ৳805

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MYR 18.28

$3.29 ৳407

35.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 MYR 86.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 MYR 12.53

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MYR 15.95

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$0.41 ৳51.1

82.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 MYR 51.7

$21.27 ৳2,630

-40.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$1.18 ৳146

-11.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$0.38 ৳47.04

47.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.26 MYR 33.75

$3.27 ৳404

152.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 MYR 3.01

$1.16 ৳143

-36.21%

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

$48.9K MYR 199.7K

$29.9K ৳3.7M

63.44%

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

$30.9K MYR 126.3K

$32.5K ৳4.0M

-4.92%

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

$45.19 MYR 185

$46.86 ৳5,795

-3.56%

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

$8.70 MYR 35.55

$4.31 ৳534

101.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.83 MYR 106

$11.09 ৳1,371

132.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.10 MYR 148

$17.52 ৳2,166

106.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.37 MYR 30.13

$17.67 ৳2,185

-58.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 MYR 18.22

$4.31 ৳533

3.48%

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

$268 MYR 1,094

$139 ৳17.2K

92.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,096 MYR 29.0K

$2,570 ৳317.8K

176.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 MYR 254

$16.32 ৳2,018

280.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.78 MYR 126

$19.36 ৳2,394

58.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MYR 315

$45.97 ৳5,684

67.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 290

$36.74 ৳4,543

92.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 MYR 1,713

$145 ৳17.9K

188.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,082

$68.1 ৳8,423

288.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 MYR 3,119

$461 ৳57.0K

65.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MYR 2,032

$232 ৳28.7K

114.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,141 MYR 8,749

$1,575 ৳194.8K

35.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 MYR 5,200

$789 ৳97.6K

61.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

10.67

-61.95%

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

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kulim

$265 29.7%

Dhaka

$68 16.1% 74.3% $197

Groceries & Markets

Kulim

$262 29.4%

Dhaka

$122 29% 53.2% $139

Eating Out

Kulim

$112 12.5%

Dhaka

$64 15.2% 42.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Kulim

$108 12.2%

Dhaka

$53 12.6% 50.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kulim

$80 9%

Dhaka

$62 14.8% 21.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Kulim

$45 5.1%

Dhaka

$26 6.2% 42% $19

Getting Around

Kulim

$19 2.2%

Dhaka

$26 6.2% 33.5% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $419 in Kulim and $145 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Kulim vs $13 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $122 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kulim

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

18:08 6:08 PM

2 h behind Kulim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,056

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.27 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kulim Dhaka 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kulim
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

Kulim vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 111% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,336 in Kulim and $633 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: $419 in Kulim versus $145 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $891 per month in Kulim versus $422 in Dhaka – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kulim runs roughly 41% less than in Dhaka. 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.