Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laoag City and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $743 in Laoag City, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
Learn more

Laoag City Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $743 in Laoag City versus $406 in Dhaka.

Laoag City $743
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,112 in Laoag City versus $687 in Dhaka.

Laoag City $1,112
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,480 in Laoag City versus $969 in Dhaka.

Laoag City $1,480
Dhaka $969

Living in Laoag City is roughly 83% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Laoag City 45% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 ₱215

$2.28 ৳282

49.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.52 ₱1,040

$12.33 ৳1,523

33.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.94 ₱185

$3.95 ৳488

-25.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱160

$2.28 ৳281

11.40%

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

$0.67 ₱42.11

$0.33 ৳40.88

103.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.52

$0.16 ৳19.86

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ₱63.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₱117

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱102

$0.85 ৳104

91.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ₱73.8

$0.60 ৳74.5

95.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.1

$0.69 ৳85.4

33.33%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$1.23 ৳152

58.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.25 ₱331

$8.80 ৳1,087

-40.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 ₱271

$3.33 ৳412

29.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.24 ₱456

$6.63 ৳819

9.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$2.85 ৳352

-15.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$0.90 ৳111

81.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ₱154

$2.34 ৳289

4.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$0.63 ৳78.4

88.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$0.24 ৳29.59

708.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ₱119

$0.46 ৳57.3

308.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₱63.3

$0.35 ৳42.79

188.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱33.73

$0.28 ৳34.24

92.86%

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)

$2.89 ₱182

$3.28 ৳405

-11.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 ₱464

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₱59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₱122

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.39

$0.42 ৳52.3

-38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.99 ₱755

$22.43 ৳2,772

-46.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱45.76

$1.19 ৳147

-38.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.14

$0.39 ৳48.71

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₱138

$3.28 ৳406

-33.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱64.6

$1.10 ৳136

-6.36%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-26.46%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-40.83%

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

$136 ₱8,542

$38.28 ৳4,729

254.41%

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

$14.48 ₱912

$4.09 ৳506

254.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.79 ₱1,561

$9.02 ৳1,114

174.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.51 ₱2,047

$13.66 ৳1,688

137.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.10 ₱321

$10.21 ৳1,261

-50.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱316

$4.11 ৳508

22.38%

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

$133 ₱8,385

$90.7 ৳11.2K

46.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,190 ₱515.6K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

216.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.49 ₱2,108

$17.06 ৳2,108

96.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,242

$21.38 ৳2,641

-7.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ₱4,481

$51.4 ৳6,355

38.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,483

$36.78 ৳4,545

50.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₱17.0K

$133 ৳16.4K

102.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 ₱10.8K

$65.1 ৳8,041

163.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.3K

$377 ৳46.6K

35.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₱20.7K

$192 ৳23.8K

71.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₱153.3K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

50.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 ₱68.4K

$760 ৳93.9K

42.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₱10.2K

$246 ৳30.4K

-34.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.48

-35.21%

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

Last update for Laoag City: 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

Laoag City

$179 24.2%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 31.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laoag City

$175 23.5%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 70.6% $124

Accommodation & Living

Laoag City

$171 23%

Dhaka

$65 16% 62% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Laoag City

$81 10.9%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 29.5% $24

Eating Out

Laoag City

$79 10.7%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 25.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Laoag City

$43 5.7%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 48.6% $21

Getting Around

Laoag City

$15 2%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 82.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $270 in Laoag City and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17.00 in Laoag City vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

2 h behind Laoag City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,117

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Laoag City Dhaka 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Laoag City
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

Laoag City vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Dhaka. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $270 in Laoag City versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $743 per month in Laoag City versus $406 in Dhaka – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 87% less than in Laoag City. 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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Laoag City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.