Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucena and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $646 in Lucena, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Lucena
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Lucena Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Lucena

🇵🇭 Philippines

$646

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $646 in Lucena versus $406 in Dhaka.

Lucena $646
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,041 in Lucena versus $687 in Dhaka.

Lucena $1,041
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,436 in Lucena versus $969 in Dhaka.

Lucena $1,436
Dhaka $969

Living in Lucena is roughly 59% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lucena 52% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.50 ₱94.4

$2.28 ৳282

-34.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.91 ₱1,191

$12.33 ৳1,523

53.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$1.72 ₱108

$3.95 ৳488

-56.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$1.32 ₱83.2

$2.28 ৳281

-42.11%

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

$0.33 ₱20.88

$0.33 ৳40.88

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₱18.26

$0.16 ৳19.86

81.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ₱86.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₱80.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₱105

$0.85 ৳104

95.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ₱73.4

$0.60 ৳74.5

95.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱57.6

$0.69 ৳85.4

33.33%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$1.23 ৳152

42.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.82 ₱429

$8.80 ৳1,087

-22.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$3.33 ৳412

26.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.13 ₱449

$6.63 ৳819

7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ₱254

$2.85 ৳352

41.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱86.0

$0.90 ৳111

52.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 ₱225

$2.34 ৳289

52.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱73.5

$0.63 ৳78.4

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 ₱143

$0.24 ৳29.59

845.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.30 ₱208

$0.46 ৳57.3

617.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₱89.6

$0.35 ৳42.79

305.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.0

$0.28 ৳34.24

225.00%

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)

$2.74 ₱173

$3.28 ৳405

-16.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 ₱487

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₱84.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₱111

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱14.97

$0.42 ৳52.3

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.08 ₱761

$22.43 ৳2,772

-46.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.0

$1.19 ৳147

-31.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.19

$0.39 ৳48.71

-46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 ₱160

$3.28 ৳406

-22.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₱77.6

$1.10 ৳136

11.82%

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

$21.3K ₱1.3M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-27.62%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-41.67%

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

$47.89 ₱3,015

$38.28 ৳4,729

25.10%

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

$6.37 ₱401

$4.09 ৳506

55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.06 ₱696

$9.02 ৳1,114

22.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.15 ₱2,150

$13.66 ৳1,688

150.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.02 ₱253

$10.21 ৳1,261

-60.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ₱465

$4.11 ৳508

79.56%

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

$71.9 ₱4,529

$90.7 ৳11.2K

-20.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,515 ₱158.3K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

-2.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.78 ₱2,253

$17.06 ৳2,108

109.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.69 ₱1,428

$21.38 ৳2,641

6.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 ₱5,020

$51.4 ৳6,355

55.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.4 ₱4,683

$36.78 ৳4,545

102.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 ₱16.5K

$133 ৳16.4K

96.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 ₱10.7K

$65.1 ৳8,041

160.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 ₱32.5K

$377 ৳46.6K

36.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.5K

$192 ৳23.8K

85.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₱143.2K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

40.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$921 ₱58.0K

$760 ৳93.9K

21.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$320 ₱20.2K

$246 ৳30.4K

30.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

-33.21%

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

Last update for Lucena: 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

Lucena

$206 31.9%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 40% $82

Accommodation & Living

Lucena

$170 26.3%

Dhaka

$65 16% 61.6% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Lucena

$96 14.8%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 40.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lucena

$65 10.1%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 21.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lucena

$49 7.6%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 55.2% $27

Eating Out

Lucena

$45 7%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 32.1% $14

Getting Around

Lucena

$15 2.3%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 83.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $262 in Lucena and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lucena pays 30% 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 Lucena vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Lucena

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

2 h behind Lucena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

278,924

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

Lucena Dhaka 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lucena
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

Lucena vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 30% higher in Lucena, 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: $262 in Lucena versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $646 per month in Lucena versus $406 in Dhaka – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 86% less than in Lucena. 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, Lucena 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 59% less than in Lucena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.