Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makassar and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $641 in Makassar, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
Learn more

Makassar Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Makassar versus $406 in Dhaka.

Makassar $641
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $985 in Makassar versus $687 in Dhaka.

Makassar $985
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,328 in Makassar versus $969 in Dhaka.

Makassar $1,328
Dhaka $969

Living in Makassar is roughly 58% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makassar 53% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$2.28 ৳282

-24.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.88 Rp 159.8K

$12.33 ৳1,523

-27.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.15 Rp 56.7K

$3.95 ৳488

-20.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

$2.28 ৳281

-15.79%

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

$0.50 Rp 9,030

$0.33 ৳40.88

51.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 Rp 6,497

$0.16 ৳19.86

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 Rp 44.8K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 Rp 59.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$0.85 ৳104

87.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

$0.60 ৳74.5

63.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

$0.69 ৳85.4

-10.14%

Eggs

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

$1.23 ৳152

21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.29 Rp 113.3K

$8.80 ৳1,087

-28.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 Rp 61.9K

$3.33 ৳412

3.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.24 Rp 94.3K

$6.63 ৳819

-20.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

$2.85 ৳352

-17.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$0.90 ৳111

51.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

$2.34 ৳289

-18.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.4K

$0.63 ৳78.4

195.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$0.24 ৳29.59

420.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

$0.46 ৳57.3

241.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$0.35 ৳42.79

108.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,526

$0.28 ৳34.24

50.00%

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)

$2.63 Rp 47.4K

$3.28 ৳405

-19.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.11 Rp 398.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 Rp 32.7K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 54.0K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,854

$0.42 ৳52.3

-35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.30 Rp 77.5K

$22.43 ৳2,772

-80.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,781

$1.19 ৳147

-58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 Rp 6,271

$0.39 ৳48.71

-10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

$3.28 ৳406

-18.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

$1.10 ৳136

-32.73%

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

$23.9K Rp 430.8M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-18.68%

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

$30.9K Rp 557.0M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-3.79%

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

$89.0 Rp 1.6M

$38.28 ৳4,729

132.39%

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

$2.71 Rp 48.7K

$4.09 ৳506

-33.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.90 Rp 448.1K

$9.02 ৳1,114

176.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.47 Rp 386.5K

$13.66 ৳1,688

57.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 Rp 151.1K

$10.21 ৳1,261

-17.73%

Cinema Ticket

$3.36 Rp 60.5K

$4.11 ৳508

-18.25%

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

$93.5 Rp 1.7M

$90.7 ৳11.2K

3.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,746 Rp 67.4M

$2,591 ৳320.2K

44.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.95 Rp 485.2K

$17.06 ৳2,108

57.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.52 Rp 423.3K

$21.38 ৳2,641

10.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

$51.4 ৳6,355

46.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.00 Rp 720.0K

$36.78 ৳4,545

8.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 Rp 4.2M

$133 ৳16.4K

74.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$65.1 ৳8,041

127.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 Rp 9.8M

$377 ৳46.6K

44.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 Rp 6.5M

$192 ৳23.8K

86.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 Rp 20.9M

$1,621 ৳200.3K

-28.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$803 Rp 14.5M

$760 ৳93.9K

5.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$214 Rp 3.8M

$246 ৳30.4K

-13.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

10.48

-9.73%

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

Last update for Makassar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Makassar

$197 30.7%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 37.2% $73

Accommodation & Living

Makassar

$148 23.1%

Dhaka

$65 16% 56.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makassar

$117 18.2%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 55.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Makassar

$75 11.6%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 23.6% $18

Eating Out

Makassar

$69 10.7%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 13.5% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Makassar

$28 4.4%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 22.3% $6.3

Getting Around

Makassar

$7.6 1.2%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 259% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $232 in Makassar and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $9.00 in Makassar vs $12.00 in Dhaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $124, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Makassar

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

22:32 10:32 PM

2 h behind Makassar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,427,619

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Makassar Dhaka 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Makassar
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

Makassar vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% 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: $232 in Makassar versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $641 per month in Makassar versus $406 in Dhaka – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 422% less than in Makassar. 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 58% less than in Makassar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.