Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandaluyong and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $841 in Mandaluyong, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Mandaluyong versus $406 in Dhaka.

Mandaluyong $841
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,389 in Mandaluyong versus $687 in Dhaka.

Mandaluyong $1,389
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,936 in Mandaluyong versus $969 in Dhaka.

Mandaluyong $1,936
Dhaka $969

Living in Mandaluyong is roughly 107% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mandaluyong 38% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.72 ₱297

$2.28 ৳282

107.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.62 ₱1,046

$12.33 ৳1,523

34.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.53 ₱223

$3.95 ৳488

-10.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₱137

$2.28 ৳281

-4.39%

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

$0.99 ₱62.1

$0.33 ৳40.88

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.84

$0.16 ৳19.86

206.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₱152

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱105

$0.85 ৳104

97.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ₱81.6

$0.60 ৳74.5

116.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$0.69 ৳85.4

49.28%

Eggs

$2.21 ₱139

$1.23 ৳152

79.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.18 ₱326

$8.80 ৳1,087

-41.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₱305

$3.33 ৳412

45.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.82 ₱429

$6.63 ৳819

2.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ₱213

$2.85 ৳352

18.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₱119

$0.90 ৳111

110.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 ₱194

$2.34 ৳289

32.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 ₱116

$0.63 ৳78.4

193.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 ₱139

$0.24 ৳29.59

820.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ₱166

$0.46 ৳57.3

471.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.08

$0.35 ৳42.79

77.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.84

$0.28 ৳34.24

75.00%

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)

$2.94 ₱185

$3.28 ৳405

-10.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 ₱564

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₱130

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₱23.73

$0.42 ৳52.3

-9.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₱45.59

$1.19 ৳147

-39.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$0.39 ৳48.71

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱122

$3.28 ৳406

-40.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱76.5

$1.10 ৳136

10.91%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-28.47%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-39.95%

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

$138 ₱8,711

$38.28 ৳4,729

261.44%

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

$17.70 ₱1,114

$4.09 ৳506

332.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.54 ₱1,545

$9.02 ৳1,114

172.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.59 ₱1,989

$13.66 ৳1,688

131.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$6.11 ₱385

$4.11 ৳508

48.66%

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

$131 ₱8,261

$90.7 ৳11.2K

44.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ₱553.4K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

239.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.06 ₱1,830

$17.06 ৳2,108

70.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.11 ₱1,707

$21.38 ৳2,641

26.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ₱4,481

$51.4 ৳6,355

38.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 ₱3,454

$36.78 ৳4,545

49.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 ₱39.1K

$133 ৳16.4K

367.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ₱15.1K

$65.1 ৳8,041

269.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 ₱74.1K

$377 ৳46.6K

212.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ₱45.6K

$192 ৳23.8K

276.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,810 ₱176.9K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

73.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$533 ₱33.6K

$246 ৳30.4K

116.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.48

-35.59%

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

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6%

Dhaka

$65 16% 73% $176

Groceries & Markets

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 38.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 71.5% $129

Eating Out

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 34.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 30.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 50% $22

Getting Around

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 707% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $622 in Mandaluyong and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandaluyong pays 117% 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: $17.00 in Mandaluyong vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

2 h behind Mandaluyong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,758

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 17, 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 17, 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

Mandaluyong Dhaka 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mandaluyong
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

Mandaluyong vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 107% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 117% higher in Mandaluyong, 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: $622 in Mandaluyong versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $131 in Mandaluyong versus $90.7 in Dhaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $17.00 in Mandaluyong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $841 in Mandaluyong, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Mandaluyong. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Mandaluyong 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 107% less than in Mandaluyong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.