Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marawi and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $727 in Marawi, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Marawi
Learn more

Marawi Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Marawi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $727 in Marawi versus $406 in Dhaka.

Marawi $727
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,104 in Marawi versus $687 in Dhaka.

Marawi $1,104
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,481 in Marawi versus $969 in Dhaka.

Marawi $1,481
Dhaka $969

Living in Marawi is roughly 79% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Marawi 46% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ₱250

$2.28 ৳282

74.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.84 ₱1,060

$12.33 ৳1,523

36.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱171

$3.95 ৳488

-31.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.20 ₱139

$2.28 ৳281

-3.51%

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

$0.61 ₱38.65

$0.33 ৳40.88

84.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.03

$0.16 ৳19.86

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₱67.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ₱133

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$0.85 ৳104

88.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.1

$0.60 ৳74.5

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱60.8

$0.69 ৳85.4

40.58%

Eggs

$1.97 ₱124

$1.23 ৳152

60.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.45 ₱343

$8.80 ৳1,087

-38.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 ₱264

$3.33 ৳412

25.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 ₱433

$6.63 ৳819

3.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$2.85 ৳352

-13.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱102

$0.90 ৳111

78.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ₱152

$2.34 ৳289

2.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$0.63 ৳78.4

79.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 ₱121

$0.24 ৳29.59

704.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$0.46 ৳57.3

341.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱57.9

$0.35 ৳42.79

162.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₱36.33

$0.28 ৳34.24

107.14%

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)

$2.60 ₱164

$3.28 ৳405

-20.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 ₱485

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ₱65.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.77

$0.42 ৳52.3

-47.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.71 ₱800

$22.43 ৳2,772

-43.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.65

$1.19 ৳147

-37.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.03

$0.39 ৳48.71

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₱136

$3.28 ৳406

-34.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱74.8

$1.10 ৳136

8.18%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-30.17%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-40.95%

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

$119 ₱7,466

$38.28 ৳4,729

209.77%

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

$17.08 ₱1,075

$4.09 ৳506

317.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.37 ₱1,534

$9.02 ৳1,114

170.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 ₱1,924

$13.66 ৳1,688

123.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.56 ₱287

$10.21 ৳1,261

-55.34%

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 ₱286

$4.11 ৳508

10.71%

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

$132 ₱8,339

$90.7 ৳11.2K

45.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,903 ₱497.6K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

204.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.59 ₱2,052

$17.06 ৳2,108

91.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.71 ₱1,241

$21.38 ৳2,641

-7.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,436

$51.4 ৳6,355

37.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ₱3,452

$36.78 ৳4,545

49.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 ₱17.1K

$133 ৳16.4K

104.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$65.1 ৳8,041

165.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 ₱32.3K

$377 ৳46.6K

36.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₱21.9K

$192 ৳23.8K

80.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,286 ₱144.0K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

41.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$989 ₱62.2K

$760 ৳93.9K

30.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$289 ₱18.2K

$246 ৳30.4K

17.45%

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 Marawi: 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

Marawi

$179 24.6%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 30.9% $55

Accommodation & Living

Marawi

$173 23.8%

Dhaka

$65 16% 62.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marawi

$160 22%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 67.9% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Marawi

$80 11%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 28.7% $23

Eating Out

Marawi

$80 11%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 25.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Marawi

$40 5.5%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 44.8% $18

Getting Around

Marawi

$16 2.1%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 75.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $272 in Marawi and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marawi pays 17% 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 Marawi 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

🇵🇭 Marawi

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

2 h behind Marawi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,010

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

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Between locations

Marawi Dhaka 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Marawi
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

Marawi vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Marawi, 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: $272 in Marawi versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $727 per month in Marawi versus $406 in Dhaka – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 76% less than in Marawi. 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 79% less than in Marawi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.