Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $704 in Marikina, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $704 in Marikina versus $406 in Dhaka.

Marikina $704
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,094 in Marikina versus $687 in Dhaka.

Marikina $1,094
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,484 in Marikina versus $969 in Dhaka.

Marikina $1,484
Dhaka $969

Living in Marikina is roughly 74% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Marikina 48% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ₱257

$2.28 ৳282

78.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 ₱2,038

$12.33 ৳1,523

162.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 ₱199

$3.95 ৳488

-19.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$2.28 ৳281

0.44%

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

$0.55 ₱34.81

$0.33 ৳40.88

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.92

$0.16 ৳19.86

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱149

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱117

$0.85 ৳104

117.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$0.60 ৳74.5

105.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$0.69 ৳85.4

53.62%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$1.23 ৳152

69.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 ₱466

$8.80 ৳1,087

-16.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ₱264

$3.33 ৳412

26.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$6.63 ৳819

2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$2.85 ৳352

-13.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$0.90 ৳111

125.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$2.34 ৳289

-0.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$0.63 ৳78.4

265.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$0.24 ৳29.59

891.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$0.46 ৳57.3

656.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$0.35 ৳42.79

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.21

$0.28 ৳34.24

150.00%

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)

$2.93 ₱184

$3.28 ৳405

-10.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₱550

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₱31.34

$0.42 ৳52.3

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.04

$1.19 ৳147

-38.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.39 ৳48.71

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$3.28 ৳406

-40.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.3

$1.10 ৳136

12.73%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-26.34%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-39.58%

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

$139 ₱8,744

$38.28 ৳4,729

262.80%

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

$16.19 ₱1,019

$4.09 ৳506

295.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.10 ₱1,769

$9.02 ৳1,114

211.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 ₱2,312

$13.66 ৳1,688

168.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₱448

$4.11 ৳508

72.99%

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

$131 ₱8,250

$90.7 ৳11.2K

44.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,456 ₱469.4K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

187.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,774

$17.06 ৳2,108

251.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ₱1,786

$21.38 ৳2,641

32.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₱4,745

$51.4 ৳6,355

46.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,442

$36.78 ৳4,545

48.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.3K

$133 ৳16.4K

35.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.2 ₱4,986

$65.1 ৳8,041

21.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$377 ৳46.6K

-14.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₱9,110

$192 ৳23.8K

-24.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 ₱71.4K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

-30.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 ₱30.3K

$760 ৳93.9K

-36.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₱24.3K

$246 ৳30.4K

57.11%

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 Marikina: 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

Marikina

$206 29.2%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 39.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$183 26%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 71.9% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$98 14%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 42% $41

Eating Out

Marikina

$83 11.8%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 28.4% $24

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.3%

Dhaka

$65 16% 17.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$51 7.2%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 57% $29

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 603% $23

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 $180 in Marikina and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Marikina pays 57% 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: $32.00 in Marikina 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

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

2 h behind Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

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 = 70.79 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

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

From you

Marikina
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

Marikina vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Marikina, 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: $180 in Marikina versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $131 in Marikina 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 $32.00 in Marikina. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Marikina 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 74% less than in Marikina. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.