Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $613 in Medan, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $613 in Medan versus $406 in Dhaka.

Medan $613
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $940 in Medan versus $687 in Dhaka.

Medan $940
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,266 in Medan versus $969 in Dhaka.

Medan $1,266
Dhaka $969

Living in Medan is roughly 51% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Medan 55% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$2.28 ৳282

-25.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

$12.33 ৳1,523

-32.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

$3.95 ৳488

-25.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$2.28 ৳281

-32.89%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,215

$0.33 ৳40.88

6.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$0.16 ৳19.86

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$0.85 ৳104

30.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.60 ৳74.5

96.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$0.69 ৳85.4

17.39%

Eggs

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$1.23 ৳152

7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

$8.80 ৳1,087

-7.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$3.33 ৳412

7.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

$6.63 ৳819

-4.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

$2.85 ৳352

-15.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$0.90 ৳111

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$2.34 ৳289

-39.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$0.63 ৳78.4

47.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$0.24 ৳29.59

250.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

$0.46 ৳57.3

291.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 Rp 6,905

$0.35 ৳42.79

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$0.28 ৳34.24

57.14%

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)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$3.28 ৳405

-12.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,816

$0.42 ৳52.3

-35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

$22.43 ৳2,772

-73.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$1.19 ৳147

-57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 Rp 3,465

$0.39 ৳48.71

-51.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$1.10 ৳136

-27.27%

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

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-16.18%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

0.17%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$38.28 ৳4,729

121.63%

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

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

$4.09 ৳506

-22.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

$9.02 ৳1,114

161.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

$13.66 ৳1,688

24.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

$10.21 ৳1,261

-17.63%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

$4.11 ৳508

-19.95%

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

$112 Rp 2.0M

$90.7 ৳11.2K

23.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

$2,591 ৳320.2K

-34.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

$17.06 ৳2,108

217.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

$21.38 ৳2,641

80.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 Rp 1.9M

$51.4 ৳6,355

109.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Rp 2.0M

$36.78 ৳4,545

201.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 Rp 4.2M

$133 ৳16.4K

75.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

$65.1 ৳8,041

37.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 Rp 8.9M

$377 ৳46.6K

31.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 Rp 3.8M

$192 ৳23.8K

10.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

$1,621 ৳200.3K

-28.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 Rp 10.1M

$760 ৳93.9K

-26.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$246 ৳30.4K

-12.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.25

10.48

-11.74%

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

Last update for Medan: 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

Medan

$181 29.5%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 31.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medan

$140 22.9%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 59.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medan

$112 18.2%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 53.9% $60

Accommodation & Living

Medan

$90 14.6%

Dhaka

$65 16% 27.5% $25

Eating Out

Medan

$59 9.6%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 1.2% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Medan

$24 3.8%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 7% $1.6

Getting Around

Medan

$8.5 1.4%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 222% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $233 in Medan and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dhaka pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8.00 in Medan vs $12.00 in Dhaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $181 vs $124, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Medan

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h behind Medan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,097,610

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 = 20,236 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medan Dhaka 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medan
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

Medan vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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: $233 in Medan versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $613 per month in Medan versus $406 in Dhaka – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 278% less than in Medan. 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 51% less than in Medan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.