Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nilai and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $944 in Nilai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Nilai
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Nilai Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$944

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $944 in Nilai versus $428 in Dhaka.

Nilai $944
Dhaka $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,408 in Nilai versus $724 in Dhaka.

Nilai $1,408
Dhaka $724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,873 in Nilai versus $1,019 in Dhaka.

Nilai $1,873
Dhaka $1,019

Living in Nilai is roughly 120% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nilai 30% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.61 MYR 14.71

$2.50 ৳309

44.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.70 MYR 80.4

$13.26 ৳1,638

48.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.16 MYR 25.13

$4.99 ৳616

23.45%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 ৳602

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳511

Cappuccino

$3.45 MYR 14.09

$2.35 ৳291

46.81%

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

$0.81 MYR 3.32

$0.33 ৳41.07

145.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.56

$0.16 ৳19.62

137.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 MYR 14.54

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.29

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$0.85 ৳105

103.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 MYR 5.65

$0.63 ৳77.9

119.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$0.67 ৳83.1

113.43%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.06

$1.19 ৳147

86.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 MYR 56.4

$8.83 ৳1,092

56.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MYR 17.61

$3.30 ৳408

30.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 MYR 40.11

$6.41 ৳792

53.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 MYR 13.15

$2.75 ৳340

17.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.91

$0.94 ৳116

79.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

$2.37 ৳293

4.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MYR 6.33

$0.64 ৳79.1

142.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.21

$0.26 ৳32.25

392.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 MYR 5.27

$0.49 ৳60.6

163.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$0.30 ৳37.63

293.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$0.30 ৳37.49

86.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 ৳1,512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.43 ৳671

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 ৳807

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 MYR 20.29

$3.17 ৳392

56.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 MYR 85.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 MYR 10.60

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MYR 17.75

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$0.38 ৳47.44

92.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.51 MYR 55.1

$23.06 ৳2,849

-41.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 MYR 4.57

$1.17 ৳145

-4.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.38 ৳46.99

36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 MYR 34.46

$3.28 ৳405

157.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 MYR 3.93

$1.11 ৳137

-13.51%

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

$42.8K MYR 174.4K

$29.1K ৳3.6M

46.87%

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

$30.6K MYR 125.0K

$32.9K ৳4.1M

-6.90%

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

$49.33 MYR 201

$46.77 ৳5,779

5.47%

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

$9.58 MYR 39.06

$4.51 ৳557

112.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.03 MYR 114

$11.22 ৳1,387

149.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.98 MYR 151

$16.43 ৳2,031

125.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 MYR 25.94

$14.87 ৳1,838

-57.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.55

$4.20 ৳519

14.05%

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

$186 MYR 759

$91.6 ৳11.3K

103.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,358 MYR 25.9K

$2,596 ৳320.8K

144.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 MYR 202

$16.63 ৳2,055

198.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 MYR 153

$19.80 ৳2,447

89.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 MYR 308

$46.87 ৳5,791

60.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.2 MYR 331

$37.00 ৳4,572

119.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 MYR 1,558

$148 ৳18.2K

158.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 MYR 1,210

$70.8 ৳8,743

319.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 MYR 2,715

$432 ৳53.4K

53.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MYR 1,947

$213 ৳26.3K

124.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,219 MYR 9,052

$1,605 ৳198.4K

38.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$979 MYR 3,993

$751 ৳92.8K

30.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,393 MYR 5,683

$245 ৳30.3K

468.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

10.67

-61.95%

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

Last update for Nilai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nilai

$297 31.4%

Dhaka

$71 16.5% 76.1% $226

Groceries & Markets

Nilai

$263 27.9%

Dhaka

$123 28.8% 53.2% $140

Eating Out

Nilai

$120 12.8%

Dhaka

$65 15.2% 45.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Nilai

$110 11.6%

Dhaka

$54 12.6% 50.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nilai

$87 9.2%

Dhaka

$63 14.6% 28.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Nilai

$47 4.9%

Dhaka

$25 5.8% 46.7% $22

Getting Around

Nilai

$20 2.1%

Dhaka

$28 6.5% 37.3% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $382 in Nilai and $148 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nilai pays 469% 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: $20.00 in Nilai vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Nilai

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

2 h behind Nilai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,612

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nilai Dhaka 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nilai
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

Nilai vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 469% higher in Nilai, 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: $382 in Nilai versus $148 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $944 per month in Nilai versus $428 in Dhaka – a 120% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 71% less than in Nilai. 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.

Safety-wise, Nilai 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 120% less than in Nilai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.