Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pai and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $881 in Pai, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pai
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Pai Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Pai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$881

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $881 in Pai versus $406 in Dhaka.

Pai $881
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,448 in Pai versus $687 in Dhaka.

Pai $1,448
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,014 in Pai versus $969 in Dhaka.

Pai $2,014
Dhaka $969

Living in Pai is roughly 117% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pai 35% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.12 ฿104

$2.28 ৳281

36.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.15 ฿807

$12.33 ৳1,518

95.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 ฿231

$3.95 ৳487

74.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳552

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳508

Cappuccino

$2.01 ฿67.1

$2.28 ৳280

-11.84%

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

$0.66 ฿21.96

$0.33 ৳40.74

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.60

$0.16 ৳19.80

118.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.1

$0.85 ৳104

101.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ฿44.80

$0.60 ৳74.3

123.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.76

$0.69 ৳85.1

89.86%

Eggs

$2.11 ฿70.4

$1.23 ৳152

71.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.04 ฿570

$8.80 ৳1,084

93.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 ฿102

$3.33 ৳411

-8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 ฿370

$6.63 ৳816

67.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.85 ৳351

1.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.67

$0.90 ৳111

32.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.1

$2.34 ৳288

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.9

$0.63 ৳78.2

146.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$0.24 ৳29.49

541.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.00

$0.46 ৳57.1

173.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿33.81

$0.35 ৳42.64

188.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.28 ৳34.12

85.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,491

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳654

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳791

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$3.28 ৳404

32.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿60.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.23

$0.42 ৳52.1

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,762

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.44

$1.19 ৳147

-10.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 ฿39.83

$0.39 ৳48.54

205.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.30 ฿211

$3.28 ৳404

92.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ฿42.14

$1.10 ৳135

14.55%

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

$27.4K ฿916.3K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-6.84%

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

$27.7K ฿925.4K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-13.90%

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

$74.4 ฿2,486

$38.28 ৳4,713

94.33%

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

$13.21 ฿441

$4.09 ৳504

222.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿619

$9.02 ৳1,110

105.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.79 ฿1,631

$13.66 ৳1,682

257.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.14 ฿473

$10.21 ৳1,257

38.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 ฿232

$4.11 ৳506

69.10%

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

$298 ฿9,968

$90.7 ৳11.2K

228.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,327 ฿311.7K

$2,591 ৳319.1K

259.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.59 ฿1,056

$17.06 ৳2,100

85.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.72 ฿1,127

$21.38 ৳2,632

57.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 ฿2,738

$51.4 ৳6,333

59.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.4 ฿2,218

$36.78 ৳4,529

80.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 ฿15.1K

$133 ৳16.4K

238.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 ฿8,805

$65.1 ৳8,014

304.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 ฿27.7K

$377 ৳46.5K

119.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 ฿22.0K

$192 ৳23.7K

242.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,485 ฿83.0K

$1,621 ৳199.7K

53.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ฿61.3K

$760 ৳93.6K

141.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

10.48

-48.00%

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

Last update for Pai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pai

$263 29.9%

Dhaka

$65 16% 75.3% $198

Groceries & Markets

Pai

$250 28.4%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 50.6% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pai

$106 12%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 51.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Pai

$96 10.9%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 40.7% $39

Eating Out

Pai

$92 10.5%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 35.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Pai

$63 7.1%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 65.1% $41

Getting Around

Pai

$11 * 1.2%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 159% $17

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 $451 in Pai and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Pai vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pai

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

1 h behind Pai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,284

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pai Dhaka 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pai
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

Pai vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 117% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,322 in Pai and $609 in Dhaka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $451 in Pai versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $298 in Pai 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 $24.00 in Pai. 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.

For families, Dhaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Pai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Pai 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 117% less than in Pai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.