Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Panglao and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $817 in Panglao, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Panglao
🇵🇭 Philippines
$817
/mo nomad
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$406
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $817 in Panglao versus $406 in Dhaka.

  • Panglao $817
  • Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,137 in Panglao versus $687 in Dhaka.

  • Panglao $1,137
  • Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,456 in Panglao versus $969 in Dhaka.

  • Panglao $1,456
  • Dhaka $969

Living in Panglao is roughly 101% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Panglao 39% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.08 ₱194
$2.28 ৳282
35.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.75 ₱1,495
$12.33 ৳1,523
92.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.94 ₱248
$3.95 ৳488
-0.25%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.48 ৳554
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.13 ৳510
-
Cappuccino
$2.27 ₱143
$2.28 ৳281
-0.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ₱101
$0.33 ৳40.88
384.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₱33.19
$0.16 ৳19.86
231.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.55 ₱97.6
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 ₱119
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 ₱100
$0.85 ৳104
87.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 ₱70.9
$0.60 ৳74.5
88.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.94 ₱59.2
$0.69 ৳85.4
36.23%
Eggs
$1.79 ₱113
$1.23 ৳152
45.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.58 ₱540
$8.80 ৳1,087
-2.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.61 ₱290
$3.33 ৳412
38.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.62 ₱480
$6.63 ৳819
14.93%
Apples (1kg)
$1.92 ₱121
$2.85 ৳352
-32.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.5
$0.90 ৳111
54.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 ₱118
$2.34 ৳289
-20.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 ₱96.1
$0.63 ৳78.4
142.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.41 ₱152
$0.24 ৳29.59
904.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 ₱123
$0.46 ৳57.3
326.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 ₱71.8
$0.35 ৳42.79
225.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.47 ₱29.49
$0.28 ৳34.24
67.86%
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)
$2.91 ₱183
$3.28 ৳405
-11.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ₱359
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ₱49.65
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ₱97.9
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 ₱14.60
$0.42 ৳52.3
-45.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.32 ₱713
$22.43 ৳2,772
-49.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.73 ₱46.14
$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)
$0.90 ₱57.0
$1.10 ৳136
-18.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ₱1.3M
$29.4K ৳3.6M
-27.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K ₱1.2M
$32.2K ৳4.0M
-40.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.9 ₱3,711
$38.28 ৳4,729
53.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.75 ₱425
$4.09 ৳506
65.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.52 ₱1,544
$9.02 ৳1,114
171.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.96 ₱1,320
$13.66 ৳1,688
53.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.71 ₱297
$10.21 ৳1,261
-53.87%
Cinema Ticket
$3.92 ₱247
$4.11 ৳508
-4.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$135 ₱8,504
$90.7 ৳11.2K
48.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,988 ₱502.9K
$2,591 ৳320.2K
208.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.48 ₱2,045
$17.06 ৳2,108
90.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.59 ₱1,233
$21.38 ৳2,641
-8.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.4 ₱4,183
$51.4 ৳6,355
29.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.63 ₱2,999
$36.78 ৳4,545
29.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$280 ₱17.7K
$133 ৳16.4K
110.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$343 ₱21.6K
$65.1 ৳8,041
427.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$567 ₱35.7K
$377 ৳46.6K
50.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 ₱24.6K
$192 ৳23.8K
102.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$947 ₱59.6K
$1,621 ৳200.3K
-41.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,014 ₱63.8K
$760 ৳93.9K
33.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Panglao
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$246 ৳30.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
10.48
-31.30%

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

Last update for Panglao: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Panglao
$343
Dhaka
$65 81% $278
Groceries & Markets
Panglao
$183
Dhaka
$124 32.3% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Panglao
$90
Dhaka
$51 43% $39
Eating Out
Panglao
$84
Dhaka
$59 29.1% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Panglao
$75
Dhaka
$57 23.8% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Panglao
$29
Dhaka
$22 24% $6.9
Getting Around
Panglao
$14
Dhaka
$27 93.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Panglao and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Panglao vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Panglao
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🕒 Local time
06:30 6:30 AM
04:30 4:30 AM
2 h behind Panglao
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
39,839
21,741,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Panglao Dhaka 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Panglao
  • 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
Panglao vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Panglao?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,226 in Panglao 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.
What is the rent difference between Panglao and Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $280 in Panglao versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Panglao and in Dhaka?
All in, you'll spend $817 per month in Panglao versus $406 in Dhaka – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 98% less than in Panglao. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Panglao or Dhaka?
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.
Is it better to live in Panglao or in Dhaka?
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.
Which city is safer, Panglao or Dhaka?
Safety-wise, Panglao 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Panglao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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