Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Selangor and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,020 in Selangor, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Selangor versus $406 in Dhaka.

Selangor $1,020
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,469 in Selangor versus $687 in Dhaka.

Selangor $1,469
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,918 in Selangor versus $969 in Dhaka.

Selangor $1,918
Dhaka $969

Living in Selangor is roughly 151% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Selangor 24% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$2.28 ৳282

89.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.20 MYR 78.3

$12.33 ৳1,523

55.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.04 MYR 16.46

$3.95 ৳488

2.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$2.28 ৳281

-0.88%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.33 ৳40.88

136.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.16 ৳19.86

193.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$0.85 ৳104

127.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$0.60 ৳74.5

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$0.69 ৳85.4

121.74%

Eggs

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$1.23 ৳152

56.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 MYR 58.2

$8.80 ৳1,087

62.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$3.33 ৳412

30.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 39.16

$6.63 ৳819

44.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.04

$2.85 ৳352

20.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$0.90 ৳111

104.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$2.34 ৳289

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.49

$0.63 ৳78.4

152.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$0.24 ৳29.59

458.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$0.46 ৳57.3

123.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$0.35 ৳42.79

217.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$0.28 ৳34.24

92.86%

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)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$3.28 ৳405

37.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$0.42 ৳52.3

183.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 50.0

$22.43 ৳2,772

-45.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.19 ৳147

4.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.39 ৳48.71

220.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MYR 17.72

$3.28 ৳406

32.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$1.10 ৳136

-33.64%

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

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

42.38%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

9.61%

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

$63.4 MYR 258

$38.28 ৳4,729

65.52%

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

$8.50 MYR 34.69

$4.09 ৳506

107.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 MYR 106

$9.02 ৳1,114

187.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$13.66 ৳1,688

200.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 MYR 28.04

$10.21 ৳1,261

-32.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 20.59

$4.11 ৳508

22.87%

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

$122 MYR 499

$90.7 ৳11.2K

34.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

176.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MYR 289

$17.06 ৳2,108

315.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.40 MYR 169

$21.38 ৳2,641

93.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$51.4 ৳6,355

49.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 MYR 339

$36.78 ৳4,545

125.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,083

$133 ৳16.4K

283.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 MYR 1,413

$65.1 ৳8,041

432.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 MYR 3,589

$377 ৳46.6K

133.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,963

$192 ৳23.8K

150.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 MYR 6,438

$1,621 ৳200.3K

-2.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$705 MYR 2,875

$760 ৳93.9K

-7.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 MYR 4,157

$246 ৳30.4K

314.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

10.48

-62.21%

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

Last update for Selangor: 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

Selangor

$346 34%

Dhaka

$65 16% 81.2% $281

Groceries & Markets

Selangor

$266 26.1%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 53.6% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Selangor

$123 12%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 53.5% $66

Eating Out

Selangor

$111 10.9%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 46.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Selangor

$98 9.6%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 47.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Selangor

$51 5%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 57.2% $29

Getting Around

Selangor

$25 2.4%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 11.3% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $511 in Selangor and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Selangor pays 314% 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: $19.00 in Selangor vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Selangor

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

2 h behind Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

281,717

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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Selangor Dhaka 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Selangor
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

Selangor vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 151% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 314% higher in Selangor, 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: $511 in Selangor versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,020 per month in Selangor versus $406 in Dhaka – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 83% less than in Selangor. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,020 in Selangor, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Selangor. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Selangor 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 151% less than in Selangor. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.