Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shah Alam and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $933 in Shah Alam, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
Learn more

Shah Alam Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $933 in Shah Alam versus $406 in Dhaka.

Shah Alam $933
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,429 in Shah Alam versus $687 in Dhaka.

Shah Alam $1,429
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,925 in Shah Alam versus $969 in Dhaka.

Shah Alam $1,925
Dhaka $969

Living in Shah Alam is roughly 130% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shah Alam 31% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$2.28 ৳282

63.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.34 MYR 78.9

$12.33 ৳1,523

56.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 MYR 17.16

$3.95 ৳488

6.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.70

$2.28 ৳281

25.88%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$0.33 ৳40.88

136.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.58

$0.16 ৳19.86

143.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 MYR 13.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 MYR 17.65

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.29

$0.85 ৳104

110.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$0.60 ৳74.5

76.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.01

$0.69 ৳85.4

113.04%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.85

$1.23 ৳152

76.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 MYR 55.4

$8.80 ৳1,087

54.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$3.33 ৳412

30.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 38.79

$6.63 ৳819

43.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 MYR 14.38

$2.85 ৳352

23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.61

$0.90 ৳111

80.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.67

$2.34 ৳289

11.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$0.63 ৳78.4

174.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.08

$0.24 ৳29.59

420.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.33

$0.46 ৳57.3

343.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$0.35 ৳42.79

308.57%

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)

$4.33 MYR 17.66

$3.28 ৳405

32.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.85 MYR 76.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 MYR 11.26

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 MYR 18.94

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$0.42 ৳52.3

78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.11 MYR 65.7

$22.43 ৳2,772

-28.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.90

$1.19 ৳147

0.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.39 ৳48.71

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.48 MYR 30.52

$3.28 ৳406

128.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.32

$1.10 ৳136

-26.36%

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

$42.1K MYR 171.7K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

42.98%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

8.60%

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

$36.85 MYR 150

$38.28 ৳4,729

-3.74%

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

$9.64 MYR 39.32

$4.09 ৳506

135.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 MYR 118

$9.02 ৳1,114

220.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.19 MYR 164

$13.66 ৳1,688

194.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.88 MYR 19.92

$10.21 ৳1,261

-52.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 MYR 26.86

$4.11 ৳508

60.10%

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

$199 MYR 812

$90.7 ৳11.2K

119.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,548 MYR 18.6K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

75.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 MYR 235

$17.06 ৳2,108

237.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.52 MYR 161

$21.38 ৳2,641

84.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 MYR 277

$51.4 ৳6,355

31.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 MYR 285

$36.78 ৳4,545

90.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 MYR 1,386

$133 ৳16.4K

155.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 MYR 1,255

$65.1 ৳8,041

372.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,301

$377 ৳46.6K

49.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 MYR 2,283

$192 ৳23.8K

190.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,502 MYR 6,128

$1,621 ৳200.3K

-7.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MYR 4,753

$760 ৳93.9K

53.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,264 MYR 5,156

$246 ৳30.4K

413.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

10.48

-61.45%

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

Last update for Shah Alam: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shah Alam

$308 33%

Dhaka

$65 16% 78.8% $243

Groceries & Markets

Shah Alam

$261 28%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 52.7% $138

Eating Out

Shah Alam

$107 11.5%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 44.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Shah Alam

$106 11.3%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 46.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shah Alam

$75 8.1%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 31.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Shah Alam

$53 5.7%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 59% $31

Getting Around

Shah Alam

$22 2.4%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 22.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $340 in Shah Alam and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shah Alam pays 414% 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 Shah Alam vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

2 h behind Shah Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

812,327

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shah Alam Dhaka 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shah Alam
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

Shah Alam vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 130% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 414% higher in Shah Alam, 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: $340 in Shah Alam versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $933 per month in Shah Alam versus $406 in Dhaka – a 130% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 39% less than in Shah Alam. 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, Shah Alam 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 130% less than in Shah Alam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.