Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Subang Jaya and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $951 in Subang Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Subang Jaya
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$951
/mo nomad
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$406
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $951 in Subang Jaya versus $406 in Dhaka.

  • Subang Jaya $951
  • Dhaka $406

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

  • Subang Jaya $1,448
  • Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,945 in Subang Jaya versus $969 in Dhaka.

  • Subang Jaya $1,945
  • Dhaka $969

Living in Subang Jaya is roughly 134% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Subang Jaya 30% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.58 MYR 14.61
$2.28 ৳282
57.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.71 MYR 80.4
$12.33 ৳1,523
59.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.56 MYR 18.60
$3.95 ৳488
15.44%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.48 ৳554
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.13 ৳510
-
Cappuccino
$3.03 MYR 12.37
$2.28 ৳281
32.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 MYR 3.14
$0.33 ৳40.88
133.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 MYR 1.63
$0.16 ৳19.86
150.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.11 MYR 16.76
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 MYR 18.47
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.85 MYR 7.55
$0.85 ৳104
117.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 MYR 4.26
$0.60 ৳74.5
73.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 MYR 6.85
$0.69 ৳85.4
143.48%
Eggs
$2.24 MYR 9.15
$1.23 ৳152
82.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.42 MYR 54.7
$8.80 ৳1,087
52.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.54 MYR 18.53
$3.33 ৳412
36.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.45 MYR 34.46
$6.63 ৳819
27.45%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 MYR 12.48
$2.85 ৳352
7.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 MYR 7.28
$0.90 ৳111
97.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.27 MYR 9.24
$2.34 ৳289
-2.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.40 MYR 5.70
$0.63 ৳78.4
122.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 MYR 4.52
$0.24 ৳29.59
362.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 MYR 4.58
$0.46 ৳57.3
143.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 MYR 4.46
$0.35 ৳42.79
211.43%
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)
$4.42 MYR 18.05
$3.28 ৳405
34.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.72 MYR 76.4
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.01 MYR 12.28
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.90 MYR 20.00
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 MYR 3.42
$0.42 ৳52.3
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.39 MYR 50.6
$22.43 ৳2,772
-44.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 MYR 4.92
$1.19 ৳147
1.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.40 MYR 1.64
$0.39 ৳48.71
2.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.77 MYR 19.44
$3.28 ৳406
45.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 MYR 3.57
$1.10 ৳136
-20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.4K MYR 172.8K
$29.4K ৳3.6M
43.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.9K MYR 142.3K
$32.2K ৳4.0M
8.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$36.42 MYR 149
$38.28 ৳4,729
-4.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.61 MYR 39.20
$4.09 ৳506
134.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.25 MYR 119
$9.02 ৳1,114
224.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.81 MYR 101
$13.66 ৳1,688
81.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.41 MYR 9.85
$10.21 ৳1,261
-76.40%
Cinema Ticket
$5.04 MYR 20.56
$4.11 ৳508
22.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$296 MYR 1,209
$90.7 ৳11.2K
226.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K MYR 43.7K
$2,591 ৳320.2K
313.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.5 MYR 243
$17.06 ৳2,108
248.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.85 MYR 142
$21.38 ৳2,641
63.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.0 MYR 351
$51.4 ৳6,355
67.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.6 MYR 288
$36.78 ৳4,545
92.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$566 MYR 2,308
$133 ৳16.4K
325.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$342 MYR 1,394
$65.1 ৳8,041
425.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$714 MYR 2,914
$377 ৳46.6K
89.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 MYR 2,529
$192 ৳23.8K
222.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,360 MYR 9,629
$1,621 ৳200.3K
45.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,857 MYR 7,574
$760 ৳93.9K
144.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Subang Jaya
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$918 MYR 3,747
$246 ৳30.4K
273.22%
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 Subang Jaya: 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
Subang Jaya
$342
Dhaka
$65 81% $277
Groceries & Markets
Subang Jaya
$254
Dhaka
$124 51.3% $130
Eating Out
Subang Jaya
$113
Dhaka
$59 47.4% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Subang Jaya
$113
Dhaka
$57 49.5% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Subang Jaya
$75
Dhaka
$51 31.7% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Subang Jaya
$35
Dhaka
$22 37.3% $13
Getting Around
Subang Jaya
$19
Dhaka
$27 43.9% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $566 in Subang Jaya and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Subang Jaya pays 273% 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 Subang Jaya vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇾 Subang Jaya
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🕒 Local time
15:27 3:27 PM
13:27 1:27 PM
2 h behind Subang Jaya
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
902,086
21,741,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Subang Jaya Dhaka 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Subang Jaya
  • 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
Subang Jaya vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Subang Jaya?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 134% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Subang Jaya or Dhaka?
Average pay runs 273% higher in Subang Jaya, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Subang Jaya and Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $566 in Subang Jaya 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 Subang Jaya and in Dhaka?
All in, you'll spend $951 per month in Subang Jaya versus $406 in Dhaka – a 134% 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 81% less than in Subang Jaya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Subang Jaya or in Dhaka?
At $406 in Dhaka versus $951 in Subang Jaya, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Subang Jaya. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Subang Jaya 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, Subang Jaya or Dhaka?
Safety-wise, Subang Jaya 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 134% less than in Subang Jaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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