Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiping and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $422 a month against $851 in Taiping, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Taiping
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Taiping Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Taiping

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$851

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $851 in Taiping versus $422 in Dhaka.

Taiping $851
Dhaka $422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,309 in Taiping versus $728 in Dhaka.

Taiping $1,309
Dhaka $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,768 in Taiping versus $1,033 in Dhaka.

Taiping $1,768
Dhaka $1,033

Living in Taiping 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: Taiping 37% lower, Dhaka 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 MYR 8.15

$2.40 ৳298

-16.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.84 MYR 101

$12.93 ৳1,604

92.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 MYR 19.83

$4.78 ৳593

1.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳610

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳491

Cappuccino

$1.50 MYR 6.10

$2.38 ৳295

-36.97%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.08

$0.30 ৳37.11

153.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.17 ৳21.32

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 MYR 8.70

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 MYR 24.70

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 MYR 5.36

$0.79 ৳97.5

65.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$0.63 ৳78.4

20.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$0.72 ৳89.1

166.67%

Eggs

$1.45 MYR 5.89

$1.18 ৳147

22.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 MYR 56.0

$8.73 ৳1,083

57.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 8.07

$3.30 ৳409

-40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.83 MYR 19.67

$6.64 ৳824

-27.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 MYR 7.77

$2.80 ৳347

-31.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.21

$0.86 ৳107

105.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MYR 8.04

$2.32 ৳287

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 MYR 3.89

$0.61 ৳75.8

57.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 MYR 3.88

$0.23 ৳28.30

313.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$0.48 ৳59.9

158.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$0.33 ৳41.25

209.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.30 ৳37.58

56.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.23 ৳1,516

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.23 ৳649

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 ৳808

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MYR 18.01

$3.29 ৳408

34.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 MYR 61.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.93

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MYR 20.40

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.41 ৳51.3

75.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.12 MYR 49.40

$21.27 ৳2,638

-43.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 MYR 4.18

$1.18 ৳147

-12.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.38 ৳47.19

34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MYR 19.97

$3.27 ৳406

49.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.99

$1.16 ৳143

-57.76%

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

$24.1K MYR 98.1K

$29.9K ৳3.7M

-19.51%

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

$24.3K MYR 98.8K

$32.5K ৳4.0M

-25.38%

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

$63.2 MYR 257

$46.86 ৳5,813

34.81%

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

$5.45 MYR 22.19

$4.31 ৳535

26.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.56 MYR 100

$11.09 ৳1,376

121.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.81 MYR 150

$17.52 ৳2,173

110.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.43 MYR 26.22

$17.67 ৳2,191

-63.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MYR 19.79

$4.31 ৳534

12.76%

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

$237 MYR 964

$139 ৳17.2K

70.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

$2,570 ৳318.8K

410.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 MYR 296

$16.32 ৳2,025

344.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.74 MYR 174

$19.36 ৳2,402

120.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 MYR 295

$45.97 ৳5,702

57.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 MYR 385

$36.74 ৳4,557

157.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 MYR 1,660

$145 ৳18.0K

180.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 MYR 1,173

$68.1 ৳8,449

322.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 MYR 2,897

$461 ৳57.2K

54.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 MYR 2,211

$232 ৳28.8K

133.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,044 MYR 8,326

$1,575 ৳195.4K

29.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MYR 4,651

$789 ৳97.9K

44.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$361 MYR 1,472

$245 ৳30.3K

47.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

-62.51%

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

Last update for Taiping: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taiping

$288 33.8%

Dhaka

$68 16.1% 76.3% $220

Groceries & Markets

Taiping

$202 23.8%

Dhaka

$122 29% 39.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Taiping

$127 14.9%

Dhaka

$53 12.6% 58.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiping

$93 11%

Dhaka

$62 14.8% 33.2% $31

Eating Out

Taiping

$75 8.9%

Dhaka

$64 15.2% 15% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Taiping

$47 5.5%

Dhaka

$26 6.2% 43.8% $20

Getting Around

Taiping

$19 2.2%

Dhaka

$26 6.2% 40.1% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $407 in Taiping and $145 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taiping pays 48% 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: $25 in Taiping vs $13 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $122 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Taiping

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

2 h behind Taiping

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,517

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taiping Dhaka 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Taiping
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

Taiping vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Taiping, 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: $407 in Taiping versus $145 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $851 per month in Taiping versus $422 in Dhaka – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taiping runs roughly 43% less than in Dhaka. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Dhaka wins on affordability, Taiping on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.