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Living Cost in Dhaka City, Bangladesh
Dhaka doesn't care about your budget. It will eat it alive if you let it. It is the most expensive playground in Bangladesh, and the city of 21 million people. And in case you are planning to live here, whether you are a fresh graduate, an expat with a nice housing allowance or a family struggling to make ends meet, you must know where your money is going.
Because here's the truth: the cost of living in Dhaka is not only increasing. They're sprinting. In high-end locations, rents increased by up to 24% in recent years. Utilities are creeping up. Your morning tea is even more expensive than it was last year. It is not a city that favors the unprepared.
So let's break down the real numbers—no fluff, no false comfort, and calculate what it really costs to live (or prosper) in Dhaka.
The Rent Reality: Where Your Biggest Chunk Goes
Now we get down to the most painful part: rent. Housing in Dhaka is not only the highest cost of your life, but it is also a kind of extortion business, at least when you are looking at the nice areas. We are talking about Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara—the diplomatic zones where embassies are clustering together, and expats are sipping overpriced lattes. An 85 m² (approximately 900 sqft) furnished apartment in these prime locations? Tk 40,600 per month. Yes, you read that right. Almost half a lakh only to have the luxury of living in a place where the roads are not so congested (even that is debatable), and power cuts are not so frequent. That is compared to a "normal" neighborhood—Mirpur, Mohammadpur or outer Uttara, where the same-sized apartment goes down to approximately Tk 22,900. That's almost half the price. A 45 m² studio in a high-cost area would cost about Tk 35,200, whereas in a normal area it would be nearer to Tk 25,300 and may even go down to 15,000. The difference is enormous, and it is not accidental. The landlords of Gulshan and Banani are aware of what they are sitting on, the closeness to international schools, embassies and corporate offices. They charge accordingly.Average Rent Cost
If you want hard averages, here is what Numbeo data provides: a one-bedroom apartment in the city center costs approximately Tk 14,400 per month (but the range is Tk 8,000–20,000 based on the quality of the building). Outside the center? Around Tk 7,900. The average price of three-bedroom flats in the city centre is Tk 37,800 (Tk 25,000-60,000), and outside of the center is Tk 21,600. Now here's the kicker: a good number of Dhaka residents use up to 35-50% of their household income on rent only. That's not a typo. By the time you even get groceries, half of your salary is gone into the pocket of your landlord. That is why so many middle-class families are crowded in small apartments in Badda or Diabari—they simply cannot afford anything better.Furnished vs. Unfurnished: The Hidden Premium
Want furniture and appliances included? Get ready to pay 10–20% more. The default option of expats is furnished apartments, as they do not want to bother with purchasing a fridge, a bed, and a sofa set in a new country. But that convenience costs. The landlords consider the furnishings, the wear and tear, and the fact that they can charge high rates to foreigners with housing allowances. The majority of the locals, however, rent unfurnished and carry their own. It is less expensive in the long term, but it needs initial investment and the desire to lug your stuff around the city each time you change your residence (which, considering the traffic in Dhaka, is its own hell).If You're Buying: The Price-Per-Square-Foot Jungle
Perhaps you are tired of throwing rent money into the void. Maybe you want to own something. Fair enough. But buying properties in Dhaka is its own form of blood sport, and the prices fluctuate so much depending on the neighborhood that you would think they are dealing in different currencies. You are looking at Tk 25,000–35,000 per square foot in Gulshan and Banani. That comes to USD 205–287 per sqft for you international folks keeping score. Dhanmondi and Baridhara are approximately Tk 17,000–25,000 per sqft. This is the area where the prices have gone out of control in the last two years—reports show 25–40% increases in some pockets. Go to Uttara or Bashundhara, the proposed suburbs where the roads are broader, and the constructions are a little less claustrophobic, and the prices have dropped to Tk 9,000-16,000 per sqft. Older middle-income areas such as Mirpur and Mohammadpur, which have old infrastructure, fetch approximately Tk 5,500-10,000 per sqft. And you want to live in Badda or the outskirts? You're looking at Tk 4,800–10,000 per sqft. Isolated houses or bungalows in up-market enclaves such as Baridhara DOHS can fetch Tk 4–8 crore (USD 470k–940k). However, the truth is that the majority of people are not purchasing houses. They are purchasing apartments, and even the apartments are becoming unaffordable to the average Bangladeshi family.Utilities: The Monthly Bleed You Can't Avoid
You have housing, congratulations. Now comes the fun part: keeping the lights on and the water running. Monthly expenses such as electricity, gas, and water will amount to around Tk 3,000-5,000 on average household. In the family apartment of 85 m², anticipate approximately Tk 4,481. In the case of a one-person studio, closer to Tk 3,692. Power in Bangladesh costs approximately Tk 7.74 per unit, and thus, assuming that you are using 200-300 kWh of power a month (which is by no means impossible given that you are operating some ACs to survive the swamp-like summers of Dhaka), that is Tk 1600-2400 just to power the lights. Cooking gas is subsidized and affordable—Tk 600-1000 per month—unless you are using LPG, in which case it will be a bit higher. Water is practically free. Then there's internet. The simplest 20 Mbps broadband package is approximately Tk 800-1,300 per month. Want faster fiber (50–100 Mbps)? That's Tk 1,300–1,800. Plans of mobile data that have a small number of GBs begin at Tk 200-6000/month. All that sums up: utilities and internet, and mobile can easily reach Tk 5,000-7,000 a month. It is not the end of the world, yet it is not something to choose.Food, Transport, and Everything Else
The good news is that after making it through the rent and utility nightmare, the rest of the costs in Dhaka are actually affordable, provided that you eat and live like a local. A basic meal in a restaurant (think business-district lunch) costs Tk 250-300. Two people in a mid-range restaurant will spend around Tk 1,400-1,500 on a family dinner. The most basic groceries are inexpensive: 1 kg of chicken costs approximately Tk 219, and a dozen eggs cost about Tk 150. When you are cooking at home, and you do not want to spend money on fancy imported products, you can feed yourself for several thousand taka a month. Transport is dirt cheap. A single way fare in a bus costs approximately Tk 50. A monthly bus or metro ticket costs Tk 2,200-2,500. Taxis begin at approximately Tk 150 and cost Tk 40-80/km, and thus an 8km trip would cost approximately Tk 490. Short distances are even cheaper by auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws. The petrol costs approximately Tk 110 per liter, and this is important when you are driving your own car in the legendary Dhaka traffic jams. Leisure? Gym membership is Tk 2,200-2,500/month. Movie tickets are Tk 400–600. It is around Tk 150 to have a cup of coffee at a good coffee shop. All this will not destroy you, but it accumulates when you are trying to live a middle-class life.The Expat vs. Local Divide
In case you are an expat and reading this, you will have a completely different experience from that of a local Bangladeshi. You will most definitely stay in Gulshan or Banani, rent a furnished flat and pay 2-3 times what a local would pay for similar space. An average 2-bedroom expat apartment in Gulshan would cost Tk 60,000-100,000 per month. This is likely to be paid by your employer in the form of a housing allowance, hence the ability of landlords in such places to rent at astronomical prices. You are not competing with local salaries; you are competing with corporate budgets. The math is brutal to locals, particularly to middle-class families. Using 35-50% of income on rent leaves no space for savings, education, or emergencies. Rent control is not strong, and therefore, landlords can raise rent by 5-15% per year with little opposition. In places such as Mirpur, tenants are reporting rent hikes of Tk 1,000-2,000 per annum, which does not sound like a lot until you consider that it is being added to already constrained budgets.The Bottom Line: What It Really Costs
Then how much does it really cost to live in Dhaka? Here's a rough monthly breakdown for different scenarios:- Budget living (single person, unfurnished 1BR in Mirpur/Uttara): Rent Tk 8,000–12,000 + utilities Tk 3,000–4,000 + food/transport Tk 8,000–10,000 = Tk 19,000–26,000 per month.
- Middle-class family (2BR in Dhanmondi or decent Uttara, unfurnished): Rent Tk 20,000–30,000 + utilities Tk 4,000–5,000 + food/transport Tk 15,000–20,000 = Tk 39,000–55,000 per month.
- Expat/upper-class (furnished 2–3BR in Gulshan/Banani): Rent Tk 60,000–100,000 + utilities Tk 5,000–7,000 + food/leisure Tk 20,000–30,000 = Tk 85,000–137,000 per month.
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