How Much Does It Cost to Live In Bangladesh?
Bangladesh is one of the countries known for being one of the fastest growing in the world today.
It is very interesting to tourists and settlers, due to the lower cost of living than in other countries.
This is due to the workers’ wages that are less than $100 dollars a month and these low wages make the country cheap and affordable for people fond of living there.
If you are earning your salary in a country other than Bangladesh, this might be an ideal place to live.
Bangladesh : Cost of Living by City
RESTAURANTS
Even though the salaries are low, many people from Bangladesh spend money at local restaurants.
This might be due to the low prices of meals since you can eat a decent one for just $2.
It is not uncommon that the price of the beer is higher than the price of the dish.
MARKETS
Food takes the most of the monthly budget, even though many people would say that it is not expensive at all.
But, when compared to their salaries, food prices are appropriate and affordable.
Buying groceries at the market is always advisable so as to be able to put some money away.
TRANSPORTATION
It is true that you can save some money on the rent of an apartment that is away from the city center, but that will mean that transportation will be necessary in order to get to work.
A monthly pass can be found at the price of around $15 and if you possess a car, which is not so frequent in Bangladesh, you will need to pay $0.98 for a liter of gasoline.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
By paying quite high rent as compared to the minimum wage you do not pay basic utilities such as electricity, heating, water, and garbage.
The prices of services are lower than in Europe and Australia, but they are appropriate for the standard of people living there.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Entertainment, like watching movies in cinemas, is not expensive here.
You can watch the latest release at the price of $5.
Sports people who come to live here, but earn salaries in more developed countries, will be amazed by the low fitness club fee prices.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Due to the very struggling lifestyle of the majority of people living in Bangladesh, it is not unusual that the prices of clothing and shoes are not high.
You can find a pair of jeans and a dress at the price of less than $20, which is so low in comparison to Australia.
RENT PER MONTH
If you take a look at the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the city center, you can notice that it is twice higher than the minimum monthly salary of the workers, so it is impossible to rent it.
The cost for rent of the apartments out of the cities is $100, which is again high for them, but again more appropriate.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Bangladesh
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $1.93 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $4.57 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.16 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $0.76 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $0.58 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.20 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.39 |
| Monthly Pass | $14.45 |
| Gasoline | $0.98 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $36.72 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.01 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $22.61 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $14.19 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $12.18 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $4.82 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $19.58 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $19.63 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $44.56 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $101.54 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $64.25 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $256.66 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Bangladesh?
Even though rent is high in Bangladesh, this is not the area where the most money is spent.
People are aware that if they want to pay less for rent on their apartment, they should settle outside of the city center, and thus drastically lower the price.
Most money is spent on food which is extremely expensive when compared to salaries and many people would spend their entire salary on food to provide for the family.
Utilities and clothing take the least of the monthly budget.
Average Costs Breakdown
Bangladesh: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Considering the fact that the national minimum wage in Bangladesh does not exceed $16.6 per month, this country is quite poor and living conditions are very difficult for those people.
Due to the fact that they could not afford most of the monthly expenses, it is tough to survive a month.
On the other hand, those who earn at least the average monthly wage are in a much better situation.
Above all, obtaining your own property is extremely difficult, as the mortgage interest rates are almost 12%.
Bangladesh Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Bangladesh Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: HIGH
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: HIGH
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: HIGH
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: HIGH
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
Cost of Living by City in Bangladesh
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Dhaka | 31.57 |
Very interesting stuff. I would think those with high paying jobs are in the city center and those with low paying or no jobs are outside of the city center. That mortgage rate is incredibly high too, wow! I doubt many people own homes there. Bangladesh is pretty dangerous, isn’t it? I think many terrorist attacks are there.
It’s amazing to see the huge differences in costs between countries. Someone from the west could save 20-30k and live like a king in Bangladesh! I suppose once that money runs out you’d be living like everyone else though. Still, really fascinating to think about. Some people spend more on coffee a month in the US than the minimum wage here!
My family are of Bangladeshi origin, we moved to the UK in the mid 90s. As much as I’d love to see how and where my grandparents lived, I just don’t think it’s very safe there. Maybe at some time in the future, but for now I feel very comfortable in Bristol. People are very nice here.
many clothes sold in the US are not cheap, yet are made in Bangladesh where the garment workers earn small sums. Although there are other expenses for the companies making the clothes, I feel certain that there are tremendous profit margins for the companies given the low wages.
Overall the government in Bangladesh should realize that with the exports of items increasing to places like the Middle East and the Western world one should also increase the wages
with the productivity of the work force.
I currently employ a computer designer from Bangladesh and he does a fabulous job, he has created our international prize website and I pay him £200 GBP per week to continually maintain and also he has a share of 5% of all profits we make which is around 300 to 400 GBP pw…. Looking at the cost of living displayed here, I’m glad he is able to live quite a nice life there. He loves it in Bangladesh but keeps asking me if living in the UK would suite him and he’s partner…. When I first got in touch with him on Fiverr he only wanted $75 for the complete project but I just could accept because he’s computer skills and knowledge were worth sooooo much more to me, so I grabbed him paid him and hung onto him….