Cost of living comparison

Islamabad, Pakistan

compared to

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhaka vs. Islamabad Cost of Living Summary

Dhaka is 5.1% more expensive than Islamabad.

Restaurants: pay 7.3% less in Dhaka
Groceries: pay 45.5% more in Dhaka
Transportation: pay 74.2% more in Dhaka
Housing: pay 43.0% less in Dhaka
Childcare: pay 39.5% less in Dhaka
Entertainment and Sports: pay 29.1% more in Dhaka
Clothing: pay 23.2% less in Dhaka

The cost of transportation, groceries, and entertainment and sports in Dhaka are more expensive than in Islamabad. Expenses including housing, childcare, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Dhaka.

Dhaka vs. Islamabad Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Dhaka instead of Islamabad, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 7.3% less for restaurants

	Islamabad	Dhaka
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$1.79 PKR502.89	$2.08 BDT252.69	+16.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.30 PKR1,206.93	$4.58 BDT555.91	+6.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.35 PKR99.43	$0.29 BDT35.79	-16.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.24 PKR67.99	$0.16 BDT19.04	-35.3%
Average			-7.3%

Islamabad vs. Dhaka - Cost of restaurants

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pay 45.5% more for groceries

	Islamabad	Dhaka
Bread 1 loaf	$0.68 PKR190.51	$0.68 BDT82.47	+0.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.96 PKR831.63	$3.97 BDT482.49	+34.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.31 PKR930.99	$2.94 BDT356.65	-11.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.25 PKR351.22	$1.29 BDT157.20	+3.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.64 PKR461.06	$1.45 BDT176.28	-11.6%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.48 PKR135.50	$1.16 BDT141.10	+140.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.38 PKR107.54	$0.51 BDT61.77	+32.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.37 PKR104.39	$1.09 BDT132.29	+193.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.26 PKR73.31	$0.38 BDT46.29	+46.0%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.19 PKR52.98	$0.22 BDT26.14	+14.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.25 PKR70.44	$0.40 BDT48.58	+59.5%
Average			+45.5%

Islamabad vs. Dhaka - Cost of groceries

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pay 74.2% more for transportation

	Islamabad	Dhaka
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.81 PKR1,069.46	$4.06 BDT492.80	+6.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$6.80 PKR1,910.97	$24.96 BDT3,032.24	+266.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,479.46 PKR6,034,653.13	$24,957.67 BDT3,032,237.88	+16.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.27 PKR1,200.90	$4.58 BDT555.91	+7.0%
Average			+74.2%

Islamabad vs. Dhaka - Cost of transportation

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pay 43.0% less for housing

	Islamabad	Dhaka
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$18.16 PKR5,100.72	$13.11 BDT1,592.65	-27.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$174.15 PKR48,928.02	$115.12 BDT13,986.54	-33.9%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$99.01 PKR27,815.98	$63.20 BDT7,678.41	-36.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$84.99 PKR23,876.98	$22.22 BDT2,699.33	-73.9%
Average			-43.0%

Islamabad vs. Dhaka - Cost of housing

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pay 39.5% less for childcare

	Islamabad	Dhaka
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$60.17 PKR16,904.77	$44.32 BDT5,384.17	-26.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,142.14 PKR882,783.54	$1,486.12 BDT180,555.98	-52.7%
Average			-39.5%

Islamabad vs. Dhaka - Cost of childcare

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pay 29.1% more for entertainment and sports

	Islamabad	Dhaka
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.79 PKR502.89	$4.16 BDT505.37	+132.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.97 PKR552.70	$2.03 BDT246.82	+3.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.15 PKR603.47	$2.91 BDT353.76	+35.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$23.01 PKR6,465.70	$17.81 BDT2,164.39	-22.6%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.30 PKR1,206.93	$4.16 BDT505.37	-3.2%
Average			+29.1%

Islamabad vs. Dhaka - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 23.2% less for clothing

	Islamabad	Dhaka
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$19.06 PKR5,354.28	$16.53 BDT2,008.86	-13.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$26.18 PKR7,354.73	$19.66 BDT2,389.04	-24.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$83.29 PKR23,401.04	$41.85 BDT5,084.02	-49.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$38.79 PKR10,898.83	$36.92 BDT4,485.53	-4.8%
Average			-23.2%

Islamabad vs. Dhaka - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025

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See the cost of living in Pakistan vs. Bangladesh. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Pakistan and Bangladesh.

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