Moving to Bangladesh from Sri Lanka
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh, you would find that Bangladesh is 34.7% cheaper than Sri Lanka overall. A LKR25,000,000 salary in Sri Lanka would need to be roughly BDT6,090,000 in Bangladesh to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Bengali.
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What to expect for your wallet after moving from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh.
What does your salary buy?
LKR25,000,000 → BDT6,090,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Bangladesh
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 34.1% less
Groceries
pay 37.2% less
Transportation
pay 27.6% more
Housing
pay 60.6% less
Childcare
pay 26.9% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.5% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Sri Lanka generally does better on safety, though Bangladesh leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Bangladesh generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sri Lanka leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Sri Lanka generally does better on environment, though Bangladesh leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Sri Lanka generally does better on infrastructure, though Bangladesh leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Sri Lanka generally does better on employment & economy, though Bangladesh leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Sri Lanka generally does better on family life, though Bangladesh leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department (2016), National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Colombo | Dhaka |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 88°/73°F (31°/23°C) | 84°/61°F (29°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 88°/77°F (31°/25°C) | 91°/76°F (33°/25°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/77°F (30°/25°C) | 89°/79°F (32°/26°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 86°/74°F (30°/23°C) | 85°/67°F (29°/19°C) |
View all months
| Month | Colombo | Dhaka |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88°/72°F (30.9°/22.3°C) | 78°/55°F (25.4°/12.7°C) |
| Feb | 88°/73°F (31.2°/22.6°C) | 83°/60°F (28.1°/15.5°C) |
| Mar | 89°/75°F (31.7°/23.7°C) | 90°/69°F (32.4°/20.3°C) |
| Apr | 89°/76°F (31.8°/24.6°C) | 93°/74°F (33.8°/23.6°C) |
| May | 88°/78°F (31.1°/25.5°C) | 91°/76°F (32.9°/24.5°C) |
| Jun | 87°/78°F (30.4°/25.5°C) | 90°/79°F (32.2°/26.1°C) |
| Jul | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.2°C) | 89°/79°F (31.4°/26.2°C) |
| Aug | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.1°C) | 89°/79°F (31.6°/26.3°C) |
| Sep | 86°/77°F (30.2°/24.8°C) | 89°/79°F (31.8°/25.9°C) |
| Oct | 86°/75°F (30.0°/24.0°C) | 89°/75°F (31.6°/23.8°C) |
| Nov | 86°/74°F (30.1°/23.2°C) | 85°/67°F (29.6°/19.2°C) |
| Dec | 87°/73°F (30.3°/22.8°C) | 80°/58°F (26.4°/14.3°C) |
National Meteorological CentreVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. To live, work, or study long-term in Bangladesh, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Bangladesh's immigration authority.
Sri Lanka passport holder visiting Bangladesh
Visa Required
Bangladesh passport holder visiting Sri Lanka
Electronic Travel AuthorisationData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Bangladesh than Sri Lanka?
Yes — Bangladesh is on average about 35% cheaper than Sri Lanka. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Bangladesh?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly BDT1,522,500 in Bangladesh on a LKR25,000,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Bangladesh?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Bangladesh has 8.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Bangladesh safe for expats?
Sri Lanka generally does better on safety, though Bangladesh leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Bangladesh is 2.3 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.3 in Sri Lanka.
How is healthcare in Bangladesh compared to Sri Lanka?
Bangladesh generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sri Lanka leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Bangladesh, compared to 11.4 in Sri Lanka. Bangladesh scores 52 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Sri Lanka: 67).
What's the weather like in Bangladesh compared to Sri Lanka?
The average high temperature in Dhaka is 87°F, compared to 87°F in Colombo. Dhaka receives around 84.8 in of rainfall per year, while Colombo gets 99.4 in.
What language do they speak in Bangladesh?
The official language in Bangladesh is Bengali. In Sri Lanka, the official languages are Sinhala and Tamil.
