Dhaka vs Sylhet
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Sylhet edges it, 42 to 40, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Dhaka is stronger on nothing outright; Sylhet on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Megacity on the delta with energy and gridlock
Full Dhaka profile →Plan a trip to Dhaka →Tea-garden city of northeast Bangladesh with deep UK links
Full Sylhet profile →Plan a trip to Sylhet →Where they differ
- Air quality. Sylhet leads on air quality, 21 to 0, against Dhaka. PM2.5: 89.8 µg/m³ vs 40.5 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Dhaka leads on getting there & around, 14 to 7, against Sylhet. Non-stop airport destinations: 30 vs 11.
- Internet. Sylhet leads on internet, 44 to 38, against Dhaka. Measured download: 5.5 Mbps vs 8.3 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Dhaka if you want
- no clear edge over Sylhet in the data
Pick Sylhet if you want
- faster internet (8.3 Mbps measured)
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Dhaka | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 77 | 77 |
| Safety | 55 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 57 | 57 |
| Internet | 38 | 44 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 14 ✓ | 7 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 0 | 21 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 43 | 43 |
Cost
| Metric | Dhaka | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $950 | $950 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Dhaka | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.76 | 1.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 49.1 | 49.1 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 54 | 54 |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Dhaka | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 5.5 Mbps | 8.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 8.3 Mbps ✓ | 7.7 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Dhaka | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Dhaka | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 30 ✓ | 11 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Dhaka | Sylhet |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 89.8 µg/m³ | 40.5 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Dhaka or Sylhet?
- Dhaka and Sylhet cost about the same: roughly $950 per month for one person.
- Is Dhaka or Sylhet safer?
- Dhaka and Sylhet score the same on safety (55), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Dhaka or Sylhet?
- Sylhet: a measured median of 8.3 Mbps versus 5.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.