GlobeQuest

Where to live in Dhaka

For decades the answer to where a foreign professional lives in Dhaka was the Gulshan–Banani–Baridhara triangle in the north, and for a large share of people it still is: the missions, the international organisations, the buying houses and the international schools are all there, and so is the housing stock built for them. What changed is MRT Line 6. Since 2023 the metro has run from Uttara North to Motijheel, and along that corridor it converts a two-hour crawl into twenty minutes — which makes Uttara, Mirpur and Agargaon genuinely viable for someone working downtown in a way they were not before. The other structural fact about Dhaka renting is that it is a negotiated, relationship-driven market with very little regulation in practice: rent, advance and notice are all set by agreement rather than by a statute anyone enforces quickly, so what is written into the contract is what you have.

The neighbourhoods

Gulshan 1 & 2

BDT 60,000–130,000 / month for a furnished 2–3 bed, plus utilities

The diplomatic and corporate centre — embassies, international offices, the best restaurants and the lake between the two circles

DiplomaticProfessionalsRestaurantsSecurity

Commute: Walkable to most international offices; 45–90 minutes to Motijheel by road

  • Almost every mission and international organisation is here or in Baridhara
  • The best supermarkets, restaurants and clinics in the country
  • Comparatively good security and building standards
  • By far the most expensive part of the city
  • Traffic around Gulshan 1 circle is severe most of the day
  • Insulated from the rest of Dhaka in a way that some people find comfortable and others find claustrophobic

Baridhara Diplomatic Zone

BDT 80,000–150,000+ / month for a furnished 3-bed

The quietest, most controlled and most expensive residential enclave — most chanceries and ambassadorial residences sit here

DiplomaticFamiliesSecurityQuiet

Commute: Short to Gulshan; long to anywhere south

  • The calmest and best-secured residential area in Dhaka
  • Close to the international schools and to Gulshan's amenities
  • Very high proportion of purpose-built furnished stock
  • The highest rents in the country and priced in expectation of a corporate tenant
  • Access controls around the diplomatic zone affect visitors and deliveries
  • Almost entirely cut off from ordinary Dhaka life

Banani & Niketon

BDT 40,000–90,000 / month for a 2–3 bed

Younger, denser and more commercial than Gulshan, with the best restaurant density and a large young professional population

Young professionalsRestaurantsValueCentral north

Commute: 10 minutes to Gulshan; 45–75 minutes to Motijheel by road

  • Meaningfully cheaper than Gulshan for a very similar location
  • The liveliest eating and café scene in Dhaka
  • Good mix of furnished and unfurnished stock
  • Noisier and more congested than Gulshan or Baridhara
  • Building quality is more variable — look carefully
  • Parking is a genuine problem on the smaller roads

Dhanmondi & Lalmatia

BDT 25,000–55,000 / month for a 2–3 bed

Older, leafier, thoroughly Bangladeshi middle-class Dhaka — lakes, universities, bookshops and the city's cultural life

ValueCultureFamiliesLocal life

Commute: 20–40 minutes to Motijheel; 45–70 to Gulshan

  • Far better value than the northern triangle for comparable space
  • Dhanmondi Lake and the surrounding area is the best public space in central Dhaka
  • The city's real cultural and intellectual centre — theatres, galleries, bookshops
  • Much less furnished stock aimed at foreign tenants
  • Fewer international-facing services and schools
  • Traffic on Mirpur Road is consistently poor

Uttara

BDT 25,000–60,000 / month for a 2–3 bed

A planned northern sector-based township near the airport, at the top of the metro line

FamiliesNewer stockTransitValue

Commute: 20–30 minutes to Motijheel on MRT Line 6; far longer by road

  • The metro terminus — the single biggest beneficiary of MRT Line 6
  • Planned layout with wider roads and newer buildings than central Dhaka
  • Close to the airport, which matters for anyone travelling regularly
  • A long way from Gulshan's offices and schools by road
  • Less established than the northern triangle in terms of international services
  • Sector numbering is confusing until you learn it

Mirpur & Agargaon

BDT 18,000–45,000 / month for a 2–3 bed

Dense, entirely local, and now unexpectedly well connected by the metro through the middle of the city

BudgetTransitLocal lifeSpace

Commute: 10–25 minutes to Motijheel on MRT Line 6

  • Cheapest reasonable stock with a genuinely fast metro commute
  • Agargaon has the government offices, including the Department of Immigration & Passports
  • Real neighbourhood markets and everyday prices
  • Very few foreign residents and limited English-facing services
  • Building quality varies widely — inspect thoroughly
  • Air quality in the dense parts is worse than the northern triangle

How renting works in Dhaka

Renting in Dhaka is a negotiated market with thin practical regulation. Rent, the advance, the notice period and repair responsibilities are set by agreement, and the agreement is what you have — there is no fast statutory remedy comparable to Punjab's rent tribunals or the deposit-protection schemes of Europe. Landlords commonly ask for an advance of two to three months' rent, sometimes more for furnished expatriate stock, and annual rent increases are conventional and expected. Furnished, serviced apartments aimed at the international market are abundant in Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara and are priced accordingly; unfurnished stock in Dhanmondi, Uttara and Mirpur costs a fraction and is where the value is.

  1. 1

    Ask your employer what they will pay and what they have negotiated

    Missions, UN agencies, INGOs and the larger buying houses in Dhaka almost always have housing allowances, approved landlord lists and often pre-negotiated rates. Searching independently before asking is how people end up paying above the institutional rate for the same building. This is the single highest-value question in the whole process.

  2. 2

    Test the commute on the metro before you rule out the north or the middle

    MRT Line 6 runs sixteen stations from Uttara North to Motijheel, roughly 07:10 to 21:00 Saturday to Thursday with a shorter Friday afternoon service, at fares of around Tk 20 to Tk 100. If your office is on that corridor, Uttara, Mirpur and Agargaon become viable in a way they were not three years ago. Anything you read written before 2023 assumes otherwise.

  3. 3

    Get the advance, the notice period and the annual increase in writing

    Two to three months' advance is conventional, more for furnished expatriate apartments. Specify what the advance is — whether it is a refundable deposit, rent paid ahead, or a mixture — and on what conditions and timetable it returns. Specify the notice period on both sides and the basis and cap on any annual increase. Dhaka landlords expect annual increases; agreeing the mechanism up front is the only real protection.

  4. 4

    Establish who pays for what: gas, electricity, water, service charge, generator

    Dhaka apartment buildings commonly levy a service charge covering the lift, the guard, the generator and shared water, and it is often quoted separately from the rent. Ask for the actual figure, not a range, and ask whether generator fuel during load shedding is inside it or billed on top.

  5. 5

    Check the backup power and the water arrangement

    Ask what happens when the power goes: is there a building generator, does it run the lift and the water pump, and does it reach your flat's sockets or only the common areas? Ask about the water tank, the pump and whether supply is continuous. These questions distinguish an apartment that works in a July power cut from one that does not.

  6. 6

    Inspect for damp, and inspect after rain if you can

    Dhaka's monsoon is heavy and older buildings leak. Look at ceilings, external walls and around windows for staining, and ask directly whether the flat has had water ingress. A viewing in February tells you nothing about a building in July, and the landlord knows the answer even if the agent does not.

Upfront cost

Typically two to three months' rent as advance, more for furnished stock in the diplomatic zone, plus the first month and an agent's commission commonly around one month. Service charges are additional and quoted separately. Corporate tenants are often asked for a guarantee from the employer rather than a larger advance.

Where to search

bproperty.com — the largest Bangladeshi property portal with the deepest Dhaka listingsEmployer and mission housing officers, who hold approved lists and negotiated ratesServiced and furnished apartment operators in Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara, for a first landingLocal darwan and building-manager networks in the neighbourhood you want — an enormous amount of Dhaka stock never reaches a portalExpatriate and international school parent groups on Facebook, where furnished flats hand over directly between postingsEstate agents around Gulshan 1 and 2 circles, who specialise in the international market and know which buildings actually work

Insider tips

  • Ask about the service charge as a specific monthly number before you discuss rent. In Dhaka it is a substantial and separately quoted cost, and comparing two flats on headline rent alone is misleading.
  • If your office is on the MRT Line 6 corridor, look seriously at Uttara and Agargaon. The rent difference against Gulshan is very large and the metro commute is genuinely fast — this is the biggest arbitrage in Dhaka housing right now.
  • Ask which specific internet provider serves the building and confirm with the provider. Dhaka's ISP market is fragmented and quality varies enormously building by building.
  • Look at the flat's orientation and whether the windows seal. From December to February you will want them shut against the air, and from April you will want cross-ventilation. Both matter and they pull in opposite directions.
  • Furnished expatriate apartments in the diplomatic zone are priced for corporate tenants. If you are paying yourself, unfurnished in Dhanmondi or Banani and buying furniture locally is dramatically cheaper and the furniture is good.
  • Get the generator question answered precisely. 'There is a generator' can mean it runs the lift and the corridor lights only. Ask whether your sockets and your air conditioner are on it.

Avoid these

  • Searching independently before asking your employer what they have already negotiated.
  • Comparing flats on headline rent while ignoring separately quoted service charges.
  • Agreeing an advance without recording whether it is a refundable deposit or prepaid rent.
  • Leaving the annual increase mechanism unwritten in a market where increases are expected.
  • Renting in Gulshan on a pre-2023 assumption that nowhere on the metro corridor is commutable.
  • Viewing in the dry season and never asking about monsoon water ingress.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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