Tipping In Bangladesh - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - 5-10% If Good + No Service Ch.
🚕 Fixed Fare/Metered Taxi - 10-20% If Good
🚕 Non-Metered Taxi - Haggle, Don’t Tip
🛺 Rickshaw/Tuk Tuk - Haggle + Opt. ৳20-50 Tip
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - ৳30/Bag Expected
🛏️ Housekeeping - 2-5% For All Staff In Box At End
📸 Tour Guide - ৳200-400/Half Day
🚍 Tour Driver - ৳200-400/Half Day
🍚 Street Market - Haggle To Fair Price, Don’t Tip
🧖♀️ Masseuse - Optional ৳100-200
🚽 Attendant - ৳20
🪙 Beggars - Don’t Tip
In Bangladesh, tipping (“Baksheesh” or “Bakshish”) should always be based on service.
Tips are customary in a lot of different scenarios but don’t overtip either. It’s best to just respect the local custom.
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for Bangladesh using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Taxis, Tuk Tuks, Hotels, Tours etc.
Bangladesh Tip Calculator
Good Tip For Bangladesh
Tip
$0.00
Total With Tip
$0.00
Split Bill By
0 Each
Tipping in Restaurants
The vast majority will tip servers in the 5-10% range for good service, in cash.
The more high-end the restaurant, the more of an expectation there will be for you to tip closer to 10% but it’s still based on service. You can tip lower or nothing for poor service.
Sometimes, you’ll see a service charge added to the bill, more commonly charged in the big cities like Dhaka. You don’t need to tip on top of this.
Leave a cash tip on the table when you leave or hand your tip directly to the server.
Tipping Taxi Drivers
For fixed fares or metered taxis most would leave a cash tip in the 10-20% range based on service.
If there’s no meter, it’s better to haggle the taxi fare before you set off in which case they won’t expect a tip.
For a Rickshaw, Tuk Tuk or CNG ride, you’ll bargain with them too. Sometimes they’re more expectant of a tip (in the ৳20-50 range) but if they’re not particularly friendly, there’s no need.
Just bear in mind that most work very long hours for very low pay.
Tipping The Porter/Bellhop
It’s customary to tip the bellboy around ৳30 per bag.
They’ll usually wait at the door expecting a tip if you don’t give them one.
Tipping Housekeeping
Instead of leaving a tip for housekeeping, it’s more common to tip the entire staff the equivalent of 2-5% of the total bill at the end of your stay (tipping closer to 2% at high-end hotels).
You’ll usually leave this tip in the tip box at reception if there is one.
If you don’t see a tip box, ask at the reception desk. If there’s not one, you can hand them the tip and say it’s to be split between all staff.
Tipping Tour Guides
As long as you enjoyed the experience, it’s considered polite to tip tour guides and drivers separately around ৳200-400 per half day (closer to ৳400 for private tours).
The same would be true of the captain and crew on a boat tour.
Always tip in cash at the end of the experience.
Which Currency To Use
Use the official currency of Bangladesh, the Taka (৳, Tk, BDT).
Many hotels and restaurants will take card, especially in urban areas, but cash is still used in most transactions.
In any case, you should always tip in cash. Try to keep small bills on hand for tipping (৳10s, ৳20s and ৳50s).
“বাংলাদেশ উপভোগ করুন” (Bānlādēśa upabhōga karuna) - Enjoy Bangladesh! 🇧🇩🕌🏞️
