ATMs that actually take foreign cards
Land at Cox's Bazar Airport and you are 10–15 minutes from Kolatoli Circle. Most foreign cards work at the ATM beside the Sonali Bank branch on Main Road near that circle, and at the BRAC Bank ATM inside the Kolatoli bus-terminal building—both dispense up to 20,000 taka (about $180) per withdrawal. Withdrawal fees run 200–400 taka ($2–4), plus whatever your home bank charges. Screens show English. If one machine declines, walk 200 metres to the next; outages are common on Friday afternoons.
The Dutch-Bangla ATM outside the Hotel Sea Crown on Marine Drive Road is another reliable option, but it empties fast on weekends. City Bank near Laldighi Par also works. Avoid standalone booths on the beach road in the evening—staff are absent, and skimmers have been reported. Use machines attached to a bank branch during daylight. If you carry US dollars, exchange at the Sonali Bank counter or at a licensed money changer on Main Road; expect about 110 taka per dollar. Never change on the sand.
What would I do? Withdraw 20,000 taka at the Sonali Bank ATM on arrival, then keep 5,000 taka in small notes separate from the rest. Skip the airport currency desk—rates are worse—and skip any ATM that asks you to enter your PIN twice. That is not a local quirk; walk away. Carry a backup card from a different network. Visa and Mastercard are accepted widely; American Express and UnionPay far less so.
Where to buy a SIM card
Grameenphone and Robi have official shops on Main Road near Laldighi Par, roughly 2 km from Kolatoli. Bring your passport; the registration takes 15–20 minutes. A tourist SIM with 20 GB data and 100 minutes of calls costs around 600–800 taka ($5.50–7.30). Banglalink and Teletalk are cheaper but have weaker coverage south of Himchari. Buy from the branded shop, not a roadside kiosk—kiosks may sell already-registered SIMs, which is illegal and can be cut off mid-trip.
If the queue at Grameenphone is long, the Robi shop two doors down is usually faster. Data packs: 10 GB for 300 taka ($2.70), 20 GB for 500 taka ($4.55). Ask the staff to activate the pack for you; the menu codes are in Bangla. Coverage: strong in Kolatoli, Sugandha and along Marine Drive Road up to Inani; patchy between Himchari and Teknaf. For a 3–4 day stay, 10–15 GB is plenty. Hotel Wi-Fi exists but is often slower than mobile data.
What would I do? Skip the airport SIM counter—it charges 1,200 taka ($11) for the same package. Go to Grameenphone on Main Road, bring your passport, and buy the 20 GB tourist pack. If you are staying more than a week, a monthly 50 GB plan at 1,000 taka ($9.10) is better value. Keep the plastic SIM holder; you need the number if you top up via bKash. And save the shop's number in your phone in case the data settings need a fix.
What cash to carry, and how much
Cox's Bazar runs on cash. Hotels above 6,000 taka ($55) per night usually take cards, but restaurants, CNG auto-rickshaws, beach vendors and the Burmese market stalls do not. Carry 3,000–5,000 taka ($27–45) in small notes—100, 200 and 500 taka. A 1,000 taka note is hard to break before 10am. Keep 200 taka in coins and tens for tea stalls and toilets. You will spend 500–1,500 taka ($4.50–14) per person per day on food and local transport if you eat where locals eat.
Daily budget guide: breakfast of paratha and dal at a Kolatoli tea stall, 80 taka ($0.73). Lunch of rice, fish curry and vegetables at a Sugandha restaurant, 250 taka ($2.30). Dinner of grilled rupchanda fish near the beach, 600–900 taka ($5.50–8.20) for two. A CNG from Kolatoli to Himchari, 12 km, should cost 400–500 taka ($3.65–4.55) one way; agree before boarding. Beach umbrellas and chairs: 200 taka ($1.80) for the day, negotiable to 150 taka. Bottled water, 20 taka ($0.18).
What would I do? Withdraw 20,000 taka on day one, split it—10,000 in your bag, 10,000 on you, and 2,000 in a separate pocket. Skip the beachside money changers and the men who offer 'good rate, my friend.' Skip the hotel safe; it is usually a locked drawer. Carry a small padlock for your backpack. If you run low, the BRAC Bank ATM at the bus terminal is your best bet before 6pm. After dark, rely on what you have.
Fares to know before you negotiate
CNG auto-rickshaws are metered in theory but rarely in practice for tourists. From Cox's Bazar bus terminal to Kolatoli Circle, 3 km, pay 150–200 taka ($1.40–1.80). To Sugandha Beach, 4 km, 200–250 taka ($1.80–2.30). To Himchari, 12 km, 500–600 taka ($4.55–5.50). To Inani Beach, 25 km, 1,000–1,200 taka ($9.10–11). To Teknaf, 85 km, 2,500–3,000 taka ($23–27). These are day rates; after 9pm, add 30%. If a driver quotes double, walk to the next CNG stand.
Rickshaws are cheaper for short hops: Kolatoli to Laldighi Par, 2 km, 50–80 taka ($0.45–0.73). To the Burmese market from Kolatoli, 3 km, 100 taka ($0.91). Agree the fare before you sit down. Chittagong-bound buses from the main terminal cost 350–550 taka ($3.20–5) for the 4-hour journey; AC buses are 700 taka ($6.40). The airport to Kolatoli taxi should be 300–400 taka ($2.70–3.65)—there is no meter, so fix the price at the desk inside arrivals.
What would I do? Use CNG for anything over 3 km and rickshaws for short trips. Skip the taxi touts who meet you at the airport gate; walk 100 metres to the road and flag a CNG. For the Himchari–Inani stretch, hire a CNG for the full day at 2,500–3,000 taka ($23–27) including waiting time—cheaper than three separate rides. Never pay in advance. If the driver insists, find another. And keep the fare in exact change; drivers rarely have change for 1,000 taka before noon.
Connectivity, charging and the first-hour checklist
Your phone is your map, your translator and your payment tool. After buying the SIM, ask the staff to set the APN for you—Grameenphone's is 'gpinternet', Robi's is 'internet'. Test it before leaving the shop. Power: load-shedding is rare but possible, so carry a 10,000 mAh power bank. Plugs are Bangladeshi type C, D and G—the same as India's type D and the UK's type G. If you forgot an adapter, the shops on Main Road sell them for 150–250 taka ($1.40–2.30). Hotel reception often lends one for free.
First-hour checklist: 1) Withdraw 20,000 taka at Sonali Bank ATM, Main Road. 2) Buy a 20 GB Grameenphone SIM at the branded shop, passport in hand. 3) Buy a 1.5-litre bottle of water—20 taka. 4) Walk to Kolatoli Circle and note the CNG fares. 5) Buy a local map for 100 taka if you prefer paper. 6) Check your hotel's Wi-Fi password and the location of the nearest pharmacy. 7) Put the emergency number 999 in your phone. That is 45 minutes, and the rest of the day is yours.
What would I skip? Skip the airport ATM—it has the worst rate and longest queue. Skip the SIM kiosk in the arrivals hall. Skip the beach vendors selling 'original' Ray-Bans and 'lucky' stones; both are junk. Skip the men who offer to 'show you the real Cox's Bazar' for a fee. And skip the temptation to change money on the sand. Do the first hour properly, and you will spend the next three days eating, swimming and watching the fishing boats come in at sunset without a single worry about cash or connectivity.
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