"My salary increased by just five percent last year while my cost of living, I believe, increased two to three-fold," he added.

A recent study of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CA shows the living cost in Dhaka increased by 6.5 percent last year due to the rising prices of essential commodities and services.

And the trend may continue this year as consumers have been paying more to buy daily essentials and there is no sign of a let-up in price hikes anytime soon.

CAB President Ghulam Rahman said government steps to hike prices of water, electricity and gas disadvantage the lower-and middle-income people.

"Such hike in prices of daily services will put extra financial pressure on the lower and lower middle class. It will increase costs of their daily lives and negatively affect their standard of life," he said.

"Repeated hikes in the prices of gas, electricity and water will increase inflation," he warned as many city dwellers, especially lower-income people are struggling to provide for their families.

"The government is active in giving benefits to the rich, but it is putting pressure on people of the lower rungs of the social ladder," he said.