Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bortala and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $422 a month against $758 in Bortala, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bortala, China
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bortala
🇨🇳 China
$758
/mo nomad
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$422
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bortala and in Dhaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bortala and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $758 in Bortala versus $422 in Dhaka.

  • Bortala $758
  • Dhaka $422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,168 in Bortala versus $728 in Dhaka.

  • Bortala $1,168
  • Dhaka $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,577 in Bortala versus $1,033 in Dhaka.

  • Bortala $1,577
  • Dhaka $1,033

Living in Bortala is roughly 80% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bortala 44% lower, Dhaka 69% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.99 ¥19.88
$2.40 ৳298
24.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.84 ¥152
$12.93 ৳1,604
76.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.86 ¥32.33
$4.78 ৳593
1.67%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.92 ৳610
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.96 ৳491
-
Cappuccino
$2.79 ¥18.54
$2.38 ৳295
17.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ¥3.18
$0.30 ৳37.11
60.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 ¥2.10
$0.17 ৳21.32
88.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.11 ¥7.39
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 ¥14.35
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.87 ¥12.46
$0.79 ৳97.5
136.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.59 ¥10.58
$0.63 ৳78.4
152.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.95 ¥6.30
$0.72 ৳89.1
31.94%
Eggs
$1.60 ¥10.68
$1.18 ৳147
35.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.42 ¥89.3
$8.73 ৳1,083
53.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.36 ¥22.38
$3.30 ৳409
1.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.29 ¥75.1
$6.64 ৳824
70.03%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 ¥12.55
$2.80 ৳347
-32.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 ¥8.89
$0.86 ৳107
55.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 ¥10.02
$2.32 ৳287
-34.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 ¥8.36
$0.61 ৳75.8
106.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ¥4.99
$0.23 ৳28.30
226.09%
Onion (1kg)
$0.98 ¥6.50
$0.48 ৳59.9
104.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.95
$0.33 ৳41.25
78.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ¥3.90
$0.30 ৳37.58
96.67%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$12.23 ৳1,516
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$5.23 ৳649
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$6.51 ৳808
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.71 ¥24.71
$3.29 ৳408
12.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.52 ¥76.7
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ¥5.88
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ¥10.31
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ¥1.87
$0.41 ৳51.3
-31.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.99 ¥106
$21.27 ৳2,638
-24.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ¥10.47
$1.18 ৳147
33.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ¥2.15
$0.38 ৳47.19
-15.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.15 ¥47.60
$3.27 ৳406
118.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥7.81
$1.16 ৳143
0.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K ¥129.1K
$29.9K ৳3.7M
-35.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.2K ¥101.0K
$32.5K ৳4.0M
-53.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$57.1 ¥380
$46.86 ৳5,813
21.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.48 ¥56.5
$4.31 ৳535
96.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.13 ¥74.1
$11.09 ৳1,376
0.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.95 ¥279
$17.52 ৳2,173
139.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.98 ¥99.7
$17.67 ৳2,191
-15.22%
Cinema Ticket
$6.53 ¥43.43
$4.31 ৳534
51.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$453 ¥3,016
$139 ৳17.2K
226.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.3K ¥128.6K
$2,570 ৳318.8K
651.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.79 ¥285
$16.32 ৳2,025
162.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.92 ¥206
$19.36 ৳2,402
59.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.6 ¥503
$45.97 ৳5,702
64.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.3 ¥455
$36.74 ৳4,557
85.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$291 ¥1,934
$145 ৳18.0K
100.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$214 ¥1,421
$68.1 ৳8,449
213.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$582 ¥3,874
$461 ৳57.2K
26.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$343 ¥2,283
$232 ৳28.8K
47.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,687 ¥24.5K
$1,575 ৳195.4K
134.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,825 ¥12.1K
$789 ৳97.9K
131.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bortala
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$625 ¥4,161
$245 ৳30.3K
155.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.36
10.67
-68.51%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bortala
$214
Dhaka
$68 68.1% $145
Groceries & Markets
Bortala
$210
Dhaka
$122 41.6% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Bortala
$98
Dhaka
$53 45.6% $45
Eating Out
Bortala
$85
Dhaka
$64 24.7% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bortala
$77
Dhaka
$62 18.9% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Bortala
$55
Dhaka
$26 52.5% $29
Getting Around
Bortala
$20
Dhaka
$26 28.1% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $291 in Bortala and $145 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bortala pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Bortala vs $13 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $122 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Bortala
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🕒 Local time
23:20 11:20 PM
21:20 9:20 PM
2 h behind Bortala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
246,706
21,741,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bortala Dhaka 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bortala
  • Dhaka

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Bortala vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bortala or Dhaka?
Dhaka wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Bortala. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dhaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bortala or in Dhaka?
Average pay in Bortala is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bortala compared to Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $291 in Bortala versus $145 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Bortala compared to Dhaka?
All in, you’ll spend $758 per month in Bortala versus $422 in Dhaka – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Bortala compared to Dhaka?
A monthly transit pass in Bortala runs roughly 25% less than in Dhaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bortala or in Dhaka?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dhaka gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Bortala or Dhaka?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Should I move to Bortala or to Dhaka?
It comes down to priorities – Dhaka wins on affordability, Bortala on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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