Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,067 in Chiayi, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiayi 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 Chiayi and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Chiayi versus $406 in Dhaka.

Chiayi $1,067
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Chiayi versus $687 in Dhaka.

Chiayi $1,503
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Chiayi versus $969 in Dhaka.

Chiayi $1,940
Dhaka $969

Living in Chiayi is roughly 163% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiayi 21% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$2.28 ৳282

111.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 NT$1,519

$12.33 ৳1,523

279.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NT$185

$3.95 ৳488

44.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$3.36 NT$109

$2.28 ৳281

47.37%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 NT$28.58

$0.33 ৳40.88

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.68

$0.16 ৳19.86

318.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 NT$92.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 NT$123

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$101

$0.85 ৳104

264.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$0.60 ৳74.5

243.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 NT$98.6

$0.69 ৳85.4

340.58%

Eggs

$2.66 NT$86.3

$1.23 ৳152

116.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.77 NT$641

$8.80 ৳1,087

124.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 NT$316

$3.33 ৳412

192.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 NT$680

$6.63 ৳819

216.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 NT$158

$2.85 ৳352

70.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 NT$104

$0.90 ৳111

257.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$97.0

$2.34 ৳289

27.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 NT$148

$0.63 ৳78.4

622.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 NT$90.9

$0.24 ৳29.59

1066.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.3

$0.46 ৳57.3

410.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.3

$0.35 ৳42.79

380.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 NT$37.04

$0.28 ৳34.24

307.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,496

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳656

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳794

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 NT$130

$3.28 ৳405

22.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.66 NT$151

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 NT$403

$22.43 ৳2,772

-44.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$85.5

$1.19 ৳147

121.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 NT$14.94

$0.39 ৳48.71

17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.66 NT$313

$3.28 ৳406

194.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.43

$1.10 ৳136

-3.64%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.9K NT$1.1M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

11.62%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.5K NT$795.8K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-23.69%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$66.7 NT$2,164

$38.28 ৳4,729

74.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.52 NT$568

$4.09 ৳506

328.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 NT$873

$9.02 ৳1,114

198.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.82 NT$1,032

$13.66 ৳1,688

132.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 NT$319

$4.11 ৳508

139.42%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$660 NT$21.4K

$90.7 ৳11.2K

627.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$543.4K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

546.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NT$2,020

$17.06 ৳2,108

265.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 NT$1,279

$21.38 ৳2,641

84.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NT$2,763

$51.4 ৳6,355

65.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,383

$36.78 ৳4,545

183.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 NT$12.0K

$133 ৳16.4K

177.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,194

$65.1 ৳8,041

288.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,179 NT$103.1K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

96.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 NT$61.9K

$760 ৳93.9K

151.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,110 NT$68.4K

$246 ৳30.4K

757.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

10.48

-77.10%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$379 35.5%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 67.4% $256

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$253 23.7%

Dhaka

$65 16% 74.2% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$131 12.3%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 56.5% $74

Eating Out

Chiayi

$124 11.6%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 52.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$111 10.4%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 53.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$51 4.8%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 57.5% $30

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 57.1% $9.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $369 in Chiayi and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 757% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Chiayi vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

10:28 10:28 AM

2 h behind Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

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Between locations

Chiayi Dhaka 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiayi
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

Chiayi vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka wins on cost – living expenses run 163% lower than in Chiayi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dhaka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 757% higher in Chiayi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $369 in Chiayi versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,067 per month in Chiayi versus $406 in Dhaka – a 163% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 80% less than in Chiayi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,067 in Chiayi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Chiayi. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiayi and Dhaka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 163% less than in Chiayi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.