Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $895 in Dalian, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$895

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Dalian versus $426 in Dhaka.

Dalian $895
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Dalian versus $735 in Dhaka.

Dalian $1,433
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,970 in Dalian versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Dalian $1,970
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Dalian is roughly 110% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dalian 33% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 ¥24.25

$2.49 ৳305

45.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.88 ¥166

$13.06 ৳1,604

90.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.24

$4.83 ৳594

6.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$3.30 ¥22.04

$2.34 ৳287

41.03%

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

$0.49 ¥3.30

$0.30 ৳37.38

63.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.67

$0.16 ৳19.96

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.23

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$0.80 ৳98.1

98.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.52

$0.65 ৳79.3

118.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.71 ৳87.2

43.66%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.61

$1.21 ৳149

31.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.36 ¥136

$8.67 ৳1,065

134.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.10

$3.21 ৳395

7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ¥87.2

$6.70 ৳823

94.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$2.73 ৳335

-52.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.52

$0.88 ৳108

28.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ¥12.90

$2.37 ৳291

-18.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.96

$0.65 ৳79.5

36.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$0.24 ৳29.19

241.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.77

$0.49 ৳60.6

44.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥9.00

$0.32 ৳38.87

321.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.30 ৳37.30

106.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.08

$3.23 ৳396

16.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.55 ¥97.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.32

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.42 ৳52.1

-26.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 ¥201

$22.54 ৳2,769

33.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.19 ৳147

28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.40 ৳48.58

7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥26.60

$3.35 ৳411

18.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.43

$1.15 ৳141

9.57%

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

$19.6K ¥130.8K

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-35.40%

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

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-47.01%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$46.32 ৳5,690

37.63%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$4.33 ৳531

110.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.34 ¥89.1

$10.63 ৳1,306

25.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 ¥270

$16.37 ৳2,011

146.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.04 ¥241

$16.14 ৳1,982

123.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 ¥45.75

$4.13 ৳508

65.86%

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

$393 ¥2,627

$90.7 ৳11.1K

333.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥137.9K

$2,649 ৳325.4K

678.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.4 ¥504

$16.48 ৳2,024

357.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ¥367

$21.00 ৳2,579

161.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ¥762

$50.3 ৳6,173

126.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ¥784

$36.46 ৳4,478

221.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ¥2,684

$152 ৳18.6K

164.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ¥1,628

$73.6 ৳9,041

231.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥4,688

$436 ৳53.5K

60.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ¥2,971

$214 ৳26.3K

107.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,684 ¥17.9K

$1,622 ৳199.2K

65.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 ¥10.6K

$761 ৳93.5K

108.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,090 ¥7,287

$249 ৳30.6K

337.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

10.48

-62.88%

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

Last update for Dalian: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$244 26.6%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 69.8% $170

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 48.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$163 17.8%

Dhaka

$56 13% 65.7% $107

Eating Out

Dalian

$95 10.3%

Dhaka

$64 15% 32.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$86 9.4%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 28.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 54.4% $29

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 21.7% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $402 in Dalian and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 338% 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: $25.00 in Dalian vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

2 h behind Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dalian Dhaka 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

Dalian vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dalian and Dhaka differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($895 vs $426 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 338% higher in Dalian, 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: $402 in Dalian versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $393 in Dalian versus $90.7 in Dhaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Dalian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $895 in Dalian, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Dalian. 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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Dalian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.