Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Bortala

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.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
Learn more

Bortala Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$422

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Bortala

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

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

Dhaka $422
Bortala $758

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

Dhaka $728
Bortala $1,168

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

Dhaka $1,033
Bortala $1,577

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 44% less than in Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 ৳298

$2.99 ¥19.88

-19.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.93 ৳1,604

$22.84 ¥152

-43.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ৳593

$4.86 ¥32.33

-1.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 ৳610

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳491

Cappuccino

$2.38 ৳295

$2.79 ¥18.54

-14.70%

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

$0.30 ৳37.11

$0.48 ¥3.18

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ৳21.32

$0.32 ¥2.10

-46.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.11 ¥7.39

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.35

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 ৳97.5

$1.87 ¥12.46

-57.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.59 ¥10.58

-60.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ৳89.1

$0.95 ¥6.30

-24.21%

Eggs

$1.18 ৳147

$1.60 ¥10.68

-26.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ৳1,083

$13.42 ¥89.3

-34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳409

$3.36 ¥22.38

-1.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 ৳824

$11.29 ¥75.1

-41.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ৳347

$1.89 ¥12.55

48.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ৳107

$1.34 ¥8.89

-35.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ৳287

$1.51 ¥10.02

53.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ৳75.8

$1.26 ¥8.36

-51.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.30

$0.75 ¥4.99

-69.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ৳59.9

$0.98 ¥6.50

-51.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳41.25

$0.59 ¥3.95

-44.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.58

$0.59 ¥3.90

-49.15%

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)

$3.29 ৳408

$3.71 ¥24.71

-11.32%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ৳51.3

$0.28 ¥1.87

46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.27 ৳2,638

$15.99 ¥106

33.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ৳147

$1.57 ¥10.47

-24.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳47.19

$0.32 ¥2.15

18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 ৳406

$7.15 ¥47.60

-54.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ৳143

$1.17 ¥7.81

-0.85%

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

$29.9K ৳3.7M

$19.4K ¥129.1K

54.11%

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

$32.5K ৳4.0M

$15.2K ¥101.0K

114.29%

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

$46.86 ৳5,813

$57.1 ¥380

-17.96%

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

$4.31 ৳535

$8.48 ¥56.5

-49.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.09 ৳1,376

$11.13 ¥74.1

-0.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.52 ৳2,173

$41.95 ¥279

-58.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ৳2,191

$14.98 ¥99.7

17.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 ৳534

$6.53 ¥43.43

-34.00%

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

$139 ৳17.2K

$453 ¥3,016

-69.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,570 ৳318.8K

$19.3K ¥128.6K

-86.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.32 ৳2,025

$42.79 ¥285

-61.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.36 ৳2,402

$30.92 ¥206

-37.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.97 ৳5,702

$75.6 ¥503

-39.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.74 ৳4,557

$68.3 ¥455

-46.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$145 ৳18.0K

$291 ¥1,934

-50.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.1 ৳8,449

$214 ¥1,421

-68.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ৳57.2K

$582 ¥3,874

-20.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ৳28.8K

$343 ¥2,283

-32.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,575 ৳195.4K

$3,687 ¥24.5K

-57.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 ৳97.9K

$1,825 ¥12.1K

-56.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$625 ¥4,161

-60.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

3.36

217.56%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$122 29%

Bortala

$210 27.7% 71.2% $87

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$68 16.1%

Bortala

$214 28.2% 214% $145

Eating Out

Dhaka

$64 15.2%

Bortala

$85 11.2% 32.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$62 14.8%

Bortala

$77 10.1% 23.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$53 12.6%

Bortala

$98 12.9% 83.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Bortala

$55 7.3% 111% $29

Getting Around

Dhaka

$26 6.2%

Bortala

$20 2.7% 22% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $145 in Dhaka and $291 in Bortala. 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: $13 in Dhaka vs $23 in Bortala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $210 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

00:14 12:14 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

246,706

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

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).

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).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dhaka Bortala 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Bortala

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

Dhaka vs Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Dhaka. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $145 in Dhaka versus $291 in Bortala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $422 per month in Dhaka versus $758 in Bortala – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

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.

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.

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.