Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Douliu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,138 in Douliu, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$406
/mo nomad
Douliu
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,138
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Douliu

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 Douliu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $1,138 in Douliu.

  • Dhaka $406
  • Douliu $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,894 in Douliu.

  • Dhaka $687
  • Douliu $1,894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $2,650 in Douliu.

  • Dhaka $969
  • Douliu $2,650

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 64% less than in Douliu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Douliu 16% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.28 ৳282
$3.85 NT$125
-40.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.33 ৳1,523
$22.40 NT$726
-44.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.95 ৳488
$5.81 NT$189
-32.01%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.48 ৳554
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 ৳510
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.28 ৳281
$3.40 NT$110
-32.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ৳40.88
$0.94 NT$30.58
-64.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16 ৳19.86
$0.67 NT$21.86
-76.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.79 NT$90.4
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.73 NT$121
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 ৳104
$3.09 NT$100
-72.49%
White Bread (500g)
$0.60 ৳74.5
$2.01 NT$65.1
-70.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.69 ৳85.4
$3.17 NT$103
-78.23%
Eggs
$1.23 ৳152
$2.76 NT$89.4
-55.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.80 ৳1,087
$19.44 NT$631
-54.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.33 ৳412
$9.97 NT$323
-66.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.63 ৳819
$21.44 NT$695
-69.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ৳352
$4.79 NT$155
-40.50%
Banana (1kg)
$0.90 ৳111
$3.29 NT$107
-72.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.34 ৳289
$3.08 NT$99.9
-24.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.63 ৳78.4
$4.34 NT$141
-85.48%
Potato (1kg)
$0.24 ৳29.59
$2.82 NT$91.3
-91.49%
Onion (1kg)
$0.46 ৳57.3
$2.34 NT$75.9
-80.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 ৳42.79
$1.71 NT$55.6
-79.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.28 ৳34.24
$1.10 NT$35.65
-74.55%
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)
$3.28 ৳405
$3.85 NT$125
-14.81%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$14.46 NT$469
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.63 NT$52.9
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.31 NT$75.0
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 ৳52.3
$0.61 NT$19.89
-31.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.43 ৳2,772
$35.53 NT$1,152
-36.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 ৳147
$2.66 NT$86.3
-55.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.39 ৳48.71
$0.77 NT$24.82
-49.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.28 ৳406
$9.46 NT$307
-65.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ৳136
$1.03 NT$33.56
6.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K ৳3.6M
$34.0K NT$1.1M
-13.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.2K ৳4.0M
$24.0K NT$777.6K
34.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.28 ৳4,729
$86.6 NT$2,807
-55.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.09 ৳506
$17.15 NT$556
-76.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.02 ৳1,114
$27.79 NT$901
-67.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.66 ৳1,688
$36.37 NT$1,179
-62.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.21 ৳1,261
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.11 ৳508
$9.54 NT$309
-56.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$90.7 ৳11.2K
$663 NT$21.5K
-86.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,591 ৳320.2K
$17.0K NT$550.7K
-84.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.06 ৳2,108
$64.5 NT$2,091
-73.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.38 ৳2,641
$40.75 NT$1,321
-47.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$51.4 ৳6,355
$85.0 NT$2,756
-39.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.78 ৳4,545
$105 NT$3,408
-65.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$133 ৳16.4K
$404 NT$13.1K
-67.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$65.1 ৳8,041
$257 NT$8,334
-74.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$377 ৳46.6K
$982 NT$31.8K
-61.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$192 ৳23.8K
$730 NT$23.7K
-73.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,621 ৳200.3K
$7,836 NT$254.1K
-79.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$760 ৳93.9K
$4,924 NT$159.7K
-84.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Douliu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$246 ৳30.4K
$2,544 NT$82.5K
-90.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.48
2.4
336.67%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Douliu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$124
Douliu
$400 223% $276
Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$65
Douliu
$257 295% $192
Eating Out
Dhaka
$59
Douliu
$117 96.7% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$57
Douliu
$133 133% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$51
Douliu
$132 156% $80
Getting Around
Dhaka
$27
Douliu
$44 63% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$22
Douliu
$55 153% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $404 in Douliu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Douliu pays 934% 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: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $22.00 in Douliu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $400 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🇹🇼 Douliu
🕒 Local time
07:23 7:23 AM
09:23 9:23 AM
2 h ahead of Dhaka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,741,000 Capital
108,401
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dhaka Douliu 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Dhaka
  • Douliu

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 Douliu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Douliu cheaper than Dhaka?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 181% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Dhaka or Douliu?
On paper, salaries run 934% lower in Douliu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Dhaka and Douliu?
Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Dhaka versus $404 in Douliu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Dhaka and in Douliu?
All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $1,138 in Douliu – a 181% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 58% less than in Douliu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Dhaka or in Douliu?
At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,138 in Douliu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Douliu. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Dhaka or in Douliu?
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.
Which city is safer, Dhaka or Douliu?
Safety-wise, Dhaka and Douliu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 181% less than in Douliu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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