Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Nara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,215 in Nara, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
Learn more

Nara Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Nara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $1,215 in Nara.

Dhaka $406
Nara $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,828 in Nara.

Dhaka $687
Nara $1,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $2,442 in Nara.

Dhaka $969
Nara $2,442

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 67% less than in Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Nara 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$6.40 ¥1,011

-64.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$31.96 ¥5,049

-61.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$5.10 ¥805

-22.55%

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

$2.48 ¥392

-8.06%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$1.30 ¥206

-74.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.75 ¥119

-78.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 ¥489

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥483

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.50 ¥238

-43.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.34 ¥211

-55.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$4.05 ¥640

-82.96%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.13 ¥336

-42.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$9.60 ¥1,517

-8.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$7.01 ¥1,108

-52.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$17.82 ¥2,815

-62.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$3.41 ¥539

-16.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.99 ¥315

-54.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.01 ¥317

16.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$4.01 ¥633

-84.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.57 ¥248

-84.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.16 ¥184

-60.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$1.12 ¥177

-68.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.81 ¥128

-65.43%

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

$3.82 ¥604

-14.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.49 ¥1,500

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥305

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$1.55 ¥245

-72.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$72.0 ¥11.4K

-68.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$3.23 ¥510

-63.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$2.83 ¥447

-86.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$15.70 ¥2,480

-79.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.11 ¥175

-0.90%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

34.51%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

115.96%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$115 ¥18.2K

-66.82%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$24.28 ¥3,836

-83.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$30.63 ¥4,840

-70.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$82.2 ¥13.0K

-83.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$7.44 ¥1,176

37.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$11.85 ¥1,872

-65.32%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$511 ¥80.8K

-82.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

-79.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$48.43 ¥7,652

-64.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$30.90 ¥4,882

-30.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$59.5 ¥9,398

-13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$88.7 ¥14.0K

-58.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$404 ¥63.8K

-67.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$333 ¥52.7K

-80.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$810 ¥128.0K

-53.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$544 ¥86.0K

-64.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$2,669 ¥421.6K

-39.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,959 ¥309.5K

-61.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$1,110 ¥175.3K

-77.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

2.02

418.81%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Nara

$282 23.2% 128% $158

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Nara

$333 27.4% 412% $268

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Nara

$126 10.4% 112% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Nara

$102 8.4% 79.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Nara

$170 14% 231% $119

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Nara

$96 7.9% 250% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Nara

$106 8.7% 384% $84

Cost Breakdown

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

Nara pays 351% 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 $32.00 in Nara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $282 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

13:43 1:43 PM

3 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

355,280

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dhaka Nara 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Nara

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 Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 200% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 351% lower in Nara. 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: $133 in Dhaka versus $404 in Nara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Dhaka versus $1,215 in Nara – a 200% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 221% less than in Nara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,215 in Nara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Nara. 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 200% less than in Nara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.