Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $518 in Putian, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Putian despite lower rent and utilities.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
Learn more

Putian Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Putian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $518 in Putian.

Dhaka $428
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $854 in Putian.

Dhaka $724
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,190 in Putian.

Dhaka $1,019
Putian $1,190

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 17% less than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Putian 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$2.21 ¥14.79

13.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$23.26 ¥156

-42.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$5.17 ¥34.57

-3.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 ৳602

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳511

Cappuccino

$2.35 ৳291

$2.44 ¥16.32

-3.69%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.43 ¥2.88

-23.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.29 ¥1.92

-44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ¥19.58

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$1.47 ¥9.82

-42.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$2.25 ¥15.07

-72.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$0.93 ¥6.19

-27.96%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.58 ¥10.58

-24.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$11.73 ¥78.4

-24.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$2.43 ¥16.22

35.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$12.18 ¥81.4

-47.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$2.55 ¥17.03

7.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.42 ¥9.49

-33.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$1.70 ¥11.34

39.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.98 ¥13.25

-67.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$1.02 ¥6.79

-74.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$1.77 ¥11.86

-72.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$0.93 ¥6.19

-67.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.50 ¥3.36

-40.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 ৳1,512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.43 ৳671

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 ৳807

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ৳392

$3.04 ¥20.31

4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 ¥74.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.58

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.44

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.74 ¥4.92

-48.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$22.38 ¥150

3.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$1.52 ¥10.16

-23.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.29 ¥1.94

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$7.02 ¥46.94

-53.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$1.31 ¥8.76

-15.27%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$19.4K ¥129.8K

49.98%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$17.8K ¥118.8K

85.28%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$44.03 ¥294

6.22%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$8.87 ¥59.3

-49.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$10.55 ¥70.6

6.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$10.08 ¥67.4

-58.33%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$492 ¥3,286

-81.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-89.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$39.10 ¥261

-57.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$29.11 ¥195

-31.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$103 ¥691

-54.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$85.7 ¥573

-56.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$2,637 ¥17.6K

-39.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$1,115 ¥7,452

-32.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$480 ¥3,211

-49.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

3.46

208.38%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Putian

$215 41.6% 74.8% $92

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Putian

$75 14.5% 15.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Putian

$63 12.3% 1.5% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Putian

$116 22.4% 114% $62

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Putian

$28 5.5% 2.2% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 18.8% $4.7

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

Cost Breakdown

Putian pays 96% 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: $13.00 in Dhaka vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $215 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,954,000

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Putian 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Putian. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

All in, you'll spend $428 per month in Dhaka versus $518 in Putian – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 3% less than in Putian. 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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Putian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.