Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Sanya

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $776 in Sanya, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
Learn more

Sanya Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Sanya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Dhaka versus $761 in Sanya.

Dhaka $428
Sanya $761

Estimated couple costs with rent: $724 in Dhaka versus $1,235 in Sanya.

Dhaka $724
Sanya $1,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,019 in Dhaka versus $1,708 in Sanya.

Dhaka $1,019
Sanya $1,708

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 68% lower, Sanya 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.50 ৳309

$3.33 ¥22.29

-24.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.26 ৳1,638

$22.31 ¥149

-40.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ৳616

$6.19 ¥41.37

-19.39%

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

$2.15 ¥14.37

9.30%

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

$0.33 ৳41.07

$0.53 ¥3.56

-37.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.62

$0.43 ¥2.87

-62.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.61

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳105

$2.14 ¥14.33

-60.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳77.9

$1.36 ¥9.12

-53.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ৳83.1

$1.53 ¥10.22

-56.21%

Eggs

$1.19 ৳147

$1.68 ¥11.21

-29.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 ৳1,092

$23.02 ¥154

-61.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ৳408

$4.57 ¥30.59

-27.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 ৳792

$11.46 ¥76.6

-44.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ৳340

$2.27 ¥15.17

21.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ৳116

$1.53 ¥10.24

-38.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ৳293

$2.46 ¥16.44

-3.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 ৳79.1

$1.99 ¥13.31

-67.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ৳32.25

$0.91 ¥6.11

-71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ৳60.6

$0.73 ¥4.87

-32.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ৳37.63

$0.55 ¥3.65

-45.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳37.49

$0.59 ¥3.92

-49.15%

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

$3.65 ¥24.42

-13.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ৳47.44

$0.31 ¥2.05

22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.06 ৳2,849

$18.12 ¥121

27.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ৳145

$1.46 ¥9.76

-19.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

$0.35 ¥2.32

8.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳405

$7.51 ¥50.2

-56.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ৳137

$1.25 ¥8.34

-11.20%

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

$29.1K ৳3.6M

$22.0K ¥147.2K

32.22%

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

$32.9K ৳4.1M

$17.2K ¥114.9K

91.51%

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

$46.77 ৳5,779

$56.0 ¥374

-16.48%

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

$4.51 ৳557

$6.60 ¥44.16

-31.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.22 ৳1,387

$4.41 ¥29.52

154.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ৳2,031

$40.87 ¥273

-59.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 ৳1,838

$14.90 ¥99.6

-0.20%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 ৳519

$6.25 ¥41.80

-32.80%

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

$91.6 ৳11.3K

$403 ¥2,695

-77.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,596 ৳320.8K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

-84.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.63 ৳2,055

$43.83 ¥293

-62.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 ৳2,447

$33.64 ¥225

-41.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.87 ৳5,791

$73.6 ¥492

-36.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.00 ৳4,572

$85.9 ¥574

-56.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$148 ৳18.2K

$298 ¥1,994

-50.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.8 ৳8,743

$191 ¥1,276

-62.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ৳53.4K

$624 ¥4,173

-30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ৳26.3K

$381 ¥2,547

-44.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,605 ৳198.4K

$3,393 ¥22.7K

-52.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$751 ৳92.8K

$1,946 ¥13.0K

-61.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$245 ৳30.3K

$903 ¥6,038

-72.89%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Sanya: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$123 28.8%

Sanya

$251 32.3% 104% $128

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$71 16.5%

Sanya

$191 24.6% 170% $120

Eating Out

Dhaka

$65 15.2%

Sanya

$85 10.9% 30.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$63 14.6%

Sanya

$67 8.6% 7.2% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$54 12.6%

Sanya

$107 13.7% 96.9% $52

Getting Around

Dhaka

$28 6.5%

Sanya

$23 2.9% 18.5% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$25 5.8%

Sanya

$53 6.9% 115% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $148 in Dhaka and $304 in Sanya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sanya pays 266% 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 $22.00 in Sanya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $123 vs $250 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇨🇳 Sanya

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,031,396

💱 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

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Between locations

Dhaka Sanya 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Sanya

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 Sanya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 78% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 266% lower in Sanya. 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: $148 in Dhaka versus $304 in Sanya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $428 per month in Dhaka versus $761 in Sanya – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 28% less than in Sanya. 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 78% less than in Sanya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.