Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Zaozhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $422 a month against $667 in Zaozhuang, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Dhaka, Bangladesh
Zaozhuang, China
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$422
/mo nomad
Zaozhuang
🇨🇳 China
$667
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Zaozhuang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $422 in Dhaka versus $667 in Zaozhuang.

  • Dhaka $422
  • Zaozhuang $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Dhaka versus $1,022 in Zaozhuang.

  • Dhaka $728
  • Zaozhuang $1,022

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,033 in Dhaka versus $1,378 in Zaozhuang.

  • Dhaka $1,033
  • Zaozhuang $1,378

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 37% less than in Zaozhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 69% lower, Zaozhuang 51% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.40 ৳298
$1.82 ¥12.14
31.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.93 ৳1,604
$11.81 ¥78.6
9.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ৳593
$2.26 ¥15.04
111.50%
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
$1.47 ¥9.80
61.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.11
$0.39 ¥2.58
-23.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 ৳21.32
$0.15 ¥0.97
13.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.91 ¥6.07
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.77 ¥11.81
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 ৳97.5
$1.45 ¥9.63
-45.52%
White Bread (500g)
$0.63 ৳78.4
$1.42 ¥9.44
-55.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 ৳89.1
$1.23 ¥8.15
-41.46%
Eggs
$1.18 ৳147
$1.06 ¥7.07
11.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 ৳1,083
$11.74 ¥78.2
-25.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ৳409
$3.29 ¥21.90
0.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.64 ৳824
$11.16 ¥74.3
-40.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ৳347
$1.47 ¥9.76
90.48%
Banana (1kg)
$0.86 ৳107
$1.03 ¥6.83
-16.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.32 ৳287
$1.36 ¥9.07
70.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.61 ৳75.8
$1.09 ¥7.24
-44.04%
Potato (1kg)
$0.23 ৳28.30
$0.59 ¥3.92
-61.02%
Onion (1kg)
$0.48 ৳59.9
$0.70 ¥4.65
-31.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 ৳41.25
$0.57 ¥3.80
-42.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ৳37.58
$0.62 ¥4.09
-51.61%
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
$3.65 ¥24.27
-9.86%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$9.84 ¥65.5
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.71 ¥4.72
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.36 ¥9.05
-
🚌 Getting Around
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 ৳51.3
$0.28 ¥1.83
46.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.27 ৳2,638
$15.73 ¥105
35.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 ৳147
$1.61 ¥10.72
-26.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ৳47.19
$0.25 ¥1.65
52.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.27 ৳406
$4.48 ¥29.81
-27.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ৳143
$1.30 ¥8.67
-10.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K ৳3.7M
$19.7K ¥131.0K
51.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.5K ৳4.0M
$15.3K ¥101.7K
112.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$46.86 ৳5,813
$74.1 ¥493
-36.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.31 ৳535
$6.84 ¥45.51
-36.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.09 ৳1,376
$5.08 ¥33.83
118.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.52 ৳2,173
$43.72 ¥291
-59.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.67 ৳2,191
$15.67 ¥104
12.76%
Cinema Ticket
$4.31 ৳534
$5.33 ¥35.47
-19.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$139 ৳17.2K
$215 ¥1,430
-35.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,570 ৳318.8K
$19.7K ¥130.9K
-86.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.32 ৳2,025
$33.72 ¥224
-51.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.36 ৳2,402
$42.01 ¥280
-53.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.97 ৳5,702
$72.4 ¥482
-36.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.74 ৳4,557
$71.2 ¥474
-48.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$145 ৳18.0K
$321 ¥2,135
-54.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$68.1 ৳8,449
$172 ¥1,146
-60.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$461 ৳57.2K
$630 ¥4,192
-26.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$232 ৳28.8K
$318 ¥2,113
-26.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,575 ৳195.4K
$2,866 ¥19.1K
-45.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$789 ৳97.9K
$1,665 ¥11.1K
-52.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dhaka
Zaozhuang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$245 ৳30.3K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.67
3.13
240.89%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zaozhuang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dhaka
$122
Zaozhuang
$186 51.9% $64
Accommodation & Living
Dhaka
$68
Zaozhuang
$172 153% $104
Eating Out
Dhaka
$64
Zaozhuang
$49 22.9% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dhaka
$62
Zaozhuang
$86 38.1% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Dhaka
$53
Zaozhuang
$99 85.3% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Dhaka
$26
Zaozhuang
$54 108% $28
Getting Around
Dhaka
$26
Zaozhuang
$20 24.3% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $145 in Dhaka and $321 in Zaozhuang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13 in Dhaka vs $12 in Zaozhuang. Groceries flip the comparison at $122 vs $186, with Dhaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🇨🇳 Zaozhuang
🕒 Local time
07:19 7:19 AM
09:19 9:19 AM
2 h ahead of Dhaka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,741,000 Capital
2,125,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 29, 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dhaka Zaozhuang 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dhaka
  • Zaozhuang

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 Zaozhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Zaozhuang?
Dhaka is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $633 in Dhaka and $1,000 in Zaozhuang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Dhaka and Zaozhuang?
Rent for a central apartment: $145 in Dhaka versus $321 in Zaozhuang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Dhaka and in Zaozhuang?
All in, you’ll spend $422 per month in Dhaka versus $667 in Zaozhuang – Dhaka is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Zaozhuang runs roughly 26% less than in Dhaka. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Dhaka or Zaozhuang?
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.
Is it better to live in Dhaka or in Zaozhuang?
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.

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