Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $740 in Zhangjiagang, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
Learn more

Zhangjiagang Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Zhangjiagang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $740 in Zhangjiagang.

Dhaka $406
Zhangjiagang $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,149 in Zhangjiagang.

Dhaka $687
Zhangjiagang $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $1,558 in Zhangjiagang.

Dhaka $969
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 45% less than in Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Zhangjiagang 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳281

$3.80 ¥25.43

-40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,517

$22.20 ¥148

-44.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳486

$4.98 ¥33.31

-20.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳551

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳508

Cappuccino

$2.28 ৳280

$3.04 ¥20.32

-25.00%

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

$0.33 ৳40.72

$0.49 ¥3.29

-32.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.78

$0.27 ¥1.81

-40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ¥14.84

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$2.08 ¥13.90

-59.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.2

$2.09 ¥13.95

-71.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.0

$0.84 ¥5.64

-17.86%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.36 ¥9.09

-9.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,083

$10.64 ¥71.1

-17.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳410

$2.93 ¥19.60

13.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳816

$9.12 ¥61.0

-27.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳351

$2.04 ¥13.66

39.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.29 ¥8.64

-30.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳288

$1.80 ¥12.04

30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.1

$1.11 ¥7.39

-43.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.47

$0.90 ¥5.99

-73.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.0

$0.90 ¥6.03

-48.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.61

$0.87 ¥5.80

-59.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.09

$0.53 ¥3.51

-47.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,490

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳653

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳790

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ৳403

$3.64 ¥24.37

-9.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 ¥89.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.27

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.44

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.1

$0.30 ¥1.99

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,760

$17.58 ¥118

27.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.76 ¥11.78

-32.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.51

$0.39 ¥2.60

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳404

$8.76 ¥58.6

-62.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳135

$1.37 ¥9.14

-19.71%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$19.2K ¥128.2K

53.48%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$16.9K ¥112.7K

90.82%

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

$38.28 ৳4,710

$55.8 ¥373

-31.34%

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

$4.09 ৳504

$7.76 ¥51.9

-47.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,110

$7.32 ¥48.98

23.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,681

$36.15 ¥242

-62.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,256

$16.01 ¥107

-36.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳506

$6.07 ¥40.61

-32.29%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$418 ¥2,794

-78.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳318.8K

$22.3K ¥149.4K

-88.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,099

$42.99 ¥288

-60.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,630

$34.04 ¥228

-37.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,329

$65.7 ¥439

-21.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,526

$88.5 ¥592

-58.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$280 ¥1,869

-52.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,008

$194 ¥1,295

-66.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.4K

$719 ¥4,809

-47.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.7K

$324 ¥2,168

-40.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳199.5K

$3,266 ¥21.8K

-50.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.5K

$1,685 ¥11.3K

-54.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

3.42

206.43%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 65% $80

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 198% $129

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 63.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 82.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 37.8% $19

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 17.6% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 121% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $22.00 in Zhangjiagang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $204 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

1,432,044

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.13 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.13 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dhaka Zhangjiagang 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Zhangjiagang

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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $609 in Dhaka and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $133 in Dhaka versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. 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 $740 in Zhangjiagang – a 82% 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 Zhangjiagang. 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 82% less than in Zhangjiagang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.