Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,055 in Zhubei City, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
Learn more

Zhubei City Living Index

Jump to prices

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka and in Zhubei City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Dhaka versus $1,055 in Zhubei City.

Dhaka $406
Zhubei City $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $687 in Dhaka versus $1,841 in Zhubei City.

Dhaka $687
Zhubei City $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $969 in Dhaka versus $2,627 in Zhubei City.

Dhaka $969
Zhubei City $2,627

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 62% less than in Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dhaka 70% lower, Zhubei City 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$4.83 NT$157

-52.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$28.00 NT$908

-55.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$5.07 NT$164

-22.09%

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

$2.89 NT$93.8

-21.11%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.91 NT$29.41

-63.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.59 NT$19.02

-72.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 NT$62.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.6

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$2.79 NT$90.4

-69.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.87 NT$60.7

-67.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$4.59 NT$149

-84.97%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.85 NT$92.5

-56.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$24.76 NT$803

-64.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$8.37 NT$271

-60.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$25.93 NT$841

-74.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$4.04 NT$131

-29.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$2.42 NT$78.5

-62.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$2.69 NT$87.3

-13.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$3.27 NT$106

-80.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$3.02 NT$97.9

-92.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$2.02 NT$65.5

-77.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$2.06 NT$66.9

-83.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$1.33 NT$43.25

-78.95%

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

$3.88 NT$126

-15.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.23 NT$299

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 NT$46.36

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NT$75.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.61 NT$19.85

-31.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$3.10 NT$101

-61.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.64 NT$20.76

-39.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$9.25 NT$300

-64.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$0.99 NT$32.17

11.11%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-12.06%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$24.8K NT$805.7K

29.44%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$103 NT$3,331

-62.73%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$18.96 NT$615

-78.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$22.80 NT$739

-60.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$31.40 NT$1,018

-56.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$9.99 NT$324

-58.86%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$646 NT$20.9K

-85.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$16.5K NT$533.8K

-84.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$57.7 NT$1,870

-70.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$31.13 NT$1,010

-31.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$90.8 NT$2,946

-43.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$99.0 NT$3,209

-62.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$501 NT$16.2K

-73.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$217 NT$7,032

-69.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$1,100 NT$35.7K

-65.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$768 NT$24.9K

-74.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$16.2K NT$525.9K

-90.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$9,751 NT$316.2K

-92.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$2,391 NT$77.5K

-89.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

2.4

336.67%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 223% $276

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 233% $152

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 83.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 120% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 181% $93

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 67.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 135% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $501 in Zhubei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhubei City pays 872% 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $400 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

08:12 8:12 AM

2 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

211,746

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Zhubei City 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
Zhubei City

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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 160% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 872% lower in Zhubei City. 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 $501 in Zhubei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $646 in Zhubei City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dhaka – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $28.00 in Zhubei City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,055 in Zhubei City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Zhubei City. 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.

Safety-wise, Dhaka and Zhubei City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Zhubei City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.