Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guangzhou (Canton) and in Dhaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guangzhou (Canton) and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $426 in Dhaka.

Guangzhou (Canton) $924
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,438 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $735 in Dhaka.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,438
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,953 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,953
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Guangzhou (Canton) is roughly 117% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guangzhou (Canton) 31% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 ¥20.21

$2.49 ৳305

21.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.67 ¥198

$13.06 ৳1,604

127.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.53

$4.83 ৳594

10.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.83

$2.34 ৳287

26.92%

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

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.30 ৳37.38

93.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.16 ৳19.96

131.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.79

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.41

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ¥12.75

$0.80 ৳98.1

138.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$0.65 ৳79.3

181.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$0.71 ৳87.2

53.52%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.21 ৳149

25.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.76 ¥112

$8.67 ৳1,065

93.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 ¥33.07

$3.21 ৳395

54.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.20 ¥81.5

$6.70 ৳823

82.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.04

$2.73 ৳335

-17.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.19

$0.88 ৳108

39.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$2.37 ৳291

-37.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$0.65 ৳79.5

173.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$0.24 ৳29.19

329.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$0.49 ৳60.6

138.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.56

$0.32 ৳38.87

159.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$0.30 ৳37.30

116.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥25.93

$3.23 ৳396

20.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 ¥72.5

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ¥7.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.61

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.42 ৳52.1

11.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.21 ¥148

$22.54 ৳2,769

-1.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$1.19 ৳147

53.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ¥2.69

$0.40 ৳48.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.90

$3.35 ৳411

109.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.75

$1.15 ৳141

13.91%

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

$19.2K ¥128.2K

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-36.65%

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

$17.6K ¥117.5K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-46.75%

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

$60.0 ¥401

$46.32 ৳5,690

29.62%

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

$16.00 ¥107

$4.33 ৳531

269.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.46 ¥96.6

$10.63 ৳1,306

36.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ¥460

$16.37 ৳2,011

320.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.04 ¥80.4

$16.14 ৳1,982

-25.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ¥43.94

$4.13 ৳508

59.08%

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

$1,471 ¥9,831

$90.7 ৳11.1K

1521.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.5K

$2,649 ৳325.4K

812.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.75 ¥326

$16.48 ৳2,024

195.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.61 ¥278

$21.00 ৳2,579

98.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 ¥545

$50.3 ৳6,173

62.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.4 ¥471

$36.46 ৳4,478

93.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 ¥3,623

$152 ৳18.6K

257.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,842

$73.6 ৳9,041

274.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 ¥8,974

$436 ৳53.5K

208.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 ¥3,157

$214 ৳26.3K

120.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,553 ¥57.2K

$1,622 ৳199.2K

427.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,459 ¥23.1K

$761 ৳93.5K

354.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,265 ¥8,452

$249 ৳30.6K

407.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

10.48

-67.56%

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 4, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guangzhou (Canton)

$276 30.1%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 73.3% $202

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$240 26.2%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 49% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 11.9%

Dhaka

$56 13% 48.7% $53

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 9.9%

Dhaka

$64 15% 29.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$90 9.9%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 32.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$82 9%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 70% $57

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3.1%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 1.8% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guangzhou (Canton) pays 408% 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: $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

16:13 4:13 PM

2 h behind Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guangzhou (Canton) Dhaka 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Guangzhou (Canton)
Dhaka

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

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 117% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 408% higher in Guangzhou (Canton), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $542 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $924 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $426 in Dhaka – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 1% less than in Guangzhou (Canton). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Guangzhou (Canton). 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.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 117% less than in Guangzhou (Canton). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.