Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harbin and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,156 in Harbin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
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Harbin Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,156

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Harbin 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 Harbin and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,156 in Harbin versus $406 in Dhaka.

Harbin $1,156
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,617 in Harbin versus $687 in Dhaka.

Harbin $1,617
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,077 in Harbin versus $969 in Dhaka.

Harbin $2,077
Dhaka $969

Living in Harbin is roughly 185% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Harbin 14% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.77

$2.28 ৳282

-3.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.30 ¥149

$12.33 ৳1,523

80.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.47

$3.95 ৳488

34.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.81

$2.28 ৳281

23.25%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.33 ৳40.88

42.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.16 ৳19.86

62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.00

$0.85 ৳104

145.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.18

$0.60 ৳74.5

228.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$0.69 ৳85.4

40.58%

Eggs

$1.40 ¥9.34

$1.23 ৳152

13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$8.80 ৳1,087

0.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ¥17.44

$3.33 ৳412

-21.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 ¥81.1

$6.63 ৳819

82.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.49

$2.85 ৳352

-44.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$0.90 ৳111

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$2.34 ৳289

-45.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$0.63 ৳78.4

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$0.24 ৳29.59

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$0.46 ৳57.3

232.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.35 ৳42.79

31.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$0.28 ৳34.24

178.57%

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)

$2.55 ¥17.07

$3.28 ৳405

-22.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.80 ¥119

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.58

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.42 ৳52.3

-26.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.90 ¥72.9

$22.43 ৳2,772

-51.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.21

$1.19 ৳147

15.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.39 ৳48.71

-25.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$3.28 ৳406

7.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$1.10 ৳136

16.36%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-33.41%

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

$15.5K ¥103.9K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-51.70%

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

$77.8 ¥520

$38.28 ৳4,729

103.19%

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

$14.58 ¥97.5

$4.09 ৳506

256.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 ¥81.5

$9.02 ৳1,114

35.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.0 ¥569

$13.66 ৳1,688

522.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.80 ¥199

$10.21 ৳1,261

191.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.11

$4.11 ৳508

42.34%

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

$297 ¥1,986

$90.7 ৳11.2K

227.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K ¥69.4K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

300.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.36 ¥203

$17.06 ৳2,108

77.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 ¥196

$21.38 ৳2,641

37.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ¥476

$51.4 ৳6,355

38.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$304 ¥2,035

$36.78 ৳4,545

727.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥2,123

$133 ৳16.4K

138.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,052

$65.1 ৳8,041

601.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ¥9,018

$377 ৳46.6K

257.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,561

$192 ৳23.8K

176.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,192 ¥21.3K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

96.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,326 ¥8,865

$760 ৳93.9K

74.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 ¥3,903

$246 ৳30.4K

137.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

10.48

-62.60%

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

Last update for Harbin: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harbin

$456 39.5%

Dhaka

$65 16% 85.7% $391

Groceries & Markets

Harbin

$209 18.1%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 41% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Harbin

$196 17%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 70.9% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harbin

$105 9.1%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 50.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Harbin

$97 8.4%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 77.4% $75

Eating Out

Harbin

$78 6.7%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 23.6% $18

Getting Around

Harbin

$15 1.3%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 82.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $317 in Harbin and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harbin pays 137% 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: $22.00 in Harbin vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Harbin

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

2 h behind Harbin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,009,854

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harbin Dhaka 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Harbin
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

Harbin vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 185% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 137% higher in Harbin, 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: $317 in Harbin versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,156 per month in Harbin versus $406 in Dhaka – a 185% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 106% less than in Harbin. 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 185% less than in Harbin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.