Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $764 in Hefei, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $764 in Hefei versus $406 in Dhaka.

Hefei $764
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,215 in Hefei versus $687 in Dhaka.

Hefei $1,215
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Hefei versus $969 in Dhaka.

Hefei $1,666
Dhaka $969

Living in Hefei is roughly 88% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hefei 43% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 ¥17.37

$2.28 ৳282

14.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$12.33 ৳1,523

85.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ¥30.27

$3.95 ৳488

14.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.67 ¥17.83

$2.28 ৳281

17.11%

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

$0.49 ¥3.27

$0.33 ৳40.88

48.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.16 ৳19.86

68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.27

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥10.59

$0.85 ৳104

85.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.14

$0.60 ৳74.5

228.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.30

$0.69 ৳85.4

14.49%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥12.22

$1.23 ৳152

48.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 ¥92.5

$8.80 ৳1,087

57.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.76 ¥31.85

$3.33 ৳412

42.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ¥77.2

$6.63 ৳819

74.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.44

$2.85 ৳352

-18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$0.90 ৳111

86.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$2.34 ৳289

-29.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$0.63 ৳78.4

144.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$0.24 ৳29.59

266.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$0.46 ৳57.3

115.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$0.35 ৳42.79

140.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.44

$0.28 ৳34.24

135.71%

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)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$3.28 ৳405

-6.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.42 ৳52.3

-26.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.14 ¥295

$22.43 ৳2,772

96.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$1.19 ৳147

-1.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.39 ৳48.71

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$3.28 ৳406

7.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.10 ৳136

18.18%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-35.36%

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

$16.9K ¥112.8K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-47.54%

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

$49.24 ¥329

$38.28 ৳4,729

28.63%

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

$9.03 ¥60.4

$4.09 ৳506

120.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$9.02 ৳1,114

29.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 ¥105

$13.66 ৳1,688

15.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.63 ¥105

$10.21 ৳1,261

53.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 ¥43.00

$4.11 ৳508

56.45%

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

$246 ¥1,645

$90.7 ৳11.2K

171.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,528 ¥57.0K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

229.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 ¥608

$17.06 ৳2,108

433.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 ¥219

$21.38 ৳2,641

53.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 ¥422

$51.4 ৳6,355

22.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ¥658

$36.78 ৳4,545

167.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ¥1,662

$133 ৳16.4K

86.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,202

$65.1 ৳8,041

176.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥3,679

$377 ৳46.6K

45.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,221

$192 ৳23.8K

72.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ¥24.0K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

121.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 ¥12.8K

$760 ৳93.9K

151.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,007 ¥6,734

$246 ৳30.4K

309.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

10.48

-69.94%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$230 30.1%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 46.3% $106

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$180 23.5%

Dhaka

$65 16% 63.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$128 16.8%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 55.6% $71

Eating Out

Hefei

$78 10.3%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 24.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.2%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 26.6% $19

Getting Around

Hefei

$48 6.3%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 43.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$29 3.8%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 23.5% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $249 in Hefei and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hefei pays 309% 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: $23.00 in Hefei vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

00:28 12:28 AM

2 h behind Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Hefei Dhaka 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

Hefei vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 88% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 309% higher in Hefei, 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: $249 in Hefei versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $764 per month in Hefei versus $406 in Dhaka – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 97% less than in Hefei. 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 88% less than in Hefei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.