For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $737 in Jilin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jilin and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Jilin versus $428 in Dhaka.
Jilin $737
Dhaka $428
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,185 in Jilin versus $724 in Dhaka.
Jilin $1,185
Dhaka $724
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,633 in Jilin versus $1,019 in Dhaka.
Jilin $1,633
Dhaka $1,019
🌍
Living in Jilin is roughly 72% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Jilin46% lower, Dhaka68% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.96¥19.79
$2.50৳309
18.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.66¥152
$13.26৳1,638
70.89%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$5.31¥35.51
$4.99৳616
6.41%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.87৳602
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.14৳511
-
Cappuccino
$3.46¥23.12
$2.35৳291
47.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45¥2.98
$0.33৳41.07
36.36%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25¥1.65
$0.16৳19.62
56.25%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.15¥7.69
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26¥15.12
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.75¥11.67
$0.85৳105
105.88%
White Bread(500g)
$1.63¥10.92
$0.63৳77.9
158.73%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.93¥6.24
$0.67৳83.1
38.81%
Eggs
$1.68¥11.21
$1.19৳147
41.18%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$13.07¥87.4
$8.83৳1,092
48.02%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.40¥22.75
$3.30৳408
3.03%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$11.15¥74.6
$6.41৳792
73.95%
Apples(1kg)
$1.80¥12.07
$2.75৳340
-34.55%
Banana(1kg)
$1.28¥8.55
$0.94৳116
36.17%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.57¥10.48
$2.37৳293
-33.76%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.26¥8.42
$0.64৳79.1
96.88%
Potato(1kg)
$0.70¥4.68
$0.26৳32.25
169.23%
Onion(1kg)
$0.96¥6.44
$0.49৳60.6
95.92%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.63¥4.21
$0.30৳37.63
110.00%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54¥3.62
$0.30৳37.49
80.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
-
$12.24৳1,512
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$5.43৳671
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$6.53৳807
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$3.81¥25.49
$3.17৳392
20.19%
Wine(Bottle)
$11.76¥78.6
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$0.88¥5.92
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62¥10.84
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.29¥1.91
$0.38৳47.44
-23.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$18.27¥122
$23.06৳2,849
-20.77%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.08¥7.21
$1.17৳145
-7.69%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.24¥1.59
$0.38৳46.99
-36.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$7.08¥47.35
$3.28৳405
115.85%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.25¥8.38
$1.11৳137
12.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K¥131.7K
$29.1K৳3.6M
-32.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.2K¥114.9K
$32.9K৳4.1M
-47.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$56.7¥379
$46.77৳5,779
21.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.74¥58.4
$4.51৳557
93.79%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.28¥75.4
$11.22৳1,387
0.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$42.47¥284
$16.43৳2,031
158.49%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.22¥102
$14.87৳1,838
2.35%
Cinema Ticket
$6.30¥42.12
$4.20৳519
50.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$415¥2,774
$91.6৳11.3K
352.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$17.4K¥116.6K
$2,596৳320.8K
571.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.23¥289
$16.63৳2,055
159.95%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.09¥228
$19.80৳2,447
72.17%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$73.9¥494
$46.87৳5,791
57.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.2¥496
$37.00৳4,572
100.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$297¥1,989
$148৳18.2K
101.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$181¥1,208
$70.8৳8,743
155.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$635¥4,248
$432৳53.4K
46.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$377¥2,517
$213৳26.3K
77.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,419¥22.9K
$1,605৳198.4K
112.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,956¥13.1K
$751৳92.8K
160.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jilin
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$451¥3,018
$245৳30.3K
84.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.36
10.67
-68.51%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026
Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Jilin
$207 28.2%
Dhaka
$123 28.8% ↓ 40.6%$84
🏠Accommodation & Living
Jilin
$181 24.5%
Dhaka
$71 16.5% ↓ 60.8%$110
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Jilin
$101 13.8%
Dhaka
$54 12.6% ↓ 46.6%$47
🍽Eating Out
Jilin
$94 12.8%
Dhaka
$65 15.2% ↓ 30.8%$29
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jilin
$77 10.4%
Dhaka
$63 14.6% ↓ 18.5%$14
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Jilin
$55 7.5%
Dhaka
$25 5.8% ↓ 54.9%$30
🚌Getting Around
Jilin
$22 2.9%
Dhaka
$28 6.5% ↑ 27.6%$6
🛒Groceries & Markets
Jilin
$478 29.3%
Dhaka
$303 29.8% ↓ 36.5%$174
🏠Accommodation & Living
Jilin
$377 23.1%
Dhaka
$213 20.9% ↓ 43.5%$164
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Jilin
$225 13.8%
Dhaka
$120 11.8% ↓ 46.6%$105
🍽Eating Out
Jilin
$299 18.3%
Dhaka
$196 19.2% ↓ 34.5%$103
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jilin
$85 5.2%
Dhaka
$67 6.6% ↓ 21.6%$18
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Jilin
$125 7.7%
Dhaka
$65 6.3% ↓ 48.5%$61
🚌Getting Around
Jilin
$44 2.7%
Dhaka
$56 5.5% ↑ 27.7%$12
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Jilin and $148 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Jilin pays 84% 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 Jilin vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.
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
Jilin vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Jilin?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Jilin or Dhaka?
Average pay runs 84% higher in Jilin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Jilin and Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $297 in Jilin versus $148 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Jilin and in Dhaka?
All in, you'll spend $737 per month in Jilin versus $428 in Dhaka – a 72% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 26% less than in Jilin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Jilin or Dhaka?
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.
Is it better to live in Jilin or in Dhaka?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Jilin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.