Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karamay and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $736 in Karamay, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Karamay
Learn more

Karamay Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Karamay

🇨🇳 China

$736

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $736 in Karamay versus $406 in Dhaka.

Karamay $736
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,182 in Karamay versus $687 in Dhaka.

Karamay $1,182
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,627 in Karamay versus $969 in Dhaka.

Karamay $1,627
Dhaka $969

Living in Karamay is roughly 81% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karamay 45% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.11

$2.28 ৳282

32.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.48 ¥150

$12.33 ৳1,523

82.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.17

$3.95 ৳488

29.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.73 ¥18.26

$2.28 ৳281

19.74%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.33 ৳40.88

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.16 ৳19.86

81.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.28

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.45

$0.85 ৳104

120.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$0.60 ৳74.5

166.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.69 ৳85.4

34.78%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.14

$1.23 ৳152

35.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 ¥89.2

$8.80 ৳1,087

51.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.08

$3.33 ৳412

3.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ¥75.9

$6.63 ৳819

71.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.05

$2.85 ৳352

-36.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$0.90 ৳111

42.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.01

$2.34 ৳289

-35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$0.63 ৳78.4

114.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$0.24 ৳29.59

208.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$0.46 ৳57.3

93.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.35 ৳42.79

68.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.87

$0.28 ৳34.24

107.14%

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)

$4.24 ¥28.31

$3.28 ৳405

29.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.66 ¥77.9

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$0.42 ৳52.3

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.57 ¥131

$22.43 ৳2,772

-12.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.19 ৳147

27.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.39 ৳48.71

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.32 ¥48.85

$3.28 ৳406

123.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$1.10 ৳136

14.55%

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

$18.7K ¥124.6K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-36.57%

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

$17.8K ¥119.0K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-44.60%

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

$57.4 ¥383

$38.28 ৳4,729

49.87%

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

$8.90 ¥59.4

$4.09 ৳506

117.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.36 ¥75.8

$9.02 ৳1,114

25.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.91 ¥273

$13.66 ৳1,688

199.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 ¥102

$10.21 ৳1,261

49.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 ¥41.86

$4.11 ৳508

52.55%

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

$417 ¥2,784

$90.7 ৳11.2K

359.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

576.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 ¥285

$17.06 ৳2,108

150.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 ¥221

$21.38 ৳2,641

55.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 ¥504

$51.4 ৳6,355

46.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.2 ¥508

$36.78 ৳4,545

107.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,980

$133 ৳16.4K

122.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,225

$65.1 ৳8,041

181.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$628 ¥4,195

$377 ৳46.6K

66.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 ¥2,525

$192 ৳23.8K

96.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 ¥26.3K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

143.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,919 ¥12.8K

$760 ৳93.9K

152.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$599 ¥3,998

$246 ৳30.4K

143.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

10.48

-67.94%

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

Last update for Karamay: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Karamay

$210 28.5%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 41.1% $86

Accommodation & Living

Karamay

$183 24.9%

Dhaka

$65 16% 64.5% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Karamay

$102 13.9%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 44.4% $45

Eating Out

Karamay

$85 11.6%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 30.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karamay

$78 10.6%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 33.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Karamay

$53 7.3%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 59% $32

Getting Around

Karamay

$24 3.3%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 13.6% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Karamay and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karamay pays 143% 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 Karamay vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Karamay

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

13:40 1:40 PM

2 h behind Karamay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

490,348

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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karamay Dhaka 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karamay
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

Karamay vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 143% higher in Karamay, 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: $297 in Karamay versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $736 per month in Karamay versus $406 in Dhaka – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 15% less than in Karamay. 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 81% less than in Karamay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.