Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lhasa and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $733 in Lhasa, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
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Lhasa Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $733 in Lhasa versus $428 in Dhaka.

Lhasa $733
Dhaka $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,192 in Lhasa versus $724 in Dhaka.

Lhasa $1,192
Dhaka $724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,651 in Lhasa versus $1,019 in Dhaka.

Lhasa $1,651
Dhaka $1,019

Living in Lhasa is roughly 71% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lhasa 46% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.26

$2.50 ৳309

81.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.37 ¥203

$13.26 ৳1,638

129.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ¥50.3

$4.99 ৳616

50.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 ৳602

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳511

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.69

$2.35 ৳291

18.72%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.33 ৳41.07

30.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.04

$0.16 ৳19.62

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.89

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.80

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.93

$0.85 ৳105

109.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$0.63 ৳77.9

161.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.39

$0.67 ৳83.1

43.28%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.26

$1.19 ৳147

41.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 ¥47.89

$8.83 ৳1,092

-18.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$3.30 ৳408

-11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.97 ¥73.3

$6.41 ৳792

71.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 ¥12.57

$2.75 ৳340

-31.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.94 ৳116

37.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.37

$2.37 ৳293

-34.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$0.64 ৳79.1

98.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.26 ৳32.25

169.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$0.49 ৳60.6

91.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.30 ৳37.63

93.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$0.30 ৳37.49

83.33%

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)

$3.77 ¥25.18

$3.17 ৳392

18.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 ¥78.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥5.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.42

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.38 ৳47.44

-23.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 ¥119

$23.06 ৳2,849

-22.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$1.17 ৳145

23.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.38 ৳46.99

-13.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.79

$3.28 ৳405

113.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.11 ৳137

12.61%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$29.1K ৳3.6M

-33.10%

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

$17.2K ¥114.7K

$32.9K ৳4.1M

-47.90%

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

$57.0 ¥381

$46.77 ৳5,779

21.96%

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

$8.51 ¥56.9

$4.51 ৳557

88.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.05 ¥73.9

$11.22 ৳1,387

-1.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 ¥282

$16.43 ৳2,031

156.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.97 ¥100

$14.87 ৳1,838

0.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.33

$4.20 ৳519

54.29%

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

$413 ¥2,762

$91.6 ৳11.3K

351.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.9K

$2,596 ৳320.8K

579.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.14 ¥295

$16.63 ৳2,055

165.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 ¥221

$19.80 ৳2,447

67.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 ¥494

$46.87 ৳5,791

57.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ¥507

$37.00 ৳4,572

105.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,965

$148 ৳18.2K

99.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,223

$70.8 ৳8,743

158.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,174

$432 ৳53.4K

44.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,508

$213 ৳26.3K

76.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,432 ¥22.9K

$1,605 ৳198.4K

113.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,929 ¥12.9K

$751 ৳92.8K

156.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,127 ¥14.2K

$245 ৳30.3K

768.93%

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 Lhasa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lhasa

$188 25.6%

Dhaka

$123 28.8% 34.3% $64

Accommodation & Living

Lhasa

$183 24.9%

Dhaka

$71 16.5% 61.3% $112

Eating Out

Lhasa

$107 14.6%

Dhaka

$65 15.2% 39% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Lhasa

$102 13.9%

Dhaka

$54 12.6% 47% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lhasa

$77 10.5%

Dhaka

$63 14.6% 18.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Lhasa

$55 7.5%

Dhaka

$25 5.8% 54.9% $30

Getting Around

Lhasa

$22 3%

Dhaka

$28 6.5% 25.3% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Lhasa and $148 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays 769% 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 Lhasa vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

23:40 11:40 PM

2 h behind Lhasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

867,891

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lhasa Dhaka 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lhasa
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

Lhasa vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 769% higher in Lhasa, 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: $294 in Lhasa versus $148 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $733 per month in Lhasa versus $428 in Dhaka – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 29% less than in Lhasa. 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 71% less than in Lhasa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.