Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanjing and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $841 in Nanjing, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Nanjing
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Nanjing Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$841

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Nanjing versus $426 in Dhaka.

Nanjing $841
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,339 in Nanjing versus $735 in Dhaka.

Nanjing $1,339
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,837 in Nanjing versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Nanjing $1,837
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Nanjing is roughly 97% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanjing 37% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.54

$2.49 ৳305

47.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.21 ¥148

$13.06 ৳1,604

70.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 ¥33.22

$4.83 ৳594

2.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$3.01 ¥20.12

$2.34 ৳287

28.63%

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

$0.50 ¥3.31

$0.30 ৳37.38

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.16 ৳19.96

68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.28

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ¥14.46

$0.80 ৳98.1

170.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥13.84

$0.65 ৳79.3

218.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$0.71 ৳87.2

28.17%

Eggs

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.21 ৳149

11.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$8.67 ৳1,065

22.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 ¥20.20

$3.21 ৳395

-5.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ¥59.9

$6.70 ৳823

33.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.95

$2.73 ৳335

-23.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$0.88 ৳108

45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$2.37 ৳291

-25.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.17

$0.65 ৳79.5

64.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$0.24 ৳29.19

279.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.05

$0.49 ৳60.6

83.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$0.32 ৳38.87

190.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.45

$0.30 ৳37.30

73.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.05

$3.23 ৳396

16.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 ¥89.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.45

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.42 ৳52.1

-26.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.72 ¥199

$22.54 ৳2,769

31.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.19 ৳147

47.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.77

$0.40 ৳48.58

2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ¥59.6

$3.35 ৳411

165.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.15 ৳141

19.13%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-36.86%

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

$16.6K ¥110.6K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-49.90%

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

$53.6 ¥358

$46.32 ৳5,690

15.67%

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

$7.59 ¥50.7

$4.33 ৳531

75.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ¥48.66

$10.63 ৳1,306

-31.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.49 ¥190

$16.37 ৳2,011

74.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.70 ¥225

$16.14 ৳1,982

108.80%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ¥39.15

$4.13 ৳508

41.89%

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

$1,459 ¥9,753

$90.7 ৳11.1K

1508.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ¥150.7K

$2,649 ৳325.4K

751.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 ¥290

$16.48 ৳2,024

163.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.88 ¥226

$21.00 ৳2,579

61.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥439

$50.3 ৳6,173

30.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ¥581

$36.46 ৳4,478

138.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥3,535

$152 ৳18.6K

248.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,974

$73.6 ৳9,041

301.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$436 ৳53.5K

155.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ¥3,722

$214 ৳26.3K

160.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 ¥33.5K

$1,622 ৳199.2K

209.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,140 ¥21.0K

$761 ৳93.5K

312.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,419 ¥9,485

$249 ৳30.6K

470.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

10.48

-67.37%

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

Last update for Nanjing: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nanjing

$295 35.1%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 75.1% $222

Groceries & Markets

Nanjing

$205 24.4%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 40.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Nanjing

$103 12.3%

Dhaka

$56 13% 46% $48

Eating Out

Nanjing

$95 11.3%

Dhaka

$64 15% 32.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanjing

$68 8.1%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 10.5% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nanjing

$40 4.8%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 38.7% $16

Getting Around

Nanjing

$35 4.1%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 21.2% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Nanjing and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanjing pays 470% 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 Nanjing vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

2 h behind Nanjing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,314,685

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 = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Nanjing Dhaka 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Nanjing
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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

Nanjing vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 97% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 470% higher in Nanjing, 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: $529 in Nanjing versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $841 per month in Nanjing versus $426 in Dhaka – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 32% less than in Nanjing. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $841 in Nanjing, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Nanjing. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 97% less than in Nanjing. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.