Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nara and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $1,215 in Nara, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
Learn more

Nara Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Nara versus $406 in Dhaka.

Nara $1,215
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,828 in Nara versus $687 in Dhaka.

Nara $1,828
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,442 in Nara versus $969 in Dhaka.

Nara $2,442
Dhaka $969

Living in Nara is roughly 200% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nara 10% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ¥1,011

$2.28 ৳282

180.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 ¥5,049

$12.33 ৳1,523

159.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥805

$3.95 ৳488

29.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.48 ¥392

$2.28 ৳281

8.77%

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

$1.30 ¥206

$0.33 ৳40.88

293.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.16 ৳19.86

368.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 ¥489

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥483

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$0.85 ৳104

76.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$0.60 ৳74.5

123.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$0.69 ৳85.4

486.96%

Eggs

$2.13 ¥336

$1.23 ৳152

73.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$8.80 ৳1,087

9.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 ¥1,108

$3.33 ৳412

110.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.82 ¥2,815

$6.63 ৳819

168.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ¥539

$2.85 ৳352

19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 ¥315

$0.90 ৳111

121.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥317

$2.34 ৳289

-14.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 ¥633

$0.63 ৳78.4

536.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥248

$0.24 ৳29.59

554.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥184

$0.46 ৳57.3

152.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ¥177

$0.35 ৳42.79

220.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.28 ৳34.24

189.29%

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)

$3.82 ¥604

$3.28 ৳405

16.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.49 ¥1,500

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥305

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 ¥245

$0.42 ৳52.3

269.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 ¥11.4K

$22.43 ৳2,772

220.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$1.19 ৳147

171.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 ¥447

$0.39 ৳48.71

625.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.70 ¥2,480

$3.28 ৳406

378.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.10 ৳136

0.91%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-25.65%

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

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-53.70%

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

$115 ¥18.2K

$38.28 ৳4,729

201.41%

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

$24.28 ¥3,836

$4.09 ৳506

493.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ¥4,840

$9.02 ৳1,114

239.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.2 ¥13.0K

$13.66 ৳1,688

501.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.44 ¥1,176

$10.21 ৳1,261

-27.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 ¥1,872

$4.11 ৳508

188.32%

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

$511 ¥80.8K

$90.7 ৳11.2K

463.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$2,591 ৳320.2K

394.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.43 ¥7,652

$17.06 ৳2,108

183.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 ¥4,882

$21.38 ৳2,641

44.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥9,398

$51.4 ৳6,355

15.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 ¥14.0K

$36.78 ৳4,545

141.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.8K

$133 ৳16.4K

203.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.7K

$65.1 ৳8,041

412.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ¥128.0K

$377 ৳46.6K

114.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥86.0K

$192 ৳23.8K

182.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,669 ¥421.6K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

64.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,959 ¥309.5K

$760 ৳93.9K

157.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 ¥175.3K

$246 ৳30.4K

350.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

10.48

-80.73%

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

Last update for Nara: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nara

$333 27.4%

Dhaka

$65 16% 80.5% $268

Groceries & Markets

Nara

$282 23.2%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 56.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nara

$170 14%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 69.8% $119

Eating Out

Nara

$126 10.4%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 52.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Nara

$106 8.7%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 79.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Nara

$102 8.4%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 44.3% $45

Getting Around

Nara

$96 7.9%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 71.4% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Nara and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nara pays 351% 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: $32.00 in Nara vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $282 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nara

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

06:17 6:17 AM

3 h behind Nara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

355,280

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nara Dhaka 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nara
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

Nara vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 200% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 351% higher in Nara, 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: $404 in Nara versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Nara versus $406 in Dhaka – a 200% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 221% less than in Nara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $406 in Dhaka versus $1,215 in Nara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Nara. 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 200% less than in Nara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.