Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qingdao, Shandong and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $756 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
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Qingdao, Shandong Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$756

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $426 in Dhaka.

Qingdao, Shandong $756
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,233 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $735 in Dhaka.

Qingdao, Shandong $1,233
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,709 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Qingdao, Shandong $1,709
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Qingdao, Shandong is roughly 77% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Qingdao, Shandong 44% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.43

$2.49 ৳305

16.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.98 ¥120

$13.06 ৳1,604

37.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ¥29.79

$4.83 ৳594

-7.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.66 ¥17.78

$2.34 ৳287

13.68%

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

$0.54 ¥3.64

$0.30 ৳37.38

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ¥2.15

$0.16 ৳19.96

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.11 ¥7.42

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ¥17.82

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ¥12.73

$0.80 ৳98.1

138.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$0.65 ৳79.3

107.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$0.71 ৳87.2

36.62%

Eggs

$1.29 ¥8.63

$1.21 ৳149

6.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.27 ¥109

$8.67 ৳1,065

87.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 ¥29.12

$3.21 ৳395

35.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 ¥64.6

$6.70 ৳823

44.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.43

$2.73 ৳335

-48.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.99

$0.88 ৳108

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.37 ৳291

-27.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$0.65 ৳79.5

93.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$0.24 ৳29.19

183.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.44

$0.49 ৳60.6

95.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$0.32 ৳38.87

193.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.09

$0.30 ৳37.30

103.33%

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)

$3.79 ¥25.34

$3.23 ৳396

17.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.69 ¥98.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.75

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.50

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.42 ৳52.1

-26.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.25 ¥122

$22.54 ৳2,769

-19.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$1.19 ৳147

26.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.74

$0.40 ৳48.58

2.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$3.35 ৳411

170.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$1.15 ৳141

13.91%

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

$19.1K ¥127.4K

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-37.09%

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

$16.6K ¥110.7K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-49.86%

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

$69.2 ¥463

$46.32 ৳5,690

49.46%

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

$6.73 ¥44.95

$4.33 ৳531

55.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.73 ¥51.7

$10.63 ৳1,306

-27.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.95 ¥140

$16.37 ৳2,011

27.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 ¥122

$16.14 ৳1,982

12.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.25 ¥41.79

$4.13 ৳508

51.33%

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

$365 ¥2,439

$90.7 ৳11.1K

302.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.4K

$2,649 ৳325.4K

562.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 ¥351

$16.48 ৳2,024

218.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 ¥329

$21.00 ৳2,579

134.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ¥628

$50.3 ৳6,173

86.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.2 ¥609

$36.46 ৳4,478

150.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 ¥2,362

$152 ৳18.6K

132.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ¥1,328

$73.6 ৳9,041

170.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 ¥5,056

$436 ৳53.5K

73.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 ¥2,796

$214 ৳26.3K

95.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,573 ¥23.9K

$1,622 ৳199.2K

120.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,172 ¥14.5K

$761 ৳93.5K

185.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,196 ¥7,995

$249 ৳30.6K

380.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

10.48

-67.84%

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

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 6, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qingdao, Shandong

$221 28.7%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 44.6% $99

Accommodation & Living

Qingdao, Shandong

$199 25.7%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 63% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.7%

Dhaka

$56 13% 56.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 26.8% $22

Eating Out

Qingdao, Shandong

$83 10.7%

Dhaka

$64 15% 22.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Qingdao, Shandong

$33 4.3%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 26.4% $8.8

Getting Around

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 3%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 18.9% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $353 in Qingdao, Shandong and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Qingdao, Shandong pays 381% 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: $18.00 in Qingdao, Shandong vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

2 h behind Qingdao, Shandong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,071,722

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.27 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 = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 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 = 7.27 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Qingdao, Shandong Dhaka 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Qingdao, Shandong
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

Qingdao, Shandong vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 381% higher in Qingdao, Shandong, 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: $353 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $756 per month in Qingdao, Shandong versus $426 in Dhaka – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 24% less than in Qingdao, Shandong. 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 77% less than in Qingdao, Shandong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.