Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanya and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $761 in Sanya, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
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Sanya Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$761

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $761 in Sanya versus $406 in Dhaka.

Sanya $761
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,235 in Sanya versus $687 in Dhaka.

Sanya $1,235
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,708 in Sanya versus $969 in Dhaka.

Sanya $1,708
Dhaka $969

Living in Sanya is roughly 88% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sanya 44% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.31 ¥22.14

$2.28 ৳282

45.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.23 ¥149

$12.33 ৳1,523

80.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 ¥42.68

$3.95 ৳488

61.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.18 ¥14.54

$2.28 ৳281

-4.39%

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

$0.50 ¥3.36

$0.33 ৳40.88

51.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.16 ৳19.86

168.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ¥8.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ¥11.31

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ¥14.12

$0.85 ৳104

148.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$0.60 ৳74.5

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$0.69 ৳85.4

133.33%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.18

$1.23 ৳152

35.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.71 ¥152

$8.80 ৳1,087

158.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ¥30.66

$3.33 ৳412

37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.9

$6.63 ৳819

71.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ¥15.84

$2.85 ৳352

-16.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$0.90 ৳111

72.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 ¥16.77

$2.34 ৳289

7.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ¥13.34

$0.63 ৳78.4

217.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.30

$0.24 ৳29.59

291.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.80

$0.46 ৳57.3

56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.35 ৳42.79

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$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)

$3.64 ¥24.34

$3.28 ৳405

10.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ¥51.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥6.11

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.96

$0.42 ৳52.3

-30.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.99 ¥120

$22.43 ৳2,772

-19.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.75

$1.19 ৳147

22.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.33

$0.39 ৳48.71

-10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 ¥51.8

$3.28 ৳406

136.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.10 ৳136

18.18%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-40.47%

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

$17.3K ¥115.5K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-46.29%

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

$57.4 ¥384

$38.28 ৳4,729

49.87%

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

$6.54 ¥43.72

$4.09 ৳506

59.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.45 ¥29.73

$9.02 ৳1,114

-50.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.39 ¥277

$13.66 ৳1,688

203.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.72 ¥98.4

$10.21 ৳1,261

44.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 ¥41.89

$4.11 ৳508

52.55%

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

$413 ¥2,764

$90.7 ৳11.2K

355.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

581.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.75 ¥286

$17.06 ৳2,108

150.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.93 ¥220

$21.38 ৳2,641

54.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 ¥507

$51.4 ৳6,355

47.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 ¥485

$36.78 ৳4,545

97.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥2,034

$133 ৳16.4K

128.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,203

$65.1 ৳8,041

176.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 ¥4,220

$377 ৳46.6K

67.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 ¥2,524

$192 ৳23.8K

96.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,448 ¥23.1K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

112.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$760 ৳93.9K

152.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$896 ¥5,992

$246 ৳30.4K

264.19%

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 Sanya: 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

Sanya

$250 32.9%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 50.6% $127

Accommodation & Living

Sanya

$180 23.6%

Dhaka

$65 16% 63.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Sanya

$101 13.2%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 43.5% $44

Eating Out

Sanya

$85 11.2%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 30.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanya

$68 9%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 24.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sanya

$54 7.1%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 59.4% $32

Getting Around

Sanya

$22 2.9%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 22% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Sanya and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sanya pays 264% 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 Sanya vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Sanya

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

2 h behind Sanya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,031,396

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

Sanya Dhaka 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanya
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

Sanya vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 88% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 264% higher in Sanya, 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: $304 in Sanya versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $761 per month in Sanya versus $406 in Dhaka – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 25% less than in Sanya. 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 88% less than in Sanya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.