Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $428 a month against $1,161 in Sendai, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Sendai versus $428 in Dhaka.

Sendai $1,161
Dhaka $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,835 in Sendai versus $724 in Dhaka.

Sendai $1,835
Dhaka $724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,510 in Sendai versus $1,019 in Dhaka.

Sendai $2,510
Dhaka $1,019

Living in Sendai is roughly 171% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sendai 14% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.23 ¥984

$2.50 ৳309

149.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 ¥5,474

$13.26 ৳1,638

161.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥711

$4.99 ৳616

-9.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 ৳602

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 ৳511

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$2.35 ৳291

54.04%

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

$0.94 ¥149

$0.33 ৳41.07

184.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$0.16 ৳19.62

387.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ¥295

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$0.85 ৳105

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥227

$0.63 ৳77.9

128.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,048

$0.67 ৳83.1

891.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$1.19 ৳147

75.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 ¥1,721

$8.83 ৳1,092

23.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 ¥1,881

$3.30 ৳408

260.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥1,422

$6.41 ৳792

40.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ¥560

$2.75 ৳340

29.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$0.94 ৳116

134.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 ¥707

$2.37 ৳293

88.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥512

$0.64 ৳79.1

406.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$0.26 ৳32.25

892.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$0.49 ৳60.6

363.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ¥222

$0.30 ৳37.63

370.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥198

$0.30 ৳37.49

316.67%

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)

$4.44 ¥701

$3.17 ৳392

40.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 ¥1,107

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥248

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥413

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$0.38 ৳47.44

286.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 ¥5,886

$23.06 ৳2,849

61.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 ¥826

$1.17 ৳145

347.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ৳46.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.42 ¥2,910

$3.28 ৳405

461.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.11 ৳137

-4.50%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$29.1K ৳3.6M

-45.62%

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

$24.8K ¥3.9M

$32.9K ৳4.1M

-24.60%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$46.77 ৳5,779

194.95%

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

$30.52 ¥4,822

$4.51 ৳557

576.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 ¥5,495

$11.22 ৳1,387

209.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.60 ¥7,046

$16.43 ৳2,031

171.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 ¥2,029

$14.87 ৳1,838

-13.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ¥1,590

$4.20 ৳519

139.76%

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

$229 ¥36.2K

$91.6 ৳11.3K

149.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,792 ¥599.0K

$2,596 ৳320.8K

46.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥8,868

$16.63 ৳2,055

237.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.92 ¥5,359

$19.80 ৳2,447

71.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.34 ¥5,583

$46.87 ৳5,791

-24.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.5 ¥8,455

$37.00 ৳4,572

44.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥88.4K

$148 ৳18.2K

279.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$70.8 ৳8,743

362.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 ¥109.4K

$432 ৳53.4K

60.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.9K

$213 ৳26.3K

235.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 ¥416.8K

$1,605 ৳198.4K

64.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,424 ¥225.0K

$751 ৳92.8K

89.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ¥157.3K

$245 ৳30.3K

306.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

10.67

-74.41%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$327 28.2%

Dhaka

$71 16.5% 78.4% $256

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$308 26.5%

Dhaka

$123 28.8% 60% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$203 17.5%

Dhaka

$63 14.6% 69.3% $141

Eating Out

Sendai

$129 11.1%

Dhaka

$65 15.2% 49.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$81 6.9%

Dhaka

$54 12.6% 32.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Dhaka

$25 5.8% 61.6% $40

Getting Around

Sendai

$48 * 4.2%

Dhaka

$28 6.5% 42.8% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $560 in Sendai and $148 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sendai pays 307% 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: $35.00 in Sendai vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

3 h behind Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Sendai Dhaka 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sendai
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

Sendai vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 171% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 307% higher in Sendai, 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: $560 in Sendai versus $148 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,161 per month in Sendai versus $428 in Dhaka – a 171% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 62% less than in Sendai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $428 in Dhaka versus $1,161 in Sendai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Sendai. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dhaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sendai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sendai and Dhaka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 171% less than in Sendai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.