Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $692 in Shantou, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index

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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Shantou versus $406 in Dhaka.

Shantou $692
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,104 in Shantou versus $687 in Dhaka.

Shantou $1,104
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,516 in Shantou versus $969 in Dhaka.

Shantou $1,516
Dhaka $969

Living in Shantou is roughly 71% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shantou 49% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.33

$2.28 ৳282

0.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$12.33 ৳1,522

92.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.56

$3.95 ৳488

30.89%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳553

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.61

$2.28 ৳281

48.25%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.33 ৳40.86

42.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.16 ৳19.85

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.26

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$0.85 ৳104

88.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$0.60 ৳74.5

141.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.69 ৳85.3

11.59%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.32

$1.23 ৳152

37.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.0

$8.80 ৳1,087

54.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.89

$3.33 ৳412

3.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥87.9

$6.63 ৳818

98.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$2.85 ৳352

-31.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.04

$0.90 ৳111

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.13

$2.34 ৳289

-22.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$0.63 ৳78.4

106.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$0.24 ৳29.57

241.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.10

$0.46 ৳57.3

130.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.35 ৳42.77

68.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.28 ৳34.22

53.57%

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 ৳793

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.68

$3.28 ৳405

12.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.56

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.42 ৳52.3

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$22.43 ৳2,770

8.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.19 ৳147

28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.39 ৳48.68

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.82

$3.28 ৳405

122.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.24

$1.10 ৳136

11.82%

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

$19.8K ¥132.2K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-32.74%

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

$18.0K ¥120.4K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-43.97%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$38.28 ৳4,727

48.01%

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

$8.89 ¥59.4

$4.09 ৳506

117.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.6

$9.02 ৳1,114

53.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,687

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.4

$4.11 ৳508

83.45%

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

$540 ¥3,610

$90.7 ৳11.2K

495.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$2,591 ৳320.0K

835.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$17.06 ৳2,106

225.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$21.38 ৳2,640

85.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥488

$51.4 ৳6,352

42.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$36.78 ৳4,542

148.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,989

$133 ৳16.4K

123.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,010

$65.1 ৳8,037

132.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,023

$377 ৳46.6K

59.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,967

$192 ৳23.8K

52.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$1,621 ৳200.2K

40.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$760 ৳93.9K

488.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,092

$246 ৳30.4K

331.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

10.48

-68.03%

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

Last update for Shantou: 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

Shantou

$214 31%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 42.3% $91

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Dhaka

$65 16% 57% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 51.2% $60

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 31.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 35.3% $28

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 6.4% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 45.1% $6.8

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 $298 in Shantou and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shantou pays 331% 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: $24.00 in Shantou vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

2 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

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 = 8.1 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.22 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.1 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.22 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shantou Dhaka 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 331% higher in Shantou, 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: $298 in Shantou versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $692 per month in Shantou versus $406 in Dhaka – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 8% less than in Shantou. 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 71% less than in Shantou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.