For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $818 in Wuhan, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Wuhan and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $818 in Wuhan versus $426 in Dhaka.
Wuhan $818
Dhaka $426
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,275 in Wuhan versus $735 in Dhaka.
Wuhan $1,275
Dhaka $735
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,733 in Wuhan versus $1,043 in Dhaka.
Wuhan $1,733
Dhaka $1,043
🌍
Living in Wuhan is roughly 92% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Wuhan39% lower, Dhaka68% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.90¥19.35
$2.49৳305
16.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.29¥149
$13.06৳1,604
70.67%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$6.60¥44.14
$4.83৳594
36.65%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.93৳606
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.10৳504
-
Cappuccino
$2.13¥14.21
$2.34৳287
-8.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45¥2.98
$0.30৳37.38
50.00%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31¥2.10
$0.16৳19.96
93.75%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.06¥7.08
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43¥22.91
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.07¥13.82
$0.80৳98.1
158.75%
White Bread(500g)
$1.85¥12.34
$0.65৳79.3
184.62%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.00¥6.68
$0.71৳87.2
40.85%
Eggs
$1.62¥10.81
$1.21৳149
33.88%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$13.32¥89.0
$8.67৳1,065
53.63%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.62¥24.17
$3.21৳395
12.77%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$13.38¥89.4
$6.70৳823
99.70%
Apples(1kg)
$2.27¥15.17
$2.73৳335
-16.85%
Banana(1kg)
$1.21¥8.10
$0.88৳108
37.50%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.40¥9.37
$2.37৳291
-40.93%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.15¥7.68
$0.65৳79.5
76.92%
Potato(1kg)
$0.82¥5.51
$0.24৳29.19
241.67%
Onion(1kg)
$0.83¥5.53
$0.49৳60.6
69.39%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.34¥2.29
$0.32৳38.87
6.25%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51¥3.42
$0.30৳37.30
70.00%
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)
$6.65¥44.46
$3.23৳396
105.88%
Wine(Bottle)
$15.08¥101
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79¥5.29
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08¥13.90
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.57¥3.83
$0.42৳52.1
35.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$30.22¥202
$22.54৳2,769
34.07%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.52¥10.19
$1.19৳147
27.73%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.29¥1.91
$0.40৳48.58
-27.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$4.16¥27.82
$3.35৳411
24.18%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.35¥9.02
$1.15৳141
17.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.1K¥127.6K
$30.3K৳3.7M
-36.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.8K¥112.3K
$33.0K৳4.1M
-49.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$58.1¥388
$46.32৳5,690
25.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.57¥57.3
$4.33৳531
97.92%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.07¥80.6
$10.63৳1,306
13.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$53.0¥354
$16.37৳2,011
223.89%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.93¥99.8
$16.14৳1,982
-7.50%
Cinema Ticket
$5.91¥39.48
$4.13৳508
43.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$375¥2,508
$90.7৳11.1K
313.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$11.7K¥78.3K
$2,649৳325.4K
342.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.7¥366
$16.48৳2,024
232.04%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.13¥221
$21.00৳2,579
57.76%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$78.8¥527
$50.3৳6,173
56.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116¥778
$36.46৳4,478
219.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$344¥2,300
$152৳18.6K
126.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$203¥1,358
$73.6৳9,041
176.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$650¥4,345
$436৳53.5K
49.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$353¥2,357
$214৳26.3K
64.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,088¥20.6K
$1,622৳199.2K
90.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,480¥9,894
$761৳93.5K
94.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wuhan
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,137¥7,598
$249৳30.6K
356.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.31
10.48
-68.42%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Wuhan: October 6, 2026
Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Wuhan
$228 27.7%
Dhaka
$123 28.5% ↓ 46.2%$105
🏠Accommodation & Living
Wuhan
$203 24.8%
Dhaka
$74 17.1% ↓ 63.8%$130
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Wuhan
$127 15.5%
Dhaka
$56 13% ↓ 56.1%$72
🍽Eating Out
Wuhan
$84 10.2%
Dhaka
$64 15% ↓ 23.2%$19
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wuhan
$79 9.6%
Dhaka
$61 14.3% ↓ 22.2%$17
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Wuhan
$65 7.9%
Dhaka
$25 5.7% ↓ 62%$40
🚌Getting Around
Wuhan
$35 4.3%
Dhaka
$27 6.4% ↓ 22.7%$8.1
🛒Groceries & Markets
Wuhan
$523 30.1%
Dhaka
$302 29.6% ↓ 42.3%$221
🏠Accommodation & Living
Wuhan
$353 20.3%
Dhaka
$214 21% ↓ 39.4%$139
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Wuhan
$283 16.3%
Dhaka
$124 12.2% ↓ 56.1%$159
🍽Eating Out
Wuhan
$274 15.8%
Dhaka
$193 18.9% ↓ 29.6%$81
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wuhan
$87 5%
Dhaka
$66 6.4% ↓ 24.8%$22
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Wuhan
$145 8.3%
Dhaka
$65 6.4% ↓ 54.8%$79
🚌Getting Around
Wuhan
$72 4.2%
Dhaka
$56 5.5% ↓ 22.8%$16
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Wuhan and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Wuhan pays 357% 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 Wuhan vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.
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
Wuhan vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Wuhan?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 92% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Wuhan or Dhaka?
Average pay runs 357% higher in Wuhan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Wuhan and Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $344 in Wuhan versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Wuhan and in Dhaka?
All in, you'll spend $818 per month in Wuhan versus $426 in Dhaka – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 34% less than in Wuhan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Wuhan or Dhaka?
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.
Is it better to live in Wuhan or in Dhaka?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Wuhan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.