Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xining and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $723 in Xining, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Xining
🇨🇳 China
$723
/mo nomad
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$426
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $723 in Xining versus $426 in Dhaka.

  • Xining $723
  • Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,143 in Xining versus $735 in Dhaka.

  • Xining $1,143
  • Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,562 in Xining versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

  • Xining $1,562
  • Dhaka $1,043

Living in Xining is roughly 70% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Xining 46% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.74 ¥18.34
$2.49 ৳306
10.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.93 ¥147
$13.06 ৳1,606
67.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.86 ¥32.48
$4.83 ৳595
0.62%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.93 ৳607
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.10 ৳505
-
Cappuccino
$2.98 ¥19.94
$2.34 ৳287
27.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.14
$0.30 ৳37.42
56.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.79
$0.16 ৳19.98
68.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.87 ¥5.82
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 ¥13.74
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 ¥12.56
$0.80 ৳98.2
135.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ¥10.82
$0.65 ৳79.4
149.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.90 ¥6.03
$0.71 ৳87.3
26.76%
Eggs
$1.54 ¥10.26
$1.21 ৳149
27.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.90 ¥86.2
$8.67 ৳1,066
48.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.13 ¥20.90
$3.21 ৳395
-2.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.17 ¥68.0
$6.70 ৳824
51.79%
Apples (1kg)
$1.79 ¥11.97
$2.73 ৳335
-34.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ¥8.44
$0.88 ৳109
43.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.48 ¥9.89
$2.37 ৳292
-37.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.11 ¥7.41
$0.65 ৳79.6
70.77%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 ¥4.91
$0.24 ৳29.23
208.33%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.12
$0.49 ৳60.7
87.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 ¥3.78
$0.32 ৳38.92
78.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.62
$0.30 ৳37.34
80.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$12.07 ৳1,485
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$5.51 ৳678
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$6.66 ৳820
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.15 ¥21.03
$3.23 ৳397
-2.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.46 ¥69.9
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥4.96
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ¥10.58
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.95
$0.42 ৳52.1
-30.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.01 ¥114
$22.54 ৳2,772
-24.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ¥9.48
$1.19 ৳147
19.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ¥2.19
$0.40 ৳48.64
-17.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.59 ¥44.01
$3.35 ৳411
96.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ¥7.78
$1.15 ৳141
0.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K ¥129.9K
$30.3K ৳3.7M
-35.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.2K ¥114.6K
$33.0K ৳4.1M
-48.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.99 ¥301
$46.32 ৳5,697
-2.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.74 ¥65.1
$4.33 ৳532
124.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.84 ¥79.2
$10.63 ৳1,307
11.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.53 ¥278
$16.37 ৳2,014
153.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.17 ¥94.7
$16.14 ৳1,985
-12.21%
Cinema Ticket
$5.81 ¥38.85
$4.13 ৳508
40.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$333 ¥2,227
$90.7 ৳11.2K
267.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.1K ¥114.1K
$2,649 ৳325.8K
544.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.37 ¥297
$16.48 ৳2,026
169.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.89 ¥200
$21.00 ৳2,582
42.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.9 ¥487
$50.3 ৳6,181
45.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.6 ¥485
$36.46 ৳4,484
99.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$273 ¥1,826
$152 ৳18.7K
80.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$190 ¥1,270
$73.6 ৳9,053
158.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$599 ¥4,005
$436 ৳53.6K
37.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$353 ¥2,362
$214 ৳26.3K
65.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,029 ¥20.2K
$1,622 ৳199.4K
86.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,058 ¥13.8K
$761 ৳93.6K
170.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Xining
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$249 ৳30.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.89
10.48
-62.88%

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

Last update for Xining: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Xining
$198
Dhaka
$123 38.2% $76
Accommodation & Living
Xining
$190
Dhaka
$74 61.3% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Xining
$99
Dhaka
$56 43.5% $43
Eating Out
Xining
$84
Dhaka
$64 23.3% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Xining
$67
Dhaka
$61 8% $5.3
Sport & Entertainment
Xining
$53
Dhaka
$25 53.6% $29
Getting Around
Xining
$21
Dhaka
$27 29% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $273 in Xining and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Xining vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Xining
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🕒 Local time
11:20 11:20 AM
09:20 9:20 AM
2 h behind Xining
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,333,700
21,741,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.13 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Xining Dhaka 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Xining
  • 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
Xining vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Xining?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,085 in Xining and $639 in Dhaka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Xining and Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $273 in Xining 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 Xining and in Dhaka?
All in, you'll spend $723 per month in Xining versus $426 in Dhaka – a 70% 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 33% less than in Xining. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,000 enough for either Xining 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 Xining 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 safer, Xining or Dhaka?
Safety-wise, Xining 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Xining. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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