Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $700 in Zhongshan, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $700 in Zhongshan versus $406 in Dhaka.

Zhongshan $700
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,110 in Zhongshan versus $687 in Dhaka.

Zhongshan $1,110
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,521 in Zhongshan versus $969 in Dhaka.

Zhongshan $1,521
Dhaka $969

Living in Zhongshan is roughly 72% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhongshan 48% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.47

$2.28 ৳281

27.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.18 ¥162

$12.33 ৳1,517

96.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ¥29.86

$3.95 ৳486

13.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳551

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳508

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.80

$2.28 ৳280

23.25%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.33 ৳40.72

42.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.16 ৳19.78

81.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.19

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.14

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$0.85 ৳104

82.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$0.60 ৳74.2

165.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$0.69 ৳85.0

-7.25%

Eggs

$1.20 ¥8.00

$1.23 ৳152

-2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 ¥139

$8.80 ৳1,083

136.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ¥18.63

$3.33 ৳410

-16.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ¥90.4

$6.63 ৳816

103.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.65

$2.85 ৳351

-28.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$0.90 ৳111

14.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$2.34 ৳288

-70.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.50

$0.63 ৳78.1

125.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ¥3.57

$0.24 ৳29.47

120.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$0.46 ৳57.0

69.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.35 ৳42.61

22.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$0.28 ৳34.09

92.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,490

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳653

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳790

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ¥19.79

$3.28 ৳403

-9.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 ¥80.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.42 ৳52.1

-30.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.18 ¥102

$22.43 ৳2,760

-32.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.19 ৳147

24.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.78

$0.39 ৳48.51

7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 ¥47.58

$3.28 ৳404

116.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$1.10 ৳135

17.27%

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

$19.1K ¥128.0K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-34.95%

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

$18.0K ¥120.7K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-43.88%

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

$41.21 ¥276

$38.28 ৳4,710

7.65%

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

$9.85 ¥65.9

$4.09 ৳504

140.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.3

$9.02 ৳1,110

41.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 ¥454

$13.66 ৳1,681

396.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.33 ¥49.00

$10.21 ৳1,256

-28.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ¥40.42

$4.11 ৳506

46.96%

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

$324 ¥2,164

$90.7 ৳11.2K

256.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$2,591 ৳318.8K

424.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.30 ¥330

$17.06 ৳2,099

188.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 ¥270

$21.38 ৳2,630

88.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 ¥400

$51.4 ৳6,329

16.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥508

$36.78 ৳4,526

106.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ¥1,391

$133 ৳16.4K

56.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ¥864

$65.1 ৳8,008

98.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥2,483

$377 ৳46.4K

-1.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,437

$192 ৳23.7K

11.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 ¥16.4K

$1,621 ৳199.5K

50.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$760 ৳93.5K

99.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$956 ¥6,396

$246 ৳30.3K

288.63%

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 Zhongshan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhongshan

$224 32.1%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 44.9% $101

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$129 18.5%

Dhaka

$65 16% 49.6% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$101 14.5%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 43.8% $44

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$81 11.6%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 26.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$80 11.4%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 72.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.1%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 19.5% $12

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 37.2% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $208 in Zhongshan and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhongshan pays 289% 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 Zhongshan vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

16:20 4:20 PM

2 h behind Zhongshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,209,600

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.13 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.13 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Zhongshan Dhaka 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Zhongshan
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

Zhongshan vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 289% higher in Zhongshan, 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: $208 in Zhongshan versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $700 per month in Zhongshan versus $406 in Dhaka – a 72% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 48% less than in Zhongshan. 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 72% less than in Zhongshan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.