Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $734 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Chengdu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bangalore and in Chengdu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $535 in Bangalore versus $734 in Chengdu.

Bangalore $535
Chengdu $734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $927 in Bangalore versus $1,211 in Chengdu.

Bangalore $927
Chengdu $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,318 in Bangalore versus $1,688 in Chengdu.

Bangalore $1,318
Chengdu $1,688

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 27% less than in Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 60% lower, Chengdu 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ₹294

$2.86 ¥19.11

6.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.83 ₹1,725

$22.31 ¥149

-20.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₹463

$4.89 ¥32.71

-2.25%

Cappuccino

$2.24 ₹217

$2.99 ¥19.96

-25.08%

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

$0.39 ₹37.49

$0.51 ¥3.40

-23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.64

$0.28 ¥1.89

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 ₹226

$1.46 ¥9.74

60.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ₹379

$2.18 ¥14.55

79.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.6

$1.84 ¥12.28

-66.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₹55.2

$1.55 ¥10.36

-63.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.9

$0.98 ¥6.58

-17.35%

Eggs

$1.12 ₹109

$1.57 ¥10.47

-28.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.93 ₹574

$14.17 ¥94.7

-58.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ₹373

$3.71 ¥24.76

3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.12 ¥74.3

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 ₹269

$1.87 ¥12.52

48.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹72.2

$1.31 ¥8.73

-42.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₹118

$1.10 ¥7.34

10.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 ₹39.19

$1.14 ¥7.59

-64.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.40

$0.75 ¥5.03

-49.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.72

$0.68 ¥4.56

-47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹40.31

$0.63 ¥4.19

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹31.21

$0.55 ¥3.66

-41.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 ₹446

$3.83 ¥25.59

20.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 ₹872

$4.60 ¥30.71

95.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹180

$0.82 ¥5.45

126.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₹283

$1.46 ¥9.77

100.00%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.89

$0.44 ¥2.93

15.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.71 ₹1,520

$24.70 ¥165

-36.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ₹97.8

$1.36 ¥9.09

-25.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹29.43

$0.31 ¥2.09

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ₹203

$4.38 ¥29.26

-52.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₹104

$1.30 ¥8.69

-16.92%

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

$12.6K ₹1.2M

$19.5K ¥130.6K

-35.66%

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

$19.1K ₹1.8M

$17.1K ¥114.1K

11.64%

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

$30.32 ₹2,934

$47.43 ¥317

-36.07%

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

$4.11 ₹398

$9.39 ¥62.8

-56.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ₹990

$12.51 ¥83.6

-18.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.61 ₹1,801

$27.41 ¥183

-32.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.95 ₹576

$11.30 ¥75.5

-47.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 ₹446

$6.14 ¥41.05

-25.08%

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

$104 ₹10.1K

$376 ¥2,516

-72.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,176 ₹307.3K

$14.9K ¥99.8K

-78.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.29 ₹3,125

$25.02 ¥167

29.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.85 ₹2,889

$28.00 ¥187

6.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$57.3 ¥383

-6.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.66 ₹3,838

$52.7 ¥352

-24.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.9K

$471 ¥3,145

-34.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₹16.9K

$257 ¥1,716

-31.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₹76.3K

$819 ¥5,472

-3.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 ₹46.6K

$536 ¥3,580

-10.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 ₹182.8K

$3,708 ¥24.8K

-49.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,067 ₹103.3K

$1,928 ¥12.9K

-44.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 ₹89.0K

$1,277 ¥8,531

-27.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

3.38

151.48%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$175 32%

Chengdu

$257 34.2% 46.8% $82

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$122 22.4%

Chengdu

$195 25.9% 59% $72

Eating Out

Bangalore

$87 15.9%

Chengdu

$88 11.7% 1.2% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$70 12.8%

Chengdu

$73 9.8% 5% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.2%

Chengdu

$69 9.2% 55.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$28 5.1%

Chengdu

$40 5.3% 42.7% $12

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.7%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 45% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Bangalore and $471 in Chengdu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chengdu pays 39% 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: $18.00 in Bangalore vs $22.00 in Chengdu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $195 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bangalore Chengdu 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
Chengdu

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

Bangalore vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Chengdu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Chengdu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $309 in Bangalore versus $471 in Chengdu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 57% less than in Chengdu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $104 in Bangalore versus $376 in Chengdu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bangalore gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $535 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Chengdu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.