Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Chongqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $714 in Chongqing, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
Learn more

Chongqing Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Chongqing

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 Chongqing actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $535 in Bangalore versus $714 in Chongqing.

Bangalore $535
Chongqing $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $927 in Bangalore versus $1,168 in Chongqing.

Bangalore $927
Chongqing $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,318 in Bangalore versus $1,622 in Chongqing.

Bangalore $1,318
Chongqing $1,622

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 25% less than in Chongqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 60% lower, Chongqing 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ₹294

$2.64 ¥17.67

15.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.83 ₹1,725

$22.05 ¥147

-19.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₹463

$4.67 ¥31.20

2.36%

Cappuccino

$2.24 ₹217

$2.06 ¥13.79

8.74%

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

$0.39 ₹37.49

$0.43 ¥2.90

-9.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.64

$0.31 ¥2.09

-54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 ₹226

$1.20 ¥8.02

95.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ₹379

$1.75 ¥11.71

123.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.6

$1.92 ¥12.85

-68.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₹55.2

$1.58 ¥10.56

-63.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.9

$0.64 ¥4.25

26.56%

Eggs

$1.12 ₹109

$2.16 ¥14.42

-48.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.93 ₹574

$17.55 ¥117

-66.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ₹373

$3.37 ¥22.55

14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 ¥67.4

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 ₹269

$1.56 ¥10.43

78.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹72.2

$1.35 ¥9.01

-44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₹118

$1.25 ¥8.35

-2.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 ₹39.19

$1.25 ¥8.32

-68.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.40

$0.61 ¥4.07

-37.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.72

$0.94 ¥6.31

-61.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹40.31

$0.87 ¥5.83

-51.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹31.21

$0.62 ¥4.13

-48.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 ₹446

$3.07 ¥20.51

50.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 ₹872

$8.95 ¥59.8

0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹180

$0.76 ¥5.10

144.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₹283

$1.64 ¥10.93

78.05%

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

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.89

$0.39 ¥2.59

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.71 ₹1,520

$22.16 ¥148

-29.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ₹97.8

$1.53 ¥10.24

-33.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹29.43

$0.29 ¥1.91

3.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ₹203

$2.96 ¥19.81

-29.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₹104

$1.26 ¥8.44

-14.29%

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

$12.6K ₹1.2M

$19.5K ¥130.3K

-35.52%

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

$19.1K ₹1.8M

$16.8K ¥112.4K

13.30%

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

$30.32 ₹2,934

$44.19 ¥295

-31.39%

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

$4.11 ₹398

$6.95 ¥46.43

-40.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ₹990

$7.17 ¥47.91

42.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.61 ₹1,801

$50.7 ¥339

-63.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.95 ₹576

$10.64 ¥71.1

-44.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 ₹446

$5.94 ¥39.71

-22.56%

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

$104 ₹10.1K

$290 ¥1,939

-64.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,176 ₹307.3K

$25.6K ¥171.0K

-87.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.29 ₹3,125

$39.88 ¥267

-19.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.85 ₹2,889

$29.80 ¥199

0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$64.8 ¥433

-17.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.66 ₹3,838

$62.7 ¥419

-36.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.9K

$418 ¥2,790

-26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₹16.9K

$200 ¥1,338

-12.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₹76.3K

$880 ¥5,879

-10.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 ₹46.6K

$414 ¥2,767

16.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 ₹182.8K

$2,681 ¥17.9K

-29.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,067 ₹103.3K

$1,705 ¥11.4K

-37.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 ₹89.0K

$1,111 ¥7,423

-17.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

3.34

154.49%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chongqing: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$175 32%

Chongqing

$200 27.7% 14.4% $25

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$122 22.4%

Chongqing

$213 29.5% 73.8% $90

Eating Out

Bangalore

$87 15.9%

Chongqing

$72 10% 16.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$70 12.8%

Chongqing

$89 12.3% 27.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.2%

Chongqing

$58 8.1% 30.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$28 5.1%

Chongqing

$63 8.7% 125% $35

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.7%

Chongqing

$27 3.7% 31.6% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Bangalore and $418 in Chongqing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chongqing pays 21% 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 Chongqing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $213 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

1,564,449

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bangalore Chongqing 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
Chongqing

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 Chongqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Chongqing. 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 21% lower in Chongqing. 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 $418 in Chongqing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 41% less than in Chongqing. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $104 in Bangalore versus $290 in Chongqing. 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 33% less than in Chongqing. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.