Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $552 a month against $813 in Dongguan, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
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Bangalore Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$552

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $552 in Bangalore versus $813 in Dongguan.

Bangalore $552
Dongguan $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $936 in Bangalore versus $1,291 in Dongguan.

Bangalore $936
Dongguan $1,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,320 in Bangalore versus $1,768 in Dongguan.

Bangalore $1,320
Dongguan $1,768

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 32% less than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 59% lower, Dongguan 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹305

$2.57 ¥17.18

24.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.72 ₹1,686

$22.04 ¥147

-19.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 ₹451

$5.26 ¥35.16

-9.89%

Cappuccino

$2.24 ₹213

$2.56 ¥17.14

-12.50%

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

$0.38 ₹36.22

$0.47 ¥3.15

-19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹11.90

$0.29 ¥1.93

-55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₹218

$0.92 ¥6.18

148.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₹351

$2.21 ¥14.80

66.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$1.60 ¥10.69

-60.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 ₹55.7

$1.56 ¥10.42

-62.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.3

$1.03 ¥6.90

-21.36%

Eggs

$1.12 ₹106

$1.66 ¥11.12

-32.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 ₹568

$20.79 ¥139

-71.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 ₹357

$3.44 ¥22.99

9.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ¥95.2

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ₹267

$2.27 ¥15.17

23.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹72.7

$1.57 ¥10.51

-51.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 ₹113

$1.94 ¥12.95

-39.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.18

$1.42 ¥9.47

-73.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.78

$1.08 ¥7.19

-64.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.14

$1.24 ¥8.32

-70.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹40.13

$0.56 ¥3.72

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.87

$0.55 ¥3.68

-41.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ₹457

$4.49 ¥30.04

6.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 ₹886

$11.89 ¥79.5

-21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₹185

$0.86 ¥5.76

126.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₹285

$1.75 ¥11.68

71.43%

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

$6.37 ₹606

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹51.0

$0.35 ¥2.35

54.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.55 ₹1,480

$22.79 ¥152

-31.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.4

$1.18 ¥7.91

-13.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.69

$0.39 ¥2.59

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ₹194

$4.36 ¥29.14

-53.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.28 ¥8.53

-14.06%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$19.5K ¥130.7K

-35.86%

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

$18.7K ₹1.8M

$18.6K ¥124.6K

0.54%

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

$30.94 ₹2,943

$63.8 ¥426

-51.47%

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

$4.10 ₹390

$9.24 ¥61.8

-55.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.39 ₹989

$13.08 ¥87.5

-20.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.87 ₹1,795

$51.1 ¥341

-63.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₹551

$16.01 ¥107

-63.84%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 ₹458

$7.67 ¥51.3

-37.16%

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

$102 ₹9,677

$533 ¥3,566

-80.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,257 ₹309.9K

$24.2K ¥161.6K

-86.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.54 ₹3,191

$46.76 ¥313

-28.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.76 ₹2,927

$40.41 ¥270

-23.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.7 ₹5,012

$73.3 ¥490

-28.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.37 ₹3,841

$39.10 ¥262

3.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 ₹29.2K

$372 ¥2,490

-17.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₹16.7K

$218 ¥1,459

-19.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$782 ₹74.4K

$662 ¥4,427

18.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₹45.9K

$431 ¥2,883

11.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,857 ₹176.7K

$5,714 ¥38.2K

-67.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 ₹102.2K

$3,066 ¥20.5K

-64.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 ₹89.4K

$858 ¥5,736

9.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

3.35

152.54%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$176 31.9%

Dongguan

$218 26.8% 24% $42

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$124 22.4%

Dongguan

$246 30.3% 99.3% $123

Eating Out

Bangalore

$88 15.9%

Dongguan

$79 9.7% 9.6% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$71 12.8%

Dongguan

$90 11% 26.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.2%

Dongguan

$86 10.6% 89.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$29 5.2%

Dongguan

$66 8.2% 133% $38

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.7%

Dongguan

$27 3.4% 35% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $307 in Bangalore and $372 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bangalore vs $22.00 in Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $246 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

16:54 4:54 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

8,254,100

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 95.14 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

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).

USD to INR in detail →

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Between locations

Bangalore Dongguan 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
Dongguan

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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Dongguan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Bangalore, 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: $307 in Bangalore versus $372 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 47% less than in Dongguan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $102 in Bangalore versus $533 in Dongguan. 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 $552 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 47% less than in Dongguan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.