Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $552 a month against $764 in Hefei, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$552

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Hefei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $552 in Bangalore versus $764 in Hefei.

Bangalore $552
Hefei $764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $936 in Bangalore versus $1,215 in Hefei.

Bangalore $936
Hefei $1,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,320 in Bangalore versus $1,666 in Hefei.

Bangalore $1,320
Hefei $1,666

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 28% less than in Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 59% lower, Hefei 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹304

$2.60 ¥17.37

23.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.72 ₹1,683

$22.83 ¥153

-22.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 ₹451

$4.53 ¥30.27

4.64%

Cappuccino

$2.24 ₹213

$2.67 ¥17.83

-16.10%

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

$0.38 ₹36.16

$0.49 ¥3.27

-22.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹11.88

$0.27 ¥1.78

-51.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₹217

$1.03 ¥6.88

122.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₹351

$1.98 ¥13.27

86.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹60.1

$1.58 ¥10.59

-60.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 ₹55.6

$1.97 ¥13.14

-70.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.2

$0.79 ¥5.30

2.53%

Eggs

$1.12 ₹106

$1.83 ¥12.22

-38.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 ₹567

$13.84 ¥92.5

-56.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 ₹356

$4.76 ¥31.85

-21.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ¥77.2

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ₹266

$2.31 ¥15.44

21.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹72.6

$1.68 ¥11.23

-54.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 ₹112

$1.64 ¥10.95

-28.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.11

$1.54 ¥10.27

-75.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.71

$0.88 ¥5.90

-56.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.08

$0.99 ¥6.60

-63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹40.06

$0.84 ¥5.59

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.82

$0.66 ¥4.44

-51.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ₹456

$3.06 ¥20.47

56.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 ₹884

$12.08 ¥80.8

-22.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₹185

$0.88 ¥5.88

121.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₹285

$1.90 ¥12.73

57.89%

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

$6.37 ₹605

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹50.9

$0.31 ¥2.10

74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.55 ₹1,477

$44.14 ¥295

-64.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.2

$1.17 ¥7.79

-12.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.63

$0.33 ¥2.18

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ₹194

$3.54 ¥23.65

-42.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.30 ¥8.69

-15.38%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

-34.10%

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

$18.7K ₹1.8M

$16.9K ¥112.8K

11.00%

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

$30.94 ₹2,938

$49.24 ¥329

-37.16%

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

$4.10 ₹389

$9.03 ¥60.4

-54.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.39 ₹987

$11.71 ¥78.3

-11.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.87 ₹1,792

$15.74 ¥105

19.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₹550

$15.63 ¥105

-62.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 ₹457

$6.43 ¥43.00

-25.04%

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

$102 ₹9,658

$246 ¥1,645

-58.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,257 ₹309.3K

$8,528 ¥57.0K

-61.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.54 ₹3,185

$90.9 ¥608

-63.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.76 ₹2,921

$32.82 ¥219

-6.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.7 ₹5,002

$63.2 ¥422

-16.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.37 ₹3,834

$98.4 ¥658

-58.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 ₹29.1K

$249 ¥1,662

23.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₹16.7K

$180 ¥1,202

-2.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$782 ₹74.2K

$550 ¥3,679

42.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₹45.8K

$332 ¥2,221

45.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,857 ₹176.3K

$3,585 ¥24.0K

-48.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 ₹102.0K

$1,910 ¥12.8K

-43.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 ₹89.2K

$1,007 ¥6,734

-6.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

3.15

168.57%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$176 31.9%

Hefei

$180 23.5% 2.2% $3.8

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$124 22.4%

Hefei

$230 30.1% 86.2% $107

Eating Out

Bangalore

$88 15.9%

Hefei

$78 10.3% 10.4% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$71 12.8%

Hefei

$128 16.8% 81.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.2%

Hefei

$70 9.2% 54% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$29 5.2%

Hefei

$29 3.8% 0.4% $0.1

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.7%

Hefei

$48 6.3% 138% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $307 in Bangalore and $249 in Hefei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hefei pays 7% 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 $23.00 in Hefei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $230 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

9,369,881

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bangalore Hefei 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
Hefei

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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Hefei. 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 7% lower in Hefei. 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: $307 in Bangalore versus $249 in Hefei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 184% less than in Hefei. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $102 in Bangalore versus $246 in Hefei. 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 38% less than in Hefei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.