Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $842 in Xiamen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
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Bangalore Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
Learn more

Xiamen Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Xiamen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $535 in Bangalore versus $842 in Xiamen.

Bangalore $535
Xiamen $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $927 in Bangalore versus $1,338 in Xiamen.

Bangalore $927
Xiamen $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,318 in Bangalore versus $1,835 in Xiamen.

Bangalore $1,318
Xiamen $1,835

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 36% less than in Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 60% lower, Xiamen 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ₹294

$3.01 ¥20.10

1.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.83 ₹1,725

$23.67 ¥158

-24.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ₹463

$5.36 ¥35.85

-10.82%

Cappuccino

$2.24 ₹217

$2.51 ¥16.78

-10.76%

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

$0.39 ₹37.49

$0.47 ¥3.14

-17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.64

$0.35 ¥2.37

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 ₹226

$1.47 ¥9.86

59.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ₹379

$2.99 ¥19.97

30.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.6

$1.46 ¥9.78

-58.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₹55.2

$2.27 ¥15.20

-74.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.9

$0.98 ¥6.55

-17.35%

Eggs

$1.12 ₹109

$1.63 ¥10.92

-31.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.93 ₹574

$11.95 ¥79.9

-50.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ₹373

$2.52 ¥16.83

52.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 ₹269

$2.55 ¥17.05

9.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹72.2

$1.47 ¥9.85

-48.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 ₹118

$1.66 ¥11.09

-26.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 ₹39.19

$1.97 ¥13.19

-79.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.40

$1.03 ¥6.86

-63.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.72

$1.82 ¥12.18

-80.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹40.31

$0.91 ¥6.05

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹31.21

$0.49 ¥3.31

-34.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 ₹446

$3.06 ¥20.47

50.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 ₹872

$11.22 ¥75.0

-19.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹180

$0.81 ¥5.40

129.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₹283

$1.70 ¥11.37

71.76%

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

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.89

$0.16 ¥1.07

218.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.71 ₹1,520

$12.10 ¥80.9

29.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ₹97.8

$1.47 ¥9.82

-31.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹29.43

$0.29 ¥1.92

3.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ₹203

$7.34 ¥49.07

-71.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₹104

$1.31 ¥8.78

-17.56%

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

$12.6K ₹1.2M

$19.3K ¥128.8K

-34.75%

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

$19.1K ₹1.8M

$17.3K ¥115.4K

10.36%

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

$30.32 ₹2,934

$44.42 ¥297

-31.74%

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

$4.11 ₹398

$8.81 ¥58.9

-53.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ₹990

$10.23 ¥68.3

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.61 ₹1,801

$48.22 ¥322

-61.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.95 ₹576

$10.59 ¥70.8

-43.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 ₹446

$10.22 ¥68.3

-54.99%

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

$104 ₹10.1K

$488 ¥3,264

-78.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,176 ₹307.3K

$24.1K ¥161.3K

-86.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.29 ₹3,125

$38.84 ¥260

-16.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.85 ₹2,889

$28.49 ¥190

4.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$105 ¥703

-49.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.66 ₹3,838

$84.5 ¥565

-53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.9K

$342 ¥2,283

-9.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 ₹16.9K

$269 ¥1,798

-34.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₹76.3K

$825 ¥5,511

-4.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 ₹46.6K

$547 ¥3,655

-11.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 ₹182.8K

$8,597 ¥57.5K

-78.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,067 ₹103.3K

$4,684 ¥31.3K

-77.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 ₹89.0K

$1,138 ¥7,607

-19.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

3.46

145.66%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$175 32%

Xiamen

$269 32.2% 53.8% $94

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$122 22.4%

Xiamen

$216 25.8% 76.2% $93

Eating Out

Bangalore

$87 15.9%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 0.3% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$70 12.8%

Xiamen

$116 13.9% 65.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.2%

Xiamen

$63 7.6% 42.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$28 5.1%

Xiamen

$69 8.2% 147% $41

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.7%

Xiamen

$16 1.9% 22.8% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Bangalore and $342 in Xiamen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xiamen pays 24% 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 $24.00 in Xiamen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $122 vs $216 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

21:49 9:49 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

3,531,000

💱 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 Xiamen 4,430 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
Xiamen

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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Xiamen. 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 24% lower in Xiamen. 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 $342 in Xiamen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 30% less than in Xiamen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $104 in Bangalore versus $488 in Xiamen. 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 57% less than in Xiamen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.