Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changsha and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $784 in Changsha, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Changsha and in Delhi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in Changsha versus $520 in Delhi.

Changsha $784
Delhi $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,263 in Changsha versus $858 in Delhi.

Changsha $1,263
Delhi $858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,742 in Changsha versus $1,195 in Delhi.

Changsha $1,742
Delhi $1,195

Living in Changsha is roughly 51% more expensive than in Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Changsha 42% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.80

$3.67 ₹355

-19.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.08 ¥148

$20.95 ₹2,027

5.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$3.74 ₹362

33.42%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.94

$2.33 ₹226

47.21%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.37 ₹35.82

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.20 ₹18.91

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$2.02 ₹195

-38.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥13.15

$3.19 ₹308

-38.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ¥13.09

$0.68 ₹65.9

188.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 ¥15.76

$0.52 ₹50.2

353.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$0.83 ₹80.0

13.25%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.07 ₹104

61.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 ¥85.8

$4.43 ₹428

189.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 ¥26.13

$3.37 ₹326

16.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 ¥77.7

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$1.99 ₹192

46.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.60

$0.72 ₹70.1

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.02 ₹98.4

86.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$0.52 ₹50.1

273.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.27 ₹25.96

274.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$0.37 ₹35.42

324.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$0.43 ₹41.64

51.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.31 ₹30.39

54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ¥20.22

$4.92 ₹476

-38.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 ¥83.0

$8.34 ₹808

49.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$1.64 ₹159

-34.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$2.70 ₹261

-42.96%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.46 ₹44.04

-21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.5

$15.29 ₹1,480

-2.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$1.03 ₹99.8

42.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.27 ₹26.38

7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 ¥30.22

$1.53 ₹148

195.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.05 ₹102

22.86%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

86.13%

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

$17.4K ¥116.2K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

-5.33%

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

$56.9 ¥380

$42.67 ₹4,129

33.23%

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

$8.83 ¥59.0

$4.04 ₹391

118.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.56 ¥90.6

$6.75 ₹653

100.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 ¥367

$19.40 ₹1,878

183.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 ¥163

$8.06 ₹780

202.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 ¥43.01

$5.08 ₹492

26.77%

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

$325 ¥2,169

$100 ₹9,696

223.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.2K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

640.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 ¥546

$24.14 ₹2,336

238.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.27 ¥229

$28.38 ₹2,747

20.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 ¥583

$53.3 ₹5,160

63.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 ¥395

$44.13 ₹4,271

33.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 ¥1,770

$264 ₹25.5K

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,122

$154 ₹14.9K

8.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,804

$736 ₹71.2K

-22.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 ¥2,561

$397 ₹38.5K

-3.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 ¥16.6K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

-0.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,393 ¥9,308

$1,017 ₹98.4K

37.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,097 ¥7,331

$585 ₹56.7K

87.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.33

-58.46%

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

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changsha

$235 30.1%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 54.1% $127

Accommodation & Living

Changsha

$168 21.5%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 8.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Changsha

$118 15.1%

Delhi

$67 13% 42.8% $51

Eating Out

Changsha

$93 11.9%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 6% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changsha

$79 10.2%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 32.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Changsha

$68 8.7%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 56.4% $38

Getting Around

Changsha

$19 2.5%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 1.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $265 in Changsha and $264 in Delhi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 87% 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: $22.00 in Changsha vs $21.00 in Delhi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $108 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changsha

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

18:27 6:27 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

2 h 30 min behind Changsha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,289,000

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changsha Delhi 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Changsha
Delhi

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

Changsha vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changsha and Delhi differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($784 vs $520 including rent). Delhi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Changsha, 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: $265 in Changsha versus $264 in Delhi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Delhi – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $22.00 in Changsha. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $784 per month in Changsha versus $520 in Delhi – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Delhi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Delhi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Changsha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.