Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $734 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

Jump to prices

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Bangalore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $734 in Chengdu versus $535 in Bangalore.

Chengdu $734
Bangalore $535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,211 in Chengdu versus $927 in Bangalore.

Chengdu $1,211
Bangalore $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,688 in Chengdu versus $1,318 in Bangalore.

Chengdu $1,688
Bangalore $1,318

Living in Chengdu is roughly 37% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chengdu 45% lower, Bangalore 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.11

$3.04 ₹294

-5.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.31 ¥149

$17.83 ₹1,725

25.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.71

$4.78 ₹463

2.30%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.96

$2.24 ₹217

33.48%

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

$0.51 ¥3.40

$0.39 ₹37.49

30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.14 ₹13.64

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$2.34 ₹226

-37.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.55

$3.91 ₹379

-44.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$0.61 ₹58.6

201.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.36

$0.57 ₹55.2

171.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.58

$0.81 ₹77.9

20.99%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.47

$1.12 ₹109

40.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 ¥94.7

$5.93 ₹574

138.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 ¥24.76

$3.85 ₹373

-3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.12 ¥74.3

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$2.78 ₹269

-32.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$0.75 ₹72.2

74.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.34

$1.22 ₹118

-9.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.40 ₹39.19

185.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.03

$0.38 ₹36.40

97.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$0.36 ₹34.72

88.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.42 ₹40.31

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.66

$0.32 ₹31.21

71.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.59

$4.61 ₹446

-16.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.60 ¥30.71

$9.01 ₹872

-48.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$1.86 ₹180

-55.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.77

$2.92 ₹283

-50.00%

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

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.51 ₹48.89

-13.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.70 ¥165

$15.71 ₹1,520

57.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$1.01 ₹97.8

34.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.30 ₹29.43

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ¥29.26

$2.10 ₹203

108.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.08 ₹104

20.37%

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

$19.5K ¥130.6K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

55.43%

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

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$19.1K ₹1.8M

-10.43%

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

$47.43 ¥317

$30.32 ₹2,934

56.43%

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

$9.39 ¥62.8

$4.11 ₹398

128.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.51 ¥83.6

$10.23 ₹990

22.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.41 ¥183

$18.61 ₹1,801

47.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.30 ¥75.5

$5.95 ₹576

89.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.14 ¥41.05

$4.60 ₹446

33.48%

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

$376 ¥2,516

$104 ₹10.1K

261.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥99.8K

$3,176 ₹307.3K

370.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.02 ¥167

$32.29 ₹3,125

-22.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.00 ¥187

$29.85 ₹2,889

-6.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 ¥383

$53.3 ₹5,160

7.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.7 ¥352

$39.66 ₹3,838

32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,145

$309 ₹29.9K

52.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,716

$175 ₹16.9K

46.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ¥5,472

$788 ₹76.3K

3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 ¥3,580

$481 ₹46.6K

11.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 ¥24.8K

$1,889 ₹182.8K

96.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,928 ¥12.9K

$1,067 ₹103.3K

80.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,277 ¥8,531

$919 ₹89.0K

38.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

8.5

-60.24%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$257 34.2%

Bangalore

$175 32% 31.9% $82

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 25.9%

Bangalore

$122 22.4% 37.1% $72

Eating Out

Chengdu

$88 11.7%

Bangalore

$87 15.9% 1.2% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.8%

Bangalore

$70 12.8% 4.8% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.2%

Bangalore

$45 8.2% 35.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$40 5.3%

Bangalore

$28 5.1% 29.9% $12

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Bangalore

$20 3.7% 31% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $471 in Chengdu and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chengdu pays 39% 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 Chengdu vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $122 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

2 h 30 min behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

8,495,492

💱 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

Chengdu Bangalore 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Bangalore

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

Chengdu vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Chengdu. 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 39% higher in Chengdu, 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: $471 in Chengdu versus $309 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 57% less than in Chengdu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $376 in Chengdu versus $104 in Bangalore. 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 37% less than in Chengdu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.