Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $734 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu 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 Chengdu and in Delhi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $734 per month in Chengdu vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Chengdu $734
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,211 per month in Chengdu vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Chengdu $1,211
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,688 per month in Chengdu vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Chengdu $1,688
Delhi $1,195

Chengdu costs about 41% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chengdu and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.11

$3.67 ₹355

-22.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.31 ¥149

$20.95 ₹2,027

6.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.71

$3.74 ₹362

30.75%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.96

$2.33 ₹226

28.33%

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

$0.51 ¥3.40

$0.37 ₹35.82

37.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$0.20 ₹18.91

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$2.02 ₹195

-27.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.55

$3.19 ₹308

-31.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$0.68 ₹65.9

170.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.36

$0.52 ₹50.2

198.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.58

$0.83 ₹80.0

18.07%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.47

$1.07 ₹104

46.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 ¥94.7

$4.43 ₹428

219.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 ¥24.76

$3.37 ₹326

10.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.12 ¥74.3

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$1.99 ₹192

-6.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$0.72 ₹70.1

81.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.34

$1.02 ₹98.4

7.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.52 ₹50.1

119.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.03

$0.27 ₹25.96

177.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$0.37 ₹35.42

83.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.43 ₹41.64

46.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.66

$0.31 ₹30.39

77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.59

$4.92 ₹476

-22.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.60 ¥30.71

$8.34 ₹808

-44.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$1.64 ₹159

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.77

$2.70 ₹261

-45.93%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.46 ₹44.04

-4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.70 ¥165

$15.29 ₹1,480

61.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$1.03 ₹99.8

32.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.27 ₹26.38

14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ¥29.26

$1.53 ₹148

186.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.05 ₹102

23.81%

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

$19.5K ¥130.6K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

86.73%

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

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

-7.07%

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

$47.43 ¥317

$42.67 ₹4,129

11.16%

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

$9.39 ¥62.8

$4.04 ₹391

132.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.51 ¥83.6

$6.75 ₹653

85.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.41 ¥183

$19.40 ₹1,878

41.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.30 ¥75.5

$8.06 ₹780

40.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.14 ¥41.05

$5.08 ₹492

20.87%

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

$376 ¥2,516

$100 ₹9,696

275.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥99.8K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

558.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.02 ¥167

$24.14 ₹2,336

3.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.00 ¥187

$28.38 ₹2,747

-1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 ¥383

$53.3 ₹5,160

7.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.7 ¥352

$44.13 ₹4,271

19.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,145

$264 ₹25.5K

78.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,716

$154 ₹14.9K

66.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ¥5,472

$736 ₹71.2K

11.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 ¥3,580

$397 ₹38.5K

34.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 ¥24.8K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

48.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,928 ¥12.9K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

89.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,277 ¥8,531

$585 ₹56.7K

118.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

8.33

-59.42%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$257 34.2%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 40% $103

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 25.9%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 44.5% $87

Eating Out

Chengdu

$88 11.7%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 1% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.8%

Delhi

$67 13% 8% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.2%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 22.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$40 5.3%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 25.5% $10

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 33.6% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $471 in Chengdu versus $264 in Delhi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 118% higher in Chengdu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

2 h 30 min behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

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

Chengdu Delhi 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

Chengdu vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $734 in Chengdu, $520 in Delhi – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,101 per month in Chengdu and $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu and $21.00 in Delhi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $734 in Chengdu and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 41%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $734 in Chengdu and $520 in Delhi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Delhi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chengdu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.