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Cost of Living Comparison Between China and India Cost of Living Comparison Between China and India

😐 Solo nomad: China is 68.8% more expensive than India without rent, and 78.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: China is 69.8% more expensive than India without rent, and 76.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
India
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.77 ¥19.31
$2.54 ₹230
9.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.14 ¥169
$13.78 ₹1,251
75.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.75 ¥33.15
$4.14 ₹375
14.73%
Cappuccino
$3.02 ¥21.06
$1.81 ₹164
66.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.06
$0.41 ₹36.98
7.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.87
$0.15 ₹13.69
80.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.96 ¥6.67
$1.93 ₹175
-50.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ¥14.21
$3.59 ₹326
-43.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
India
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥12.21
$0.73 ₹65.9
139.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.69 ¥11.79
$0.51 ₹46.62
231.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.98 ¥6.85
$0.72 ₹65.1
36.11%
Eggs
$1.60 ¥11.19
$1.00 ₹90.5
60.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.34 ¥93.1
$5.17 ₹469
158.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 ¥22.82
$3.16 ₹287
3.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.63 ¥74.2
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.74 ¥12.16
$2.10 ₹191
-17.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ¥8.76
$0.72 ₹65.3
75.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ¥10.13
$1.08 ₹98.3
34.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.19 ¥8.28
$0.56 ₹51.1
112.50%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 ¥5.08
$0.43 ₹38.99
69.77%
Onion (1kg)
$0.86 ¥5.99
$0.49 ₹44.46
75.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ¥4.30
$0.50 ₹45.73
24.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.71
$0.33 ₹29.84
60.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.44 ¥24.03
$4.18 ₹380
-17.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.63 ¥81.2
$8.00 ₹726
45.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ¥5.88
$1.89 ₹172
-55.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62 ¥11.30
$3.06 ₹278
-47.06%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.61 ₹509
-
🚌 Getting Around
China
India
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ¥3.07
$0.37 ₹33.33
18.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.71 ¥145
$9.71 ₹881
113.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ¥9.91
$0.91 ₹82.8
56.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ¥2.27
$0.28 ₹25.17
17.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.51 ¥45.42
$1.73 ₹157
276.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥8.19
$1.18 ₹107
-0.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K ¥133.9K
$13.9K ₹1.3M
37.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.6K ¥116.1K
$22.2K ₹2.0M
-25.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
India
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.4 ¥359
$40.51 ₹3,676
26.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.63 ¥67.2
$3.89 ₹353
147.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.22 ¥78.3
$7.79 ₹707
44.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
India
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.09 ¥273
$16.34 ₹1,482
139.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.70 ¥103
$7.62 ₹691
92.91%
Cinema Ticket
$6.14 ¥42.89
$3.51 ₹319
74.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
India
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$416 ¥2,905
$68.3 ₹6,194
509.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.9K ¥125.0K
$1,829 ₹166.0K
879.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
India
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.24 ¥316
$25.62 ₹2,325
76.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.59 ¥228
$27.01 ₹2,451
20.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.0 ¥509
$45.10 ₹4,093
61.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.8 ¥508
$33.35 ₹3,026
118.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
India
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$432 ¥3,018
$179 ₹16.2K
141.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$253 ¥1,767
$113 ₹10.3K
123.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$923 ¥6,441
$406 ₹36.8K
127.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$546 ¥3,811
$258 ₹23.4K
111.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,324 ¥37.2K
$1,338 ₹121.4K
298.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,784 ¥19.4K
$682 ₹61.9K
308.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
India
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,037 ¥7,240
$462 ₹41.9K
124.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
9.02
-54.99%

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

Last update for China: January 11, 2026

Last update for India: January 11, 2026

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