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

😐 Solo nomad: China is 72.9% more expensive than India without rent, and 78% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: China is 71.3% more expensive than India without rent, and 85.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
India
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.86 ¥19.54
$2.63 ₹244
8.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.89 ¥163
$13.85 ₹1,287
72.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.77 ¥32.66
$3.99 ₹371
19.55%
Cappuccino
$3.08 ¥21.05
$1.90 ₹177
62.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥2.99
$0.40 ₹37.16
10.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.84
$0.19 ₹17.57
42.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.93 ¥6.36
$1.96 ₹182
-52.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ¥13.98
$3.46 ₹322
-41.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
India
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.78 ¥12.18
$0.69 ₹63.7
157.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.60 ¥10.96
$0.51 ₹47.67
213.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.98 ¥6.71
$0.73 ₹67.8
34.25%
Eggs
$1.55 ¥10.62
$0.98 ₹91.2
58.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.22 ¥90.4
$5.43 ₹505
143.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.39 ¥23.16
$3.19 ₹296
6.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.52 ¥72.0
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 ¥12.61
$2.12 ₹197
-13.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.30 ¥8.91
$0.76 ₹70.2
71.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥10.04
$1.04 ₹97.0
41.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 ¥7.84
$0.52 ₹48.68
121.15%
Potato (1kg)
$0.72 ¥4.95
$0.40 ₹37.05
80.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.94 ¥6.41
$0.45 ₹42.09
108.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ¥4.16
$0.55 ₹50.9
10.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.62
$0.35 ₹32.72
51.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.54 ¥24.19
$3.99 ₹370
-11.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.89 ¥81.3
$7.55 ₹701
57.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥5.39
$1.84 ₹171
-57.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 ¥11.53
$3.05 ₹284
-44.59%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.81 ₹540
-
🚌 Getting Around
China
India
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ¥2.98
$0.34 ₹31.54
29.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.98 ¥144
$9.85 ₹916
112.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.38 ¥9.41
$0.97 ₹89.9
42.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.40
$0.28 ₹25.65
25.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.75 ¥46.20
$1.69 ₹157
299.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ¥7.94
$1.22 ₹113
-4.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7K ¥135.0K
$14.2K ₹1.3M
38.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.9K ¥115.9K
$22.8K ₹2.1M
-25.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
India
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$50.3 ¥344
$40.60 ₹3,773
23.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.04 ¥68.6
$3.75 ₹348
167.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.39 ¥77.9
$8.13 ₹755
40.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
India
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.16 ¥275
$16.08 ₹1,494
149.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.68 ¥100
$7.72 ₹718
90.16%
Cinema Ticket
$6.21 ¥42.45
$3.40 ₹316
82.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
India
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$402 ¥2,750
$68.7 ₹6,388
484.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.4K ¥119.3K
$1,787 ₹166.1K
875.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
India
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.39 ¥317
$25.17 ₹2,339
84.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.60 ¥223
$26.56 ₹2,468
22.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.3 ¥487
$44.85 ₹4,167
58.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.8 ¥511
$33.83 ₹3,143
121.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
India
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$429 ¥2,935
$177 ₹16.5K
142.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$261 ¥1,785
$111 ₹10.3K
136.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$915 ¥6,262
$415 ₹38.5K
120.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$545 ¥3,730
$256 ₹23.8K
112.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,127 ¥35.1K
$1,245 ₹115.7K
311.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,614 ¥17.9K
$636 ₹59.1K
311.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
India
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,061 ¥7,254
$434 ₹40.3K
144.36%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for India: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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