Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chongqing and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $714 in Chongqing, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
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Chongqing Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Chongqing vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Chongqing $714
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,168 per month in Chongqing vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Chongqing $1,168
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,622 per month in Chongqing vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Chongqing $1,622
Delhi $1,195

Chongqing costs about 37% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chongqing and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Chongqing 47% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.67

$3.67 ₹355

-28.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.05 ¥147

$20.95 ₹2,027

5.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ¥31.20

$3.74 ₹362

24.87%

Cappuccino

$2.06 ¥13.79

$2.33 ₹226

-11.59%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.37 ₹35.82

16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.20 ₹18.91

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 ¥8.02

$2.02 ₹195

-40.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$3.19 ₹308

-45.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ¥12.85

$0.68 ₹65.9

182.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 ¥10.56

$0.52 ₹50.2

203.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.25

$0.83 ₹80.0

-22.89%

Eggs

$2.16 ¥14.42

$1.07 ₹104

101.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.55 ¥117

$4.43 ₹428

296.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ¥22.55

$3.37 ₹326

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 ¥67.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$1.99 ₹192

-21.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 ¥9.01

$0.72 ₹70.1

87.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$1.02 ₹98.4

22.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$0.52 ₹50.1

140.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.07

$0.27 ₹25.96

125.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$0.37 ₹35.42

154.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ¥5.83

$0.43 ₹41.64

102.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$0.31 ₹30.39

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ¥20.51

$4.92 ₹476

-37.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 ¥59.8

$8.34 ₹808

7.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$1.64 ₹159

-53.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥10.93

$2.70 ₹261

-39.26%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$0.46 ₹44.04

-15.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.16 ¥148

$15.29 ₹1,480

44.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$1.03 ₹99.8

48.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.27 ₹26.38

7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 ¥19.81

$1.53 ₹148

93.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$1.05 ₹102

20.00%

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

$19.5K ¥130.3K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

86.32%

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

$16.8K ¥112.4K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

-8.42%

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

$44.19 ¥295

$42.67 ₹4,129

3.56%

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

$6.95 ¥46.43

$4.04 ₹391

72.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.17 ¥47.91

$6.75 ₹653

6.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 ¥339

$19.40 ₹1,878

161.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$8.06 ₹780

32.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ¥39.71

$5.08 ₹492

16.93%

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

$290 ¥1,939

$100 ₹9,696

189.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ¥171.0K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

1028.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.88 ¥267

$24.14 ₹2,336

65.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.80 ¥199

$28.38 ₹2,747

5.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 ¥433

$53.3 ₹5,160

21.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.7 ¥419

$44.13 ₹4,271

42.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 ¥2,790

$264 ₹25.5K

58.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 ¥1,338

$154 ₹14.9K

29.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 ¥5,879

$736 ₹71.2K

19.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥2,767

$397 ₹38.5K

4.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ¥17.9K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

7.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,705 ¥11.4K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

67.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,111 ¥7,423

$585 ₹56.7K

89.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

8.33

-59.90%

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

Last update for Chongqing: October 3, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chongqing

$213 29.5%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 49.2% $105

Accommodation & Living

Chongqing

$200 27.7%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 23% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Chongqing

$89 12.3%

Delhi

$67 13% 24% $21

Eating Out

Chongqing

$72 10%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 20.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chongqing

$63 8.7%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 52.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chongqing

$58 8.1%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 8.3% $4.8

Getting Around

Chongqing

$27 3.7%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 26.8% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Chongqing 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 90% higher in Chongqing, 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 Chongqing versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

13:53 1:53 PM

2 h 30 min behind Chongqing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,564,449

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Chongqing Delhi 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chongqing
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

Chongqing vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chongqing is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,071 per month in Chongqing 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.

Kindergarten costs $290 per month in Chongqing and $100 in Delhi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 97% more in Chongqing, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $714 in Chongqing 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, Chongqing makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.