Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dalian and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $895 in Dalian, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$895

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Dalian versus $520 in Delhi.

Dalian $895
Delhi $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Dalian versus $858 in Delhi.

Dalian $1,433
Delhi $858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,970 in Dalian versus $1,195 in Delhi.

Dalian $1,970
Delhi $1,195

Living in Dalian is roughly 72% more expensive than in Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dalian 33% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 ¥24.25

$3.67 ₹355

-1.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.88 ¥166

$20.95 ₹2,027

18.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.24

$3.74 ₹362

36.90%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ¥22.04

$2.33 ₹226

41.63%

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

$0.49 ¥3.30

$0.37 ₹35.82

32.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.67

$0.20 ₹18.91

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$2.02 ₹195

-54.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$3.19 ₹308

-52.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$0.68 ₹65.9

133.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.52

$0.52 ₹50.2

173.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.83 ₹80.0

22.89%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.61

$1.07 ₹104

48.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.36 ¥136

$4.43 ₹428

359.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.10

$3.37 ₹326

2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ¥87.2

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$1.99 ₹192

-34.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.52

$0.72 ₹70.1

56.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ¥12.90

$1.02 ₹98.4

89.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.96

$0.52 ₹50.1

71.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$0.27 ₹25.96

203.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.77

$0.37 ₹35.42

91.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥9.00

$0.43 ₹41.64

213.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.31 ₹30.39

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.08

$4.92 ₹476

-23.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.55 ¥97.2

$8.34 ₹808

74.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.32

$1.64 ₹159

-32.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.92

$2.70 ₹261

-28.52%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.46 ₹44.04

-32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 ¥201

$15.29 ₹1,480

96.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.03 ₹99.8

48.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.27 ₹26.38

59.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥26.60

$1.53 ₹148

160.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.43

$1.05 ₹102

20.00%

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

$19.6K ¥130.8K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

87.00%

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

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

-4.70%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$42.67 ₹4,129

49.40%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$4.04 ₹391

125.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.34 ¥89.1

$6.75 ₹653

97.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 ¥270

$19.40 ₹1,878

107.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.04 ¥241

$8.06 ₹780

347.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 ¥45.75

$5.08 ₹492

34.84%

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

$393 ¥2,627

$100 ₹9,696

292.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥137.9K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

809.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.4 ¥504

$24.14 ₹2,336

212.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ¥367

$28.38 ₹2,747

93.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ¥762

$53.3 ₹5,160

113.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ¥784

$44.13 ₹4,271

165.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ¥2,684

$264 ₹25.5K

52.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ¥1,628

$154 ₹14.9K

58.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥4,688

$736 ₹71.2K

-4.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ¥2,971

$397 ₹38.5K

11.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,684 ¥17.9K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

7.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 ¥10.6K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

55.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,090 ¥7,287

$585 ₹56.7K

86.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

8.33

-53.30%

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

Last update for Dalian: October 4, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dalian

$244 26.6%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 36.8% $90

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 54.8% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$163 17.8%

Delhi

$67 13% 58.5% $95

Eating Out

Dalian

$95 10.3%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 7.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$86 9.4%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 38% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 45.3% $24

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 44.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $402 in Dalian and $264 in Delhi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 86% 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: $25.00 in Dalian vs $21.00 in Delhi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $108 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

10:29 10:29 AM

2 h 30 min behind Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

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

Dalian Delhi 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

Dalian vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dalian and Delhi differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($895 vs $520 including rent). Delhi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Dalian, 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: $402 in Dalian versus $264 in Delhi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $393 in Dalian versus $100 in Delhi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 121% higher in Dalian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $520 in Delhi versus $895 in Dalian, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Delhi but tight or insufficient in Dalian. The gap between the two cities makes Delhi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Delhi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Dalian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.