Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Changsha

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $784 in Changsha, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
Learn more

Changsha Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Changsha

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Delhi and in Changsha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $520 in Delhi versus $784 in Changsha.

Delhi $520
Changsha $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $858 in Delhi versus $1,263 in Changsha.

Delhi $858
Changsha $1,263

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,195 in Delhi versus $1,742 in Changsha.

Delhi $1,195
Changsha $1,742

Living in Delhi costs roughly 34% less than in Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Delhi 61% lower, Changsha 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$2.96 ¥19.80

23.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$22.08 ¥148

-5.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$4.99 ¥33.35

-25.05%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$3.43 ¥22.94

-32.07%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.47 ¥3.12

-21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.25 ¥1.66

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$1.25 ¥8.36

61.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$1.97 ¥13.15

61.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.96 ¥13.09

-65.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$2.36 ¥15.76

-77.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$0.94 ¥6.29

-11.70%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$1.73 ¥11.56

-38.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$12.84 ¥85.8

-65.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$3.91 ¥26.13

-13.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 ¥77.7

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$2.92 ¥19.52

-31.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.44 ¥9.60

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.90 ¥12.73

-46.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.94 ¥12.96

-73.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$1.01 ¥6.76

-73.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$1.57 ¥10.51

-76.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$0.65 ¥4.33

-33.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.48 ¥3.18

-35.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$3.03 ¥20.22

62.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$12.43 ¥83.0

-32.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$1.07 ¥7.16

53.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$1.54 ¥10.29

75.32%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.36 ¥2.38

27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$14.89 ¥99.5

2.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.47 ¥9.84

-29.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.29 ¥1.92

-6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$4.52 ¥30.22

-66.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$1.29 ¥8.60

-18.60%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$19.5K ¥130.2K

-46.27%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$17.4K ¥116.2K

5.63%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$56.9 ¥380

-24.94%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$8.83 ¥59.0

-54.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$13.56 ¥90.6

-50.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$55.0 ¥367

-64.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$24.39 ¥163

-66.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$6.44 ¥43.01

-21.12%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$325 ¥2,169

-69.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$16.8K ¥112.2K

-86.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$81.8 ¥546

-70.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$34.27 ¥229

-17.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$87.2 ¥583

-38.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$59.0 ¥395

-25.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$265 ¥1,770

-0.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$168 ¥1,122

-8.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$569 ¥3,804

29.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$383 ¥2,561

3.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$2,477 ¥16.6K

0.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,393 ¥9,308

-27.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$1,097 ¥7,331

-46.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.46

140.75%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Changsha

$168 21.5% 9% $14

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Changsha

$235 30.1% 118% $127

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Changsha

$93 11.9% 6.4% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Changsha

$118 15.1% 74.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Changsha

$79 10.2% 48.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 129% $38

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 1.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $264 in Delhi and $265 in Changsha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 87% 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: $21.00 in Delhi vs $22.00 in Changsha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $235 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

16:52 4:52 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

5,289,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

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).

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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi Changsha 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Changsha

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

Delhi vs Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Delhi and Changsha differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($520 vs $784 including rent). Delhi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Changsha. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $264 in Delhi versus $265 in Changsha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Delhi – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $22.00 in Changsha. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $520 per month in Delhi versus $784 in Changsha – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Delhi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 51% less than in Changsha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.