Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Changzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $741 in Changzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
Learn more

Changzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Changzhou

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 Changzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $522 in Delhi versus $741 in Changzhou.

Delhi $522
Changzhou $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $872 in Delhi versus $1,217 in Changzhou.

Delhi $872
Changzhou $1,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,222 in Delhi versus $1,694 in Changzhou.

Delhi $1,222
Changzhou $1,694

Living in Delhi costs roughly 29% less than in Changzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Delhi 61% lower, Changzhou 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹352

$2.92 ¥19.49

26.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹2,000

$28.54 ¥191

-26.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹354

$4.51 ¥30.13

-17.29%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹223

$2.22 ¥14.81

5.86%

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

$0.37 ₹35.24

$0.38 ¥2.54

-2.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.94

$0.23 ¥1.53

-34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

$0.62 ¥4.14

245.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹291

$1.45 ¥9.68

111.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.1

$1.86 ¥12.46

-62.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.1

$1.28 ¥8.58

-58.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.1

$1.00 ¥6.65

-23.00%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$1.72 ¥11.52

-35.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹440

$7.41 ¥49.50

-37.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$2.82 ¥18.84

24.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 ¥82.5

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.16 ¥14.43

-7.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.6

$1.73 ¥11.57

-57.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.6

$1.97 ¥13.13

-50.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹49.97

$1.04 ¥6.96

-49.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.64

$0.77 ¥5.12

-61.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.85

$0.99 ¥6.62

-59.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.66

$0.39 ¥2.59

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.83

$0.62 ¥4.18

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹469

$3.29 ¥22.01

50.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹780

$10.58 ¥70.7

-22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$0.82 ¥5.48

92.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹256

$1.56 ¥10.44

72.44%

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

$6.19 ₹589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.50

$0.33 ¥2.20

39.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,499

$14.32 ¥95.7

10.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.51 ¥10.08

-29.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.69

$0.31 ¥2.08

-12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹151

$2.93 ¥19.55

-46.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.31 ¥8.73

-18.32%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$17.1K ¥114.0K

-37.55%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$13.8K ¥92.2K

37.18%

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

$42.37 ₹4,027

$57.5 ¥384

-26.33%

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

$4.03 ₹383

$8.13 ¥54.3

-50.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹660

$10.66 ¥71.2

-34.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,823

$40.60 ¥271

-52.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹753

$14.75 ¥98.6

-46.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹501

$4.57 ¥30.50

15.32%

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

$100 ₹9,533

$251 ¥1,679

-60.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.6K

$15.1K ¥101.0K

-85.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,292

$55.3 ¥370

-56.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,647

$22.58 ¥151

23.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,981

$76.0 ¥508

-31.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,077

$76.2 ¥509

-43.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$285 ¥1,906

-6.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$229 ¥1,527

-31.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.8K

$917 ¥6,127

-19.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

$495 ¥3,309

-20.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.2K

$2,942 ¥19.7K

-14.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹96.9K

$1,613 ¥10.8K

-36.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.8K

$1,067 ¥7,126

-43.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.35

148.66%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Changzhou

$229 30.9% 46.6% $73

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Changzhou

$192 25.9% 76% $83

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Changzhou

$72 9.7% 18.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Changzhou

$104 14% 56.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Changzhou

$76 10.3% 43% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Changzhou

$50 6.7% 67.4% $20

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Changzhou

$19 2.5% 6.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $267 in Delhi and $285 in Changzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changzhou pays 76% 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 $29.00 in Changzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $109 vs $192 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

5,278,121

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.52 USD

1,000 INR = 9.38 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 95.05 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.38 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Delhi Changzhou 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Changzhou

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 Changzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Delhi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Changzhou. 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: $267 in Delhi versus $285 in Changzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Changzhou. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Delhi – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $29.00 in Changzhou. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 42% less than in Changzhou. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.