Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $734 in Chengdu, 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 Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $734 in Chengdu, rent included.

Delhi $520
Chengdu $734

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,211 in Chengdu, rent included.

Delhi $858
Chengdu $1,211

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $1,688 in Chengdu, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Chengdu $1,688

Delhi is about 29% cheaper than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Chengdu 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$2.86 ¥19.11

28.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$22.31 ¥149

-6.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$4.89 ¥32.71

-23.52%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$2.99 ¥19.96

-22.07%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.51 ¥3.40

-27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.28 ¥1.89

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$1.46 ¥9.74

38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$2.18 ¥14.55

46.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.84 ¥12.28

-63.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$1.55 ¥10.36

-66.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$0.98 ¥6.58

-15.31%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$1.57 ¥10.47

-31.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$14.17 ¥94.7

-68.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$3.71 ¥24.76

-9.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.12 ¥74.3

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$1.87 ¥12.52

6.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.31 ¥8.73

-45.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.10 ¥7.34

-7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.14 ¥7.59

-54.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$0.75 ¥5.03

-64.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$0.68 ¥4.56

-45.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$0.63 ¥4.19

-31.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.55 ¥3.66

-43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$3.83 ¥25.59

28.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$4.60 ¥30.71

81.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$0.82 ¥5.45

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$1.46 ¥9.77

84.93%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.44 ¥2.93

4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$24.70 ¥165

-38.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.36 ¥9.09

-24.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.31 ¥2.09

-12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$4.38 ¥29.26

-65.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$1.30 ¥8.69

-19.23%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$19.5K ¥130.6K

-46.45%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$17.1K ¥114.1K

7.60%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$47.43 ¥317

-10.04%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$9.39 ¥62.8

-56.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$12.51 ¥83.6

-46.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$27.41 ¥183

-29.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$11.30 ¥75.5

-28.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$6.14 ¥41.05

-17.26%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$376 ¥2,516

-73.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$14.9K ¥99.8K

-84.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$25.02 ¥167

-3.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$28.00 ¥187

1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$57.3 ¥383

-6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$52.7 ¥352

-16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$471 ¥3,145

-43.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$257 ¥1,716

-39.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$819 ¥5,472

-10.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$536 ¥3,580

-25.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$3,708 ¥24.8K

-32.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,928 ¥12.9K

-47.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$1,277 ¥8,531

-54.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.38

146.45%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Chengdu

$257 34.2% 66.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Chengdu

$195 25.9% 80.3% $87

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Chengdu

$88 11.7% 1.1% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Chengdu

$73 9.8% 8.6% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Chengdu

$69 9.2% 29.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Chengdu

$40 5.3% 34.3% $10

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 50.6% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $471 in Chengdu. 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 118% higher in Chengdu, 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 $21.00 in Delhi versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $195 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

20,937,757

💱 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

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Between locations

Delhi Chengdu 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $734 in Chengdu – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $1,101 in Chengdu. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $520 in Delhi and $734 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 41%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $520 in Delhi and $734 in Chengdu, 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, Chengdu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.