Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Chongqing

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.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
Learn more

Chongqing Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Chongqing

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

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

Delhi $520
Chongqing $714

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

Delhi $858
Chongqing $1,168

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

Delhi $1,195
Chongqing $1,622

Delhi is about 27% cheaper than Chongqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$2.64 ¥17.67

39.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$22.05 ¥147

-4.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$4.67 ¥31.20

-19.91%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$2.06 ¥13.79

13.11%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.43 ¥2.90

-13.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.31 ¥2.09

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$1.20 ¥8.02

68.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$1.75 ¥11.71

82.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.92 ¥12.85

-64.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$1.58 ¥10.56

-67.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$0.64 ¥4.25

29.69%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$2.16 ¥14.42

-50.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$17.55 ¥117

-74.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$3.37 ¥22.55

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 ¥67.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$1.56 ¥10.43

27.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.35 ¥9.01

-46.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.25 ¥8.35

-18.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.25 ¥8.32

-58.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$0.61 ¥4.07

-55.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$0.94 ¥6.31

-60.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$0.87 ¥5.83

-50.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.62 ¥4.13

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$3.07 ¥20.51

60.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$8.95 ¥59.8

-6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$0.76 ¥5.10

115.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$1.64 ¥10.93

64.63%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.39 ¥2.59

17.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$22.16 ¥148

-31.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.53 ¥10.24

-32.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.29 ¥1.91

-6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$2.96 ¥19.81

-48.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$1.26 ¥8.44

-16.67%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$19.5K ¥130.3K

-46.33%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$16.8K ¥112.4K

9.20%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$44.19 ¥295

-3.44%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$6.95 ¥46.43

-41.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$7.17 ¥47.91

-5.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$50.7 ¥339

-61.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$10.64 ¥71.1

-24.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$5.94 ¥39.71

-14.48%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$290 ¥1,939

-65.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$25.6K ¥171.0K

-91.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$39.88 ¥267

-39.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$29.80 ¥199

-4.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$64.8 ¥433

-17.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$62.7 ¥419

-29.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$418 ¥2,790

-36.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$200 ¥1,338

-23.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$880 ¥5,879

-16.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$414 ¥2,767

-4.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$2,681 ¥17.9K

-6.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,705 ¥11.4K

-40.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$1,111 ¥7,423

-47.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.34

149.40%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chongqing: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Chongqing

$200 27.7% 29.9% $46

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Chongqing

$213 29.5% 97% $105

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Chongqing

$72 10% 17% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Chongqing

$89 12.3% 31.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Chongqing

$58 8.1% 9.1% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Chongqing

$63 8.7% 112% $33

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Chongqing

$27 3.7% 36.7% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $418 in Chongqing. 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 $21.00 in Delhi versus $22.00 in Chongqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $213 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

1,564,449

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Delhi Chongqing 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Chongqing

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 Chongqing: 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 $780 per month in Delhi and $1,071 in Chongqing. 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 $100 per month in Delhi and $290 in Chongqing. 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 $520 in Delhi and $714 in Chongqing, 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.