Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Dalian

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.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Dalian

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

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

Delhi $520
Dalian $895

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

Delhi $858
Dalian $1,433

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

Delhi $1,195
Dalian $1,970

Living in Delhi costs roughly 42% less than in Dalian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$3.63 ¥24.25

1.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$24.88 ¥166

-15.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$5.12 ¥34.24

-26.95%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$3.30 ¥22.04

-29.39%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.49 ¥3.30

-24.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.25 ¥1.67

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$0.92 ¥6.17

119.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$1.53 ¥10.23

108.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.59 ¥10.63

-57.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$1.42 ¥9.52

-63.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$1.02 ¥6.80

-18.63%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$1.59 ¥10.61

-32.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$20.36 ¥136

-78.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$3.46 ¥23.10

-2.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ¥87.2

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$1.31 ¥8.74

51.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.13 ¥7.52

-36.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.93 ¥12.90

-47.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$0.89 ¥5.96

-41.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$0.82 ¥5.50

-67.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$0.71 ¥4.77

-47.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$1.35 ¥9.00

-68.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.62 ¥4.16

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$3.75 ¥25.08

31.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$14.55 ¥97.2

-42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$1.10 ¥7.32

49.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$1.93 ¥12.92

39.90%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.31 ¥2.10

48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$30.05 ¥201

-49.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.53 ¥10.23

-32.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.43 ¥2.87

-37.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$3.98 ¥26.60

-61.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$1.26 ¥8.43

-16.67%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$19.6K ¥130.8K

-46.53%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

4.93%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$63.8 ¥426

-33.07%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$9.13 ¥61.0

-55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$13.34 ¥89.1

-49.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$40.35 ¥270

-51.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$36.04 ¥241

-77.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$6.85 ¥45.75

-25.84%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$393 ¥2,627

-74.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$20.6K ¥137.9K

-89.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$75.4 ¥504

-68.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$54.9 ¥367

-48.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$114 ¥762

-53.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$117 ¥784

-62.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$402 ¥2,684

-34.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$244 ¥1,628

-36.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$702 ¥4,688

4.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$445 ¥2,971

-10.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$2,684 ¥17.9K

-7.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,585 ¥10.6K

-35.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$1,090 ¥7,287

-46.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.89

114.14%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Dalian: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Dalian

$244 26.6% 58.1% $90

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Dalian

$239 26.1% 121% $131

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Dalian

$95 10.3% 8.4% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Dalian

$163 17.8% 141% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Dalian

$86 9.4% 61.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Dalian

$54 5.9% 82.8% $24

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Dalian

$35 3.8% 79.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $264 in Delhi and $402 in Dalian. 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: $21.00 in Delhi vs $25.00 in Dalian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $239 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

7,450,785

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Delhi Dalian 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Dalian

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 Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Dalian. 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 $402 in Dalian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $100 in Delhi versus $393 in Dalian. 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.