Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Datong

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $526 a month against $715 in Datong, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$526
/mo nomad
Datong
🇨🇳 China
$715
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Datong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $526 in Delhi versus $715 in Datong.

  • Delhi $526
  • Datong $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $882 in Delhi versus $1,133 in Datong.

  • Delhi $882
  • Datong $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,239 in Delhi versus $1,551 in Datong.

  • Delhi $1,239
  • Datong $1,551

Living in Delhi costs roughly 26% less than in Datong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Delhi 61% lower, Datong 47% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Delhi
Datong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.70 ₹352
$2.77 ¥18.50
33.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.33 ₹2,026
$21.44 ¥143
-0.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.69 ₹351
$4.93 ¥32.98
-25.15%
Cappuccino
$2.30 ₹218
$3.05 ¥20.42
-24.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ₹36.82
$0.47 ¥3.11
-17.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹14.05
$0.27 ¥1.80
-44.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.05 ₹195
$0.94 ¥6.31
118.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 ₹297
$2.06 ¥13.76
51.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Delhi
Datong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.69 ₹65.9
$1.82 ¥12.16
-62.09%
White Bread (500g)
$0.58 ₹54.6
$1.62 ¥10.80
-64.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.78 ₹74.0
$0.89 ¥5.92
-12.36%
Eggs
$1.15 ₹109
$1.55 ¥10.36
-25.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.28 ₹407
$12.59 ¥84.2
-66.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.52 ₹334
$3.23 ¥21.62
8.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$10.12 ¥67.7
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 ₹184
$1.87 ¥12.52
3.21%
Banana (1kg)
$0.79 ₹75.1
$1.26 ¥8.39
-37.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.01 ₹95.6
$1.47 ¥9.83
-31.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.53 ₹50.0
$1.15 ¥7.68
-53.91%
Potato (1kg)
$0.28 ₹26.21
$0.73 ¥4.89
-61.64%
Onion (1kg)
$0.37 ₹35.46
$0.92 ¥6.13
-59.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 ₹41.89
$0.56 ¥3.77
-21.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.89
$0.51 ¥3.44
-39.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₹470
$3.17 ¥21.22
56.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.57 ₹814
$10.71 ¥71.6
-19.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ₹152
$0.79 ¥5.29
103.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₹253
$1.60 ¥10.69
66.25%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.40 ₹608
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Delhi
Datong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 ₹48.63
$0.27 ¥1.80
88.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.59 ₹1,481
$16.82 ¥112
-7.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.04 ₹98.4
$1.42 ¥9.48
-26.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹25.79
$0.33 ¥2.19
-18.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 ₹146
$6.87 ¥45.96
-77.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ₹106
$1.17 ¥7.83
-5.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.5K ₹1.1M
$19.4K ¥129.6K
-40.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.9K ₹1.8M
$17.4K ¥116.3K
8.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
Datong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.45 ₹4,031
$44.62 ¥298
-4.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.20 ₹399
$9.53 ¥63.7
-55.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.89 ₹654
$11.92 ¥79.7
-42.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
Datong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.09 ₹1,908
$42.32 ¥283
-52.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.89 ₹749
$13.88 ¥92.8
-43.16%
Cinema Ticket
$5.31 ₹504
$5.84 ¥39.05
-9.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Delhi
Datong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$101 ₹9,571
$329 ¥2,198
-69.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,315 ₹219.8K
$16.5K ¥110.5K
-86.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
Datong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.64 ₹2,340
$44.27 ¥296
-44.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.82 ₹2,737
$30.48 ¥204
-5.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.6 ₹5,088
$71.5 ¥478
-25.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.17 ₹4,194
$70.7 ¥473
-37.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Delhi
Datong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$271 ₹25.8K
$283 ¥1,890
-4.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$157 ₹14.9K
$193 ¥1,289
-18.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$744 ₹70.6K
$598 ¥3,999
24.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$405 ₹38.4K
$363 ¥2,424
11.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,574 ₹244.4K
$3,069 ¥20.5K
-16.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,003 ₹95.2K
$2,036 ¥13.6K
-50.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Delhi
Datong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$615 ₹58.4K
-
-
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 18, 2026

Last update for Datong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Delhi
$157
Datong
$193 22.8% $36
Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$110
Datong
$198 80.7% $88
Eating Out
Delhi
$87
Datong
$85 1.8% $1.6
Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$68
Datong
$98 43.5% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$54
Datong
$66 23.4% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$31
Datong
$54 75.8% $23
Getting Around
Delhi
$20
Datong
$21 4.5% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $271 in Delhi and $283 in Datong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Delhi vs $21.00 in Datong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $110 vs $198 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Delhi
🇨🇳 Datong
🕒 Local time
07:54 7:54 AM
10:24 10:24 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,787,941 Capital
3,318,057
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Delhi Datong 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Delhi
  • Datong

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 Datong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Delhi or Datong?
Delhi wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Datong. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Delhi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Delhi and in Datong?
You'd need roughly $789 in Delhi and $1,072 in Datong to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Delhi compared to Datong?
Rent for a central apartment: $271 in Delhi versus $283 in Datong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Delhi and in Datong?
Childcare runs $101 in Delhi versus $329 in Datong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Delhi or in Datong?
Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Datong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Delhi or in Datong?
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.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Delhi or Datong?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Delhi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Datong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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