Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $764 in Hefei, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Hefei

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $764 in Hefei, rent included.

Delhi $522
Hefei $764

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $1,215 in Hefei, rent included.

Delhi $872
Hefei $1,215

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $1,666 in Hefei, rent included.

Delhi $1,222
Hefei $1,666

Delhi is about 32% cheaper than Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Hefei are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Hefei 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹351

$2.60 ¥17.37

42.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹1,999

$22.83 ¥153

-7.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹354

$4.53 ¥30.27

-17.66%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹223

$2.67 ¥17.83

-11.99%

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

$0.37 ₹35.21

$0.49 ¥3.27

-24.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.93

$0.27 ¥1.78

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

$1.03 ¥6.88

107.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹291

$1.98 ¥13.27

54.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.1

$1.58 ¥10.59

-56.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$1.97 ¥13.14

-73.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.1

$0.79 ¥5.30

-2.53%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$1.83 ¥12.22

-39.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹440

$13.84 ¥92.5

-66.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$4.76 ¥31.85

-26.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ¥77.2

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.31 ¥15.44

-13.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$1.68 ¥11.23

-55.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.6

$1.64 ¥10.95

-40.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹49.92

$1.54 ¥10.27

-65.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.61

$0.88 ¥5.90

-65.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.82

$0.99 ¥6.60

-59.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.62

$0.84 ¥5.59

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.81

$0.66 ¥4.44

-53.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹469

$3.06 ¥20.47

61.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹779

$12.08 ¥80.8

-32.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$0.88 ¥5.88

79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹255

$1.90 ¥12.73

41.58%

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

$6.19 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.46

$0.31 ¥2.10

48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,498

$44.14 ¥295

-64.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.17 ¥7.79

-8.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.66

$0.33 ¥2.18

-18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹150

$3.54 ¥23.65

-55.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹101

$1.30 ¥8.69

-17.69%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

-43.97%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$16.9K ¥112.8K

12.26%

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

$42.37 ₹4,024

$49.24 ¥329

-13.95%

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

$4.03 ₹383

$9.03 ¥60.4

-55.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹660

$11.71 ¥78.3

-40.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,821

$15.74 ¥105

21.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹752

$15.63 ¥105

-49.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹500

$6.43 ¥43.00

-18.04%

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

$100 ₹9,525

$246 ¥1,645

-59.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.4K

$8,528 ¥57.0K

-73.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,290

$90.9 ¥608

-73.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,645

$32.82 ¥219

-15.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,977

$63.2 ¥422

-17.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,074

$98.4 ¥658

-56.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$249 ¥1,662

7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$180 ¥1,202

-13.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.7K

$550 ¥3,679

33.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

$332 ¥2,221

18.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.0K

$3,585 ¥24.0K

-30.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹96.8K

$1,910 ¥12.8K

-46.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.7K

$1,007 ¥6,734

-39.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.15

164.44%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Hefei

$180 23.5% 15.3% $24

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Hefei

$230 30.1% 111% $121

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Hefei

$78 10.3% 10.7% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Hefei

$128 16.8% 93.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Hefei

$70 9.2% 31.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Hefei

$29 3.8% 3.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Hefei

$48 6.3% 141% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $249 in Hefei. 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 66% higher in Hefei, 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 $23.00 in Hefei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $230 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

01:39 1:39 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

9,369,881

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Delhi Hefei 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Hefei

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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $764 in Hefei – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $1,145 in Hefei. 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 $23.00 in Hefei. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $522 in Delhi and $764 in Hefei. That's a gap of about 46%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $522 in Delhi and $764 in Hefei, 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, Hefei makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.