Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $842 in Xiamen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Xiamen

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $842 in Xiamen, rent included.

Delhi $520
Xiamen $842

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,338 in Xiamen, rent included.

Delhi $858
Xiamen $1,338

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $1,835 in Xiamen, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Xiamen $1,835

Delhi is about 38% cheaper than Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Xiamen are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Xiamen 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$3.01 ¥20.10

21.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$23.67 ¥158

-11.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$5.36 ¥35.85

-30.22%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$2.51 ¥16.78

-7.17%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.47 ¥3.14

-21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.35 ¥2.37

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$1.47 ¥9.86

37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$2.99 ¥19.97

6.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.46 ¥9.78

-53.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$2.27 ¥15.20

-77.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$0.98 ¥6.55

-15.31%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$1.63 ¥10.92

-34.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$11.95 ¥79.9

-62.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$2.52 ¥16.83

33.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$2.55 ¥17.05

-21.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.47 ¥9.85

-51.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.66 ¥11.09

-38.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.97 ¥13.19

-73.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$1.03 ¥6.86

-73.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$1.82 ¥12.18

-79.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$0.91 ¥6.05

-52.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.49 ¥3.31

-36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$3.06 ¥20.47

60.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$11.22 ¥75.0

-25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$0.81 ¥5.40

102.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$1.70 ¥11.37

58.82%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.16 ¥1.07

187.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$12.10 ¥80.9

26.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.47 ¥9.82

-29.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.29 ¥1.92

-6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$7.34 ¥49.07

-79.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$1.31 ¥8.78

-19.85%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$19.3K ¥128.8K

-45.69%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$17.3K ¥115.4K

6.37%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$44.42 ¥297

-3.94%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$8.81 ¥58.9

-54.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$10.23 ¥68.3

-34.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$48.22 ¥322

-59.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$10.59 ¥70.8

-23.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$10.22 ¥68.3

-50.29%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$488 ¥3,264

-79.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$24.1K ¥161.3K

-90.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$38.84 ¥260

-37.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$28.49 ¥190

-0.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$105 ¥703

-49.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$84.5 ¥565

-47.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$342 ¥2,283

-22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$269 ¥1,798

-42.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$825 ¥5,511

-10.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$547 ¥3,655

-27.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$8,597 ¥57.5K

-70.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$4,684 ¥31.3K

-78.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$1,138 ¥7,607

-48.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.46

140.75%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Xiamen

$269 32.2% 74.6% $115

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Xiamen

$216 25.8% 99.8% $108

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 0.4% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Xiamen

$116 13.9% 71.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Xiamen

$63 7.6% 18.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Xiamen

$69 8.2% 132% $39

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Xiamen

$16 1.9% 19.8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $342 in Xiamen. 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 94% higher in Xiamen, 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 $24.00 in Xiamen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $216 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

3,531,000

💱 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 Xiamen 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Xiamen

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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $842 in Xiamen – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $1,263 in Xiamen. 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 $24.00 in Xiamen. 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 $842 in Xiamen. That's a gap of about 62%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $520 in Delhi and $842 in Xiamen, 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, Xiamen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.