Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $550 in Yiwu, rent and utilities included – about $340 less a year. The total is higher in Yiwu despite lower rent and utilities.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
Learn more

Yiwu Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Yiwu

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $550 in Yiwu, rent included.

Delhi $522
Yiwu $550

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $1,286 in Yiwu, rent included.

Delhi $872
Yiwu $1,286

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $2,022 in Yiwu, rent included.

Delhi $1,222
Yiwu $2,022

Delhi is about 5% cheaper than Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Yiwu are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Yiwu 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹352

$2.92 ¥19.54

26.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹2,002

$29.38 ¥196

-28.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹355

$5.13 ¥34.31

-27.29%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹224

$3.29 ¥22.01

-28.57%

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

$0.37 ₹35.28

$0.62 ¥4.15

-40.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.96

$0.38 ¥2.55

-60.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹204

$1.22 ¥8.19

75.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹292

$2.28 ¥15.22

34.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.2

$1.85 ¥12.40

-62.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.1

$1.96 ¥13.09

-72.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.2

$0.98 ¥6.58

-21.43%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$1.68 ¥11.26

-33.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹441

$17.54 ¥117

-73.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹335

$3.35 ¥22.38

5.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.14 ¥87.9

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.14 ¥14.29

-6.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.7

$1.75 ¥11.68

-57.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.7

$1.95 ¥13.05

-50.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$1.66 ¥11.08

-68.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.66

$0.82 ¥5.51

-63.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.89

$0.94 ¥6.28

-57.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.70

$0.62 ¥4.17

-32.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.86

$0.59 ¥3.96

-47.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹470

$3.75 ¥25.10

31.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹781

$10.78 ¥72.1

-23.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$0.83 ¥5.56

90.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹256

$1.60 ¥10.67

68.12%

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

$6.19 ₹589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.54

$0.43 ¥2.90

6.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,501

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.30 ¥8.73

-17.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.71

$0.43 ¥2.89

-37.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹151

$8.89 ¥59.4

-82.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.27 ¥8.49

-15.75%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$19.6K ¥130.9K

-45.53%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$18.6K ¥124.3K

1.91%

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

$42.37 ₹4,031

$57.4 ¥384

-26.21%

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

$4.03 ₹384

$8.10 ¥54.2

-50.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹661

$10.41 ¥69.6

-33.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,824

$14.73 ¥98.5

30.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹754

$11.34 ¥75.8

-30.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹501

$7.22 ¥48.25

-27.01%

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

$100 ₹9,543

$1,430 ¥9,566

-92.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.8K

$27.3K ¥182.5K

-91.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,294

$53.9 ¥361

-55.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,650

$37.73 ¥252

-26.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,986

$76.8 ¥514

-31.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,081

$73.5 ¥491

-41.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$446 ¥2,985

-40.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.9K

$1,053 ¥7,041

-30.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

$733 ¥4,901

-46.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.5K

$11.8K ¥78.7K

-78.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹97.0K

$2,921 ¥19.5K

-65.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.8K

$748 ¥5,000

-18.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.36

147.92%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Yiwu

$238 43.2% 118% $129

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Yiwu

$93 16.9% 5.8% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Yiwu

$109 19.8% 64.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Yiwu

$76 13.8% 42.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 1.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Yiwu

$5.2 * 1% 74% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $446 in Yiwu. 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 23% higher in Yiwu, 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 $29.00 in Yiwu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $238 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

19:08 7:08 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

1,234,015

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 95.14 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 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 Yiwu 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Yiwu

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 Yiwu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $550 in Yiwu – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $825 in Yiwu. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $522 in Delhi and $550 in Yiwu. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Delhi and $1,430 in Yiwu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $522 in Delhi and $550 in Yiwu, 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, Yiwu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.