Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Zhongshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $700 in Zhongshan, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Zhongshan despite lower rent and utilities.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
Learn more

Zhongshan Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Zhongshan

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $700 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Delhi $522
Zhongshan $700

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $1,110 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Delhi $872
Zhongshan $1,110

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $1,521 in Zhongshan, rent included.

Delhi $1,222
Zhongshan $1,521

Delhi is about 25% cheaper than Zhongshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Zhongshan are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Zhongshan 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹352

$2.91 ¥19.47

27.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹2,002

$24.18 ¥162

-12.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹355

$4.47 ¥29.86

-16.55%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹224

$2.81 ¥18.80

-16.37%

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

$0.37 ₹35.28

$0.47 ¥3.15

-21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.96

$0.29 ¥1.93

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹204

$0.78 ¥5.19

174.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹292

$1.81 ¥12.14

69.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.2

$1.55 ¥10.38

-55.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.1

$1.59 ¥10.61

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.2

$0.64 ¥4.31

20.31%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$1.20 ¥8.00

-7.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹441

$20.77 ¥139

-77.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹335

$2.79 ¥18.63

26.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ¥90.4

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.04 ¥13.65

-1.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.7

$1.03 ¥6.88

-28.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.7

$0.69 ¥4.60

40.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$1.42 ¥9.50

-62.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.66

$0.53 ¥3.57

-43.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.89

$0.78 ¥5.19

-48.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.70

$0.43 ¥2.88

-2.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.86

$0.54 ¥3.60

-42.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹470

$2.96 ¥19.79

66.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹781

$12.02 ¥80.4

-31.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$0.69 ¥4.63

128.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹256

$1.80 ¥12.01

49.44%

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

$6.19 ₹589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.54

$0.29 ¥1.92

58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,501

$15.18 ¥102

3.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.48 ¥9.88

-27.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.71

$0.42 ¥2.78

-35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹151

$7.11 ¥47.58

-77.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.29 ¥8.65

-17.05%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$19.1K ¥128.0K

-44.33%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$18.0K ¥120.7K

4.94%

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

$42.37 ₹4,031

$41.21 ¥276

2.81%

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

$4.03 ₹384

$9.85 ¥65.9

-59.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹661

$12.75 ¥85.3

-45.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,824

$67.8 ¥454

-71.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹754

$7.33 ¥49.00

8.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹501

$6.04 ¥40.42

-12.75%

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

$100 ₹9,543

$324 ¥2,164

-69.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.8K

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-83.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,294

$49.30 ¥330

-51.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,650

$40.39 ¥270

-31.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,986

$59.9 ¥400

-12.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,081

$76.0 ¥508

-43.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$208 ¥1,391

28.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$129 ¥864

20.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.9K

$371 ¥2,483

97.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

$215 ¥1,437

83.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.5K

$2,447 ¥16.4K

2.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹97.0K

$1,515 ¥10.1K

-32.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.8K

$956 ¥6,396

-36.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.35

148.66%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhongshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Zhongshan

$129 18.5% 17.1% $27

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Zhongshan

$224 32.1% 106% $115

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Zhongshan

$81 11.6% 7.9% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Zhongshan

$101 14.5% 53.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Zhongshan

$64 9.1% 19.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Zhongshan

$80 11.4% 169% $50

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Zhongshan

$20 2.8% 0.7% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $208 in Zhongshan. 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 57% higher in Zhongshan, 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 Zhongshan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $224 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

3,209,600

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Delhi Zhongshan 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Delhi
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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 Zhongshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $700 in Zhongshan – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $1,049 in Zhongshan. 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 Zhongshan. 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 $700 in Zhongshan. That's a gap of about 34%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $522 in Delhi and $700 in Zhongshan, 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, Zhongshan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.