Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dongguan and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $813 in Dongguan, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dongguan and in Delhi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dongguan and in Delhi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $813 per month in Dongguan vs $522 in Delhi, rent included.

Dongguan $813
Delhi $522

A couple spends around $1,291 per month in Dongguan vs $872 in Delhi, rent included.

Dongguan $1,291
Delhi $872

A family of three spends $1,768 per month in Dongguan vs $1,222 in Delhi, rent included.

Dongguan $1,768
Delhi $1,222

Dongguan costs about 56% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dongguan and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Dongguan 40% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.57 ¥17.18

$3.70 ₹352

-30.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.04 ¥147

$21.05 ₹2,002

4.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.26 ¥35.16

$3.73 ₹355

41.02%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ¥17.14

$2.35 ₹224

8.94%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.37 ₹35.28

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.15 ₹13.96

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.18

$2.14 ₹204

-57.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.80

$3.06 ₹292

-27.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$0.69 ₹65.2

131.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$0.53 ₹50.1

194.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.90

$0.77 ₹73.2

33.77%

Eggs

$1.66 ¥11.12

$1.11 ₹105

49.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.79 ¥139

$4.63 ₹441

349.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.44 ¥22.99

$3.52 ₹335

-2.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ¥95.2

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ¥15.17

$2.00 ₹190

13.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$0.74 ₹70.7

112.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.95

$0.97 ₹92.7

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.47

$0.53 ₹50.0

167.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.30 ₹28.66

260.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$0.40 ₹37.89

210.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.72

$0.42 ₹39.70

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.68

$0.31 ₹29.86

77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 ¥30.04

$4.94 ₹470

-9.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ¥79.5

$8.21 ₹781

44.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥5.76

$1.58 ₹150

-45.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.68

$2.69 ₹256

-34.94%

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

$6.19 ₹589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.46 ₹43.54

-23.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.79 ¥152

$15.78 ₹1,501

44.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$1.07 ₹102

10.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.59

$0.27 ₹25.71

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 ¥29.14

$1.58 ₹151

175.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.53

$1.07 ₹102

19.63%

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

$19.5K ¥130.7K

$10.7K ₹1.0M

83.39%

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

$18.6K ¥124.6K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

-1.65%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$42.37 ₹4,031

50.48%

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

$9.24 ¥61.8

$4.03 ₹384

129.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.08 ¥87.5

$6.95 ₹661

88.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 ¥341

$19.18 ₹1,824

166.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 ¥107

$7.92 ₹754

102.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ¥51.3

$5.27 ₹501

45.54%

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

$533 ¥3,566

$100 ₹9,543

431.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.6K

$2,247 ₹213.8K

975.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.76 ¥313

$24.11 ₹2,294

93.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.41 ¥270

$27.85 ₹2,650

45.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ¥490

$52.4 ₹4,986

39.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.10 ¥262

$42.90 ₹4,081

-8.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 ¥2,490

$267 ₹25.4K

39.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,459

$156 ₹14.8K

39.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 ¥4,427

$734 ₹69.9K

-9.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ¥2,883

$394 ₹37.5K

9.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,714 ¥38.2K

$2,507 ₹238.5K

127.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,066 ¥20.5K

$1,020 ₹97.0K

200.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$858 ¥5,736

$608 ₹57.8K

41.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

8.33

-59.78%

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

Last update for Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dongguan

$246 30.3%

Delhi

$109 20.9% 55.8% $137

Accommodation & Living

Dongguan

$218 26.8%

Delhi

$156 29.9% 28.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Dongguan

$90 11%

Delhi

$66 12.7% 26.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dongguan

$86 10.6%

Delhi

$53 10.2% 38% $33

Eating Out

Dongguan

$79 9.7%

Delhi

$88 16.8% 11% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dongguan

$66 8.2%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 55.3% $37

Getting Around

Dongguan

$27 3.4%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 26.7% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $372 in Dongguan versus $267 in Delhi. 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 41% higher in Dongguan, 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 $22.00 in Dongguan versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $109 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

2 h 30 min behind Dongguan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,254,100

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dongguan Delhi 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dongguan
Delhi

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

Dongguan vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $813 in Dongguan, $522 in Delhi – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,220 per month in Dongguan and $783 in Delhi. 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 $22.00 in Dongguan and $21.00 in Delhi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $813 in Dongguan and $522 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 56%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $813 in Dongguan and $522 in Delhi, 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, Dongguan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.