Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
Learn more

Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

Jump to prices

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guangzhou (Canton) and in Bangalore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $535 in Bangalore.

Guangzhou (Canton) $924
Bangalore $535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,438 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $927 in Bangalore.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,438
Bangalore $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,953 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $1,318 in Bangalore.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,953
Bangalore $1,318

Living in Guangzhou (Canton) is roughly 73% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guangzhou (Canton) 31% lower, Bangalore 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 ¥20.21

$3.04 ₹294

-0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.67 ¥198

$17.83 ₹1,725

66.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 ¥35.53

$4.78 ₹463

11.30%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.83

$2.24 ₹217

32.59%

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

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.39 ₹37.49

48.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$0.14 ₹13.64

164.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$2.34 ₹226

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.41

$3.91 ₹379

-29.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 ¥12.75

$0.61 ₹58.6

213.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$0.57 ₹55.2

221.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.30

$0.81 ₹77.9

34.57%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.14

$1.12 ₹109

35.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.76 ¥112

$5.93 ₹574

182.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 ¥33.07

$3.85 ₹373

28.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.20 ¥81.5

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ¥15.04

$2.78 ₹269

-19.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.19

$0.75 ₹72.2

64.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.22 ₹118

20.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$0.40 ₹39.19

345.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$0.38 ₹36.40

171.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$0.36 ₹34.72

225.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.56

$0.42 ₹40.31

97.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$0.32 ₹31.21

103.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥25.93

$4.61 ₹446

-15.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 ¥72.5

$9.01 ₹872

20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ¥7.05

$1.86 ₹180

-43.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$2.92 ₹283

-35.27%

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

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.51 ₹48.89

-7.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.21 ¥148

$15.71 ₹1,520

41.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ¥12.23

$1.01 ₹97.8

81.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ¥2.69

$0.30 ₹29.43

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.90

$2.10 ₹203

234.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.75

$1.08 ₹104

21.30%

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

$19.2K ¥128.2K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

52.65%

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

$17.6K ¥117.5K

$19.1K ₹1.8M

-7.70%

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

$60.0 ¥401

$30.32 ₹2,934

98.02%

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

$16.00 ¥107

$4.11 ₹398

289.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.46 ¥96.6

$10.23 ₹990

41.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ¥460

$18.61 ₹1,801

270.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.04 ¥80.4

$5.95 ₹576

102.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 ¥43.94

$4.60 ₹446

42.83%

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

$1,471 ¥9,831

$104 ₹10.1K

1313.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.5K

$3,176 ₹307.3K

660.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.75 ¥326

$32.29 ₹3,125

50.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.61 ¥278

$29.85 ₹2,889

39.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 ¥545

$53.3 ₹5,160

52.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.4 ¥471

$39.66 ₹3,838

77.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 ¥3,623

$309 ₹29.9K

75.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ¥1,842

$175 ₹16.9K

57.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 ¥8,974

$788 ₹76.3K

70.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 ¥3,157

$481 ₹46.6K

-1.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,553 ¥57.2K

$1,889 ₹182.8K

352.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,459 ¥23.1K

$1,067 ₹103.3K

224.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,265 ¥8,452

$919 ₹89.0K

37.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

8.5

-60.00%

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 4, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guangzhou (Canton)

$276 30.1%

Bangalore

$175 32% 36.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$240 26.2%

Bangalore

$122 22.4% 49% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 11.9%

Bangalore

$70 12.8% 36% $39

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 9.9%

Bangalore

$87 15.9% 4.1% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$90 9.9%

Bangalore

$45 8.2% 50.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$82 9%

Bangalore

$28 5.1% 66.1% $54

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3.1%

Bangalore

$20 3.7% 27.4% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guangzhou (Canton) pays 38% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $122 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

2 h 30 min behind Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guangzhou (Canton) Bangalore 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Guangzhou (Canton)
Bangalore

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

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Guangzhou (Canton). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Guangzhou (Canton), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $542 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $309 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 41% less than in Guangzhou (Canton). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,471 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $104 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $535 in Bangalore versus $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bangalore but tight or insufficient in Guangzhou (Canton). The gap between the two cities makes Bangalore the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $535 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Guangzhou (Canton). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.