Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $552 a month against $764 in Hefei, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

Jump to prices

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hefei 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 Hefei and in Bangalore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $764 in Hefei versus $552 in Bangalore.

Hefei $764
Bangalore $552

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,215 in Hefei versus $936 in Bangalore.

Hefei $1,215
Bangalore $936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Hefei versus $1,320 in Bangalore.

Hefei $1,666
Bangalore $1,320

Living in Hefei is roughly 38% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hefei 43% lower, Bangalore 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 ¥17.37

$3.20 ₹304

-18.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$17.72 ₹1,683

28.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ¥30.27

$4.74 ₹451

-4.43%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ¥17.83

$2.24 ₹213

19.20%

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

$0.49 ¥3.27

$0.38 ₹36.16

28.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.13 ₹11.88

107.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$2.29 ₹217

-55.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.27

$3.69 ₹351

-46.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥10.59

$0.63 ₹60.1

150.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.14

$0.59 ₹55.6

233.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.30

$0.81 ₹77.2

-2.47%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥12.22

$1.12 ₹106

63.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 ¥92.5

$5.97 ₹567

131.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.76 ¥31.85

$3.75 ₹356

26.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ¥77.2

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.44

$2.80 ₹266

-17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$0.76 ₹72.6

121.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.18 ₹112

38.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$0.38 ₹36.11

305.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$0.38 ₹35.71

131.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$0.36 ₹34.08

175.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$0.42 ₹40.06

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.44

$0.32 ₹30.82

106.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$4.80 ₹456

-36.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$9.31 ₹884

29.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.88

$1.95 ₹185

-54.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$3.00 ₹285

-36.67%

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

$6.37 ₹605

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.54 ₹50.9

-42.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.14 ¥295

$15.55 ₹1,477

183.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$1.02 ₹97.2

14.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.30 ₹28.63

10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$2.04 ₹194

73.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.10 ₹105

18.18%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

51.75%

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

$16.9K ¥112.8K

$18.7K ₹1.8M

-9.91%

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

$49.24 ¥329

$30.94 ₹2,938

59.15%

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

$9.03 ¥60.4

$4.10 ₹389

120.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$10.39 ₹987

12.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 ¥105

$18.87 ₹1,792

-16.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.63 ¥105

$5.79 ₹550

169.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 ¥43.00

$4.82 ₹457

33.40%

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

$246 ¥1,645

$102 ₹9,658

141.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,528 ¥57.0K

$3,257 ₹309.3K

161.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 ¥608

$33.54 ₹3,185

171.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 ¥219

$30.76 ₹2,921

6.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 ¥422

$52.7 ₹5,002

19.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ¥658

$40.37 ₹3,834

143.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ¥1,662

$307 ₹29.1K

-18.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,202

$176 ₹16.7K

2.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥3,679

$782 ₹74.2K

-29.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,221

$482 ₹45.8K

-31.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ¥24.0K

$1,857 ₹176.3K

93.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 ¥12.8K

$1,074 ₹102.0K

77.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,007 ¥6,734

$940 ₹89.2K

7.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

8.46

-62.77%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$230 30.1%

Bangalore

$124 22.4% 46.3% $107

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$180 23.5%

Bangalore

$176 31.9% 2.1% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$128 16.8%

Bangalore

$71 12.8% 44.9% $58

Eating Out

Hefei

$78 10.3%

Bangalore

$88 15.9% 11.6% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.2%

Bangalore

$45 8.2% 35.1% $25

Getting Around

Hefei

$48 6.3%

Bangalore

$20 3.7% 58% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$29 3.8%

Bangalore

$29 5.2% 0.3% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $249 in Hefei and $307 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hefei pays 7% 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: $23.00 in Hefei vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $124 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

2 h 30 min behind Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hefei Bangalore 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

Hefei vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Hefei. 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 7% higher in Hefei, 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: $249 in Hefei versus $307 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 184% less than in Hefei. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $246 in Hefei versus $102 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bangalore gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $552 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 38% less than in Hefei. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.