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Cost of Living Comparison Between India and China Cost of Living Comparison Between India and China

🙂 Solo nomad: India is 40.8% cheaper than China without rent, and 43.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: India is 41.1% cheaper than China without rent, and 43.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
India
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.54 ₹230
$2.77 ¥19.31
-8.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.78 ₹1,251
$24.14 ¥169
-42.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.14 ₹375
$4.75 ¥33.15
-12.84%
Cappuccino
$1.81 ₹164
$3.02 ¥21.06
-40.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ₹36.98
$0.44 ¥3.06
-6.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹13.69
$0.27 ¥1.87
-44.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.93 ₹175
$0.96 ¥6.67
101.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 ₹326
$2.04 ¥14.21
75.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
India
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.73 ₹65.9
$1.75 ¥12.21
-58.29%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 ₹46.62
$1.69 ¥11.79
-69.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 ₹65.1
$0.98 ¥6.85
-26.53%
Eggs
$1.00 ₹90.5
$1.60 ¥11.19
-37.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.17 ₹469
$13.34 ¥93.1
-61.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.16 ₹287
$3.27 ¥22.82
-3.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$10.63 ¥74.2
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.10 ₹191
$1.74 ¥12.16
20.69%
Banana (1kg)
$0.72 ₹65.3
$1.26 ¥8.76
-42.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.08 ₹98.3
$1.45 ¥10.13
-25.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 ₹51.1
$1.19 ¥8.28
-52.94%
Potato (1kg)
$0.43 ₹38.99
$0.73 ¥5.08
-41.10%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 ₹44.46
$0.86 ¥5.99
-43.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.50 ₹45.73
$0.62 ¥4.30
-19.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₹29.84
$0.53 ¥3.71
-37.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 ₹380
$3.44 ¥24.03
21.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.00 ₹726
$11.63 ¥81.2
-31.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 ₹172
$0.84 ¥5.88
125.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 ₹278
$1.62 ¥11.30
88.89%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.61 ₹509
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
India
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₹33.33
$0.44 ¥3.07
-15.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.71 ₹881
$20.71 ¥145
-53.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.91 ₹82.8
$1.42 ¥9.91
-35.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ₹25.17
$0.33 ¥2.27
-15.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.73 ₹157
$6.51 ¥45.42
-73.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ₹107
$1.17 ¥8.19
0.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$13.9K ₹1.3M
$19.2K ¥133.9K
-27.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K ₹2.0M
$16.6K ¥116.1K
33.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.51 ₹3,676
$51.4 ¥359
-21.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.89 ₹353
$9.63 ¥67.2
-59.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.79 ₹707
$11.22 ¥78.3
-30.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
India
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.34 ₹1,482
$39.09 ¥273
-58.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.62 ₹691
$14.70 ¥103
-48.16%
Cinema Ticket
$3.51 ₹319
$6.14 ¥42.89
-42.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
India
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$68.3 ₹6,194
$416 ¥2,905
-83.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,829 ₹166.0K
$17.9K ¥125.0K
-89.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
India
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.62 ₹2,325
$45.24 ¥316
-43.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.01 ₹2,451
$32.59 ¥228
-17.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.10 ₹4,093
$73.0 ¥509
-38.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$33.35 ₹3,026
$72.8 ¥508
-54.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
India
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$179 ₹16.2K
$432 ¥3,018
-58.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$113 ₹10.3K
$253 ¥1,767
-55.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$406 ₹36.8K
$923 ¥6,441
-56.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$258 ₹23.4K
$546 ¥3,811
-52.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,338 ₹121.4K
$5,324 ¥37.2K
-74.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$682 ₹61.9K
$2,784 ¥19.4K
-75.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
India
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$462 ₹41.9K
$1,037 ¥7,240
-55.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.02
4.06
122.17%

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

Last update for India: January 11, 2026

Last update for China: January 11, 2026

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