Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lanzhou and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $719 in Lanzhou, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Lanzhou vs $522 in Delhi, rent included.

Lanzhou $719
Delhi $522

A couple spends around $1,143 per month in Lanzhou vs $872 in Delhi, rent included.

Lanzhou $1,143
Delhi $872

A family of three spends $1,567 per month in Lanzhou vs $1,222 in Delhi, rent included.

Lanzhou $1,567
Delhi $1,222

Lanzhou costs about 38% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lanzhou and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Lanzhou 47% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ¥13.80

$3.70 ₹351

-44.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.34 ¥189

$21.05 ₹1,999

34.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 ¥39.15

$3.73 ₹354

57.10%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥20.89

$2.35 ₹223

32.77%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.37 ₹35.21

29.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.15 ₹13.93

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$2.14 ₹203

-48.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.06 ₹291

-33.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$0.69 ₹65.1

156.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$0.53 ₹50.0

203.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$0.77 ₹73.1

24.68%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.72

$1.11 ₹105

44.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 ¥88.4

$4.63 ₹440

185.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.92

$3.52 ₹334

-2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ¥81.0

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.09

$2.00 ₹190

-9.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.56

$0.74 ₹70.5

72.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.97

$0.97 ₹92.6

53.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.32

$0.53 ₹49.92

133.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.30 ₹28.61

133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.40 ₹37.82

132.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.42 ₹39.62

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$0.31 ₹29.81

77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.19

$4.94 ₹469

-23.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 ¥77.0

$8.21 ₹779

40.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$1.58 ₹150

-47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.25

$2.69 ₹255

-43.12%

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

$6.19 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.46 ₹43.46

-36.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 ¥121

$15.78 ₹1,498

14.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$1.07 ₹102

38.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.17

$0.27 ₹25.66

18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.12 ¥47.58

$1.58 ₹150

350.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.73

$1.07 ₹101

36.45%

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

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$10.7K ₹1.0M

64.48%

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

$15.0K ¥100.4K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

-20.75%

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

$58.0 ¥388

$42.37 ₹4,024

36.91%

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

$8.79 ¥58.8

$4.03 ₹383

118.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$6.95 ₹660

60.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.33 ¥283

$19.18 ₹1,821

120.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$7.92 ₹752

85.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ¥42.06

$5.27 ₹500

19.35%

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

$412 ¥2,756

$100 ₹9,525

310.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.6K

$2,247 ₹213.4K

682.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.85 ¥287

$24.11 ₹2,290

77.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.44 ¥224

$27.85 ₹2,645

20.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥505

$52.4 ₹4,977

44.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ¥495

$42.90 ₹4,074

72.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$267 ₹25.4K

10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,126

$156 ₹14.8K

8.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ¥4,186

$734 ₹69.7K

-14.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,986

$394 ₹37.5K

-24.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 ¥17.9K

$2,507 ₹238.0K

6.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 ¥10.8K

$1,020 ₹96.8K

58.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$953 ¥6,375

$608 ₹57.7K

56.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

-63.99%

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

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lanzhou

$209 29.1%

Delhi

$109 20.9% 47.9% $100

Accommodation & Living

Lanzhou

$168 23.4%

Delhi

$156 29.9% 7.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Lanzhou

$102 14.2%

Delhi

$66 12.7% 34.8% $35

Eating Out

Lanzhou

$84 11.7%

Delhi

$88 16.8% 4.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lanzhou

$78 10.9%

Delhi

$53 10.2% 31.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lanzhou

$55 7.6%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 45.9% $25

Getting Around

Lanzhou

$22 3.1%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 10.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $295 in Lanzhou 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 57% higher in Lanzhou, 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 $28.00 in Lanzhou versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $109 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

2 h 30 min behind Lanzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,688,400

16,787,941 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Highest

Between locations

Lanzhou Delhi 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lanzhou
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

Lanzhou vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $719 in Lanzhou, $522 in Delhi – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,078 per month in Lanzhou 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 $28.00 in Lanzhou 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 $719 in Lanzhou and $522 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 38%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $719 in Lanzhou 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, Lanzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.