Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lhasa and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $526 a month against $733 in Lhasa, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
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Lhasa Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $733 per month in Lhasa vs $526 in Delhi, rent included.

Lhasa $733
Delhi $526

A couple spends around $1,192 per month in Lhasa vs $882 in Delhi, rent included.

Lhasa $1,192
Delhi $882

A family of three spends $1,651 per month in Lhasa vs $1,239 in Delhi, rent included.

Lhasa $1,651
Delhi $1,239

Lhasa costs about 39% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lhasa and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Lhasa 46% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.26

$3.70 ₹352

22.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.37 ¥203

$21.33 ₹2,026

42.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ¥50.3

$3.69 ₹351

103.79%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.69

$2.30 ₹218

21.30%

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

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.39 ₹36.82

10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.04

$0.15 ₹14.05

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$2.05 ₹195

-27.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.80

$3.13 ₹297

-34.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ¥11.93

$0.69 ₹65.9

157.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$0.58 ₹54.6

184.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.39

$0.78 ₹74.0

23.08%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.26

$1.15 ₹109

46.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 ¥47.89

$4.28 ₹407

67.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$3.52 ₹334

-17.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.97 ¥73.3

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 ¥12.57

$1.93 ₹184

-2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.79 ₹75.1

63.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.37

$1.01 ₹95.6

53.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$0.53 ₹50.0

139.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.28 ₹26.21

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$0.37 ₹35.46

154.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ¥3.89

$0.44 ₹41.89

31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.70

$0.31 ₹29.89

77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.18

$4.95 ₹470

-23.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 ¥78.7

$8.57 ₹814

37.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$1.61 ₹152

-44.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$2.66 ₹253

-41.35%

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

$6.40 ₹608

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.51 ₹48.63

-43.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 ¥119

$15.59 ₹1,481

14.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$1.04 ₹98.4

39.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.27 ₹25.79

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.79

$1.54 ₹146

354.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.11 ₹106

12.61%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$11.5K ₹1.1M

69.72%

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

$17.2K ¥114.7K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

-9.07%

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

$57.0 ¥381

$42.45 ₹4,031

34.37%

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

$8.51 ¥56.9

$4.20 ₹399

102.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.05 ¥73.9

$6.89 ₹654

60.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 ¥282

$20.09 ₹1,908

109.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.97 ¥100

$7.89 ₹749

89.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.33

$5.31 ₹504

22.03%

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

$413 ¥2,762

$101 ₹9,571

309.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ¥117.9K

$2,315 ₹219.8K

661.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.14 ¥295

$24.64 ₹2,340

79.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 ¥221

$28.82 ₹2,737

14.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 ¥494

$53.6 ₹5,088

37.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ¥507

$44.17 ₹4,194

71.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,965

$271 ₹25.8K

8.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,223

$157 ₹14.9K

16.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,174

$744 ₹70.6K

-16.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,508

$405 ₹38.4K

-7.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,432 ¥22.9K

$2,574 ₹244.4K

33.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,929 ¥12.9K

$1,003 ₹95.2K

92.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,127 ¥14.2K

$615 ₹58.4K

245.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

8.33

-59.66%

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

Last update for Lhasa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lhasa

$188 25.6%

Delhi

$110 20.8% 41.6% $78

Accommodation & Living

Lhasa

$183 24.9%

Delhi

$157 29.9% 14.1% $26

Eating Out

Lhasa

$107 14.6%

Delhi

$87 16.5% 18.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Lhasa

$102 13.9%

Delhi

$68 12.9% 33.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lhasa

$77 10.5%

Delhi

$54 10.2% 30.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lhasa

$55 7.5%

Delhi

$31 5.8% 44.3% $24

Getting Around

Lhasa

$22 3%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 9.3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Lhasa versus $271 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 246% higher in Lhasa, 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 $30.00 in Lhasa versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $110 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

2 h 30 min behind Lhasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

867,891

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 21, 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 21, 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

Lhasa Delhi 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lhasa
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

Lhasa vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $733 in Lhasa, $526 in Delhi – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,100 per month in Lhasa and $789 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 $30.00 in Lhasa 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 $733 in Lhasa and $526 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 39%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $733 in Lhasa and $526 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, Lhasa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.