Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanjing and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $841 in Nanjing, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Nanjing
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Nanjing Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
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Bangalore Living Index

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Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$841

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Nanjing versus $535 in Bangalore.

Nanjing $841
Bangalore $535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,339 in Nanjing versus $927 in Bangalore.

Nanjing $1,339
Bangalore $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,837 in Nanjing versus $1,318 in Bangalore.

Nanjing $1,837
Bangalore $1,318

Living in Nanjing is roughly 57% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanjing 37% lower, Bangalore 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.54

$3.04 ₹294

20.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.21 ¥148

$17.83 ₹1,725

24.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 ¥33.22

$4.78 ₹463

3.97%

Cappuccino

$3.01 ¥20.12

$2.24 ₹217

34.37%

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

$0.50 ¥3.31

$0.39 ₹37.49

28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.14 ₹13.64

92.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.66

$2.34 ₹226

-38.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.28

$3.91 ₹379

-41.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ¥14.46

$0.61 ₹58.6

254.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥13.84

$0.57 ₹55.2

263.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$0.81 ₹77.9

12.35%

Eggs

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.12 ₹109

20.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$5.93 ₹574

79.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 ¥20.20

$3.85 ₹373

-21.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ¥59.9

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.95

$2.78 ₹269

-24.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$0.75 ₹72.2

70.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$1.22 ₹118

45.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.17

$0.40 ₹39.19

167.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$0.38 ₹36.40

139.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.05

$0.36 ₹34.72

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$0.42 ₹40.31

121.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.45

$0.32 ₹31.21

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.05

$4.61 ₹446

-18.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 ¥89.2

$9.01 ₹872

48.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.72

$1.86 ₹180

-45.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$2.92 ₹283

-46.58%

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

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.51 ₹48.89

-39.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.72 ¥199

$15.71 ₹1,520

89.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.01 ₹97.8

73.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.77

$0.30 ₹29.43

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ¥59.6

$2.10 ₹203

324.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.08 ₹104

26.85%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

52.16%

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

$16.6K ¥110.6K

$19.1K ₹1.8M

-13.15%

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

$53.6 ¥358

$30.32 ₹2,934

76.72%

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

$7.59 ¥50.7

$4.11 ₹398

84.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ¥48.66

$10.23 ₹990

-28.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.49 ¥190

$18.61 ₹1,801

53.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.70 ¥225

$5.95 ₹576

466.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ¥39.15

$4.60 ₹446

27.39%

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

$1,459 ¥9,753

$104 ₹10.1K

1302.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ¥150.7K

$3,176 ₹307.3K

610.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 ¥290

$32.29 ₹3,125

34.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.88 ¥226

$29.85 ₹2,889

13.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥439

$53.3 ₹5,160

23.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ¥581

$39.66 ₹3,838

119.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥3,535

$309 ₹29.9K

71.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,974

$175 ₹16.9K

68.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$788 ₹76.3K

41.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ¥3,722

$481 ₹46.6K

15.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 ¥33.5K

$1,889 ₹182.8K

165.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,140 ¥21.0K

$1,067 ₹103.3K

194.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,419 ¥9,485

$919 ₹89.0K

54.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

8.5

-59.76%

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

Last update for Nanjing: 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

Nanjing

$295 35.1%

Bangalore

$175 32% 40.8% $120

Groceries & Markets

Nanjing

$205 24.4%

Bangalore

$122 22.4% 40.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Nanjing

$103 12.3%

Bangalore

$70 12.8% 32.5% $34

Eating Out

Nanjing

$95 11.3%

Bangalore

$87 15.9% 8.5% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanjing

$68 8.1%

Bangalore

$45 8.2% 34.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Nanjing

$40 4.8%

Bangalore

$28 5.1% 30.8% $12

Getting Around

Nanjing

$35 4.1%

Bangalore

$20 3.7% 41.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Nanjing and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanjing pays 54% 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: $22.00 in Nanjing vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $122 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

2 h 30 min behind Nanjing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,314,685

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 = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nanjing Bangalore 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanjing
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

Nanjing vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Nanjing. 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 54% higher in Nanjing, 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: $529 in Nanjing 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 89% less than in Nanjing. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Nanjing 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 $841 in Nanjing, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bangalore but tight or insufficient in Nanjing. 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 57% less than in Nanjing. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.