Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanjing and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $841 in Nanjing, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$841

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $841 per month in Nanjing vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Nanjing $841
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,339 per month in Nanjing vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Nanjing $1,339
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,837 per month in Nanjing vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Nanjing $1,837
Delhi $1,195

Nanjing costs about 62% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nanjing and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Nanjing 37% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ¥24.54

$3.67 ₹355

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.21 ¥148

$20.95 ₹2,027

6.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 ¥33.22

$3.74 ₹362

32.89%

Cappuccino

$3.01 ¥20.12

$2.33 ₹226

29.18%

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

$0.50 ¥3.31

$0.37 ₹35.82

35.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$0.20 ₹18.91

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.66

$2.02 ₹195

-28.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.28

$3.19 ₹308

-28.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ¥14.46

$0.68 ₹65.9

217.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥13.84

$0.52 ₹50.2

298.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$0.83 ₹80.0

9.64%

Eggs

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.07 ₹104

26.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$4.43 ₹428

140.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.02 ¥20.20

$3.37 ₹326

-10.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.97 ¥59.9

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.95

$1.99 ₹192

5.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$0.72 ₹70.1

77.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$1.02 ₹98.4

73.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.17

$0.52 ₹50.1

105.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$0.27 ₹25.96

237.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.05

$0.37 ₹35.42

143.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$0.43 ₹41.64

116.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.45

$0.31 ₹30.39

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.05

$4.92 ₹476

-23.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 ¥89.2

$8.34 ₹808

59.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ¥6.72

$1.64 ₹159

-38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$2.70 ₹261

-42.22%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.46 ₹44.04

-32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.72 ¥199

$15.29 ₹1,480

94.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.03 ₹99.8

69.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.77

$0.27 ₹26.38

51.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ¥59.6

$1.53 ₹148

482.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.05 ₹102

30.48%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

82.80%

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

$16.6K ¥110.6K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

-9.89%

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

$53.6 ¥358

$42.67 ₹4,129

25.57%

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

$7.59 ¥50.7

$4.04 ₹391

87.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ¥48.66

$6.75 ₹653

7.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.49 ¥190

$19.40 ₹1,878

46.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.70 ¥225

$8.06 ₹780

318.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ¥39.15

$5.08 ₹492

15.35%

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

$1,459 ¥9,753

$100 ₹9,696

1356.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ¥150.7K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

894.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 ¥290

$24.14 ₹2,336

79.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.88 ¥226

$28.38 ₹2,747

19.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥439

$53.3 ₹5,160

23.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ¥581

$44.13 ₹4,271

96.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥3,535

$264 ₹25.5K

100.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,974

$154 ₹14.9K

91.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$736 ₹71.2K

51.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ¥3,722

$397 ₹38.5K

40.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 ¥33.5K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

101.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,140 ¥21.0K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

208.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,419 ¥9,485

$585 ₹56.7K

142.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

8.33

-58.94%

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

Last update for Nanjing: October 4, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nanjing

$295 35.1%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 47.8% $141

Groceries & Markets

Nanjing

$205 24.4%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 47.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Nanjing

$103 12.3%

Delhi

$67 13% 34.8% $36

Eating Out

Nanjing

$95 11.3%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 8.4% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanjing

$68 8.1%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 21.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nanjing

$40 4.8%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 26.5% $11

Getting Around

Nanjing

$35 4.1%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 43.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Nanjing versus $264 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 142% higher in Nanjing, 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 $22.00 in Nanjing versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

2 h 30 min behind Nanjing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,314,685

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 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 = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Nanjing Delhi 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanjing
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

Nanjing vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $841 in Nanjing, $520 in Delhi – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,262 per month in Nanjing and $780 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 $22.00 in Nanjing 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 $841 in Nanjing and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 62%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Nanjing at $841. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nanjing it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Nanjing makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.