Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $522 in Delhi, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Delhi $522

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $872 in Delhi, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Delhi $872

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $1,222 in Delhi, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Delhi $1,222

Shanghai costs about 138% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$3.70 ₹351

23.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$21.05 ₹1,999

43.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$3.73 ₹354

40.75%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.35 ₹223

39.57%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.37 ₹35.21

54.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.15 ₹13.93

140.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.14 ₹203

-42.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.06 ₹291

-25.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$0.69 ₹65.1

166.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$0.53 ₹50.0

269.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.77 ₹73.1

33.77%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.11 ₹105

50.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$4.63 ₹440

266.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.52 ₹334

-9.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$2.00 ₹190

12.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$0.74 ₹70.5

124.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$0.97 ₹92.6

108.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$0.53 ₹49.92

213.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.30 ₹28.61

156.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$0.40 ₹37.82

132.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.42 ₹39.62

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.31 ₹29.81

93.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$4.94 ₹469

-23.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$8.21 ₹779

32.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.58 ₹150

-48.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.69 ₹255

-40.15%

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

$6.19 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.46 ₹43.46

32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$15.78 ₹1,498

86.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$1.07 ₹102

97.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.27 ₹25.66

59.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$1.58 ₹150

473.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.07 ₹101

24.30%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$10.7K ₹1.0M

78.49%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

-1.22%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$42.37 ₹4,024

36.44%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$4.03 ₹383

100.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$6.95 ₹660

50.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$19.18 ₹1,821

242.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$7.92 ₹752

125.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$5.27 ₹500

69.83%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$100 ₹9,525

1309.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$2,247 ₹213.4K

1139.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$24.11 ₹2,290

123.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$27.85 ₹2,645

33.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$52.4 ₹4,977

41.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$42.90 ₹4,074

146.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$267 ₹25.4K

294.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$156 ₹14.8K

275.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$734 ₹69.7K

238.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$394 ₹37.5K

212.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$2,507 ₹238.0K

455.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,020 ₹96.8K

513.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$608 ₹57.7K

181.57%

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 Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Delhi

$156 29.9% 73.3% $429

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Delhi

$109 20.9% 53.6% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Delhi

$66 12.7% 45.6% $56

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Delhi

$88 16.8% 17.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 64.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Delhi

$53 10.2% 30.1% $23

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 44.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai 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 182% higher in Shanghai, 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 Shanghai versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $109 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

2 h 30 min behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

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 18, 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 18, 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

Shanghai Delhi 4,240 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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

Shanghai vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $522 in Delhi – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai 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 $30.00 in Shanghai 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 $1,244 in Shanghai and $522 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 138%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai 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, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.