Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $692 in Shantou, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Shantou vs $522 in Delhi, rent included.

Shantou $692
Delhi $522

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Shantou vs $872 in Delhi, rent included.

Shantou $1,104
Delhi $872

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Shantou vs $1,222 in Delhi, rent included.

Shantou $1,516
Delhi $1,222

Shantou costs about 33% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shantou and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Shantou 49% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$3.70 ₹352

-38.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$21.05 ₹2,002

12.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$3.73 ₹355

38.61%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$2.35 ₹224

43.83%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.37 ₹35.28

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.15 ₹13.96

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$2.14 ₹204

-58.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

$3.06 ₹292

-30.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$0.69 ₹65.2

131.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$0.53 ₹50.1

173.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$0.77 ₹73.2

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$1.11 ₹105

52.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$4.63 ₹441

194.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$3.52 ₹335

-2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.00 ₹190

-2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$0.74 ₹70.7

102.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$0.97 ₹92.7

86.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$0.53 ₹50.0

145.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$0.30 ₹28.66

173.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$0.40 ₹37.89

165.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.42 ₹39.70

40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.31 ₹29.86

38.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$4.94 ₹470

-25.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$8.21 ₹781

46.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$1.58 ₹150

-47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$2.69 ₹256

-33.46%

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

$6.19 ₹589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.46 ₹43.54

-21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$15.78 ₹1,501

53.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$1.07 ₹102

42.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.27 ₹25.71

40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$1.58 ₹151

362.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.07 ₹102

14.95%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$10.7K ₹1.0M

85.71%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

-4.86%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$42.37 ₹4,031

33.73%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$4.03 ₹384

120.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$6.95 ₹661

99.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,824

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹754

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$5.27 ₹501

43.07%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$100 ₹9,543

438.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$2,247 ₹213.8K

978.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$24.11 ₹2,294

130.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$27.85 ₹2,650

42.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$52.4 ₹4,986

39.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$42.90 ₹4,081

113.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$267 ₹25.4K

11.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$156 ₹14.8K

-3.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$734 ₹69.9K

-17.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$394 ₹37.5K

-25.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$2,507 ₹238.5K

-9.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$1,020 ₹97.0K

338.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$608 ₹57.8K

74.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

8.33

-59.78%

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

Last update for Shantou: 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

Shantou

$214 31%

Delhi

$109 20.9% 49.2% $105

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Delhi

$156 29.9% 3.1% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Delhi

$66 12.7% 43.3% $51

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Delhi

$88 16.8% 1.9% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Delhi

$53 10.2% 32.8% $26

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 31.3% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 96.9% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Shantou 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 75% higher in Shantou, 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 $24.00 in Shantou versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $109 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

16:52 4:52 PM

14:22 2:22 PM

2 h 30 min behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

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 = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 95.14 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shantou Delhi 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $692 in Shantou, $522 in Delhi – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,038 per month in Shantou 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 $24.00 in Shantou 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 $692 in Shantou and $522 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 33%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $692 in Shantou 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, Shantou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.