Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,134 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,134 per month in Shenzhen vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,134
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,734 per month in Shenzhen vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Shenzhen $1,734
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $2,333 per month in Shenzhen vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Shenzhen $2,333
Delhi $1,195

Shenzhen costs about 118% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shenzhen and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Shenzhen 15% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 ¥24.33

$3.67 ₹355

-0.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.70 ¥199

$20.95 ₹2,027

41.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.18

$3.74 ₹362

36.90%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ¥21.47

$2.33 ₹226

37.77%

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

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.37 ₹35.82

59.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.20 ₹18.91

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$2.02 ₹195

-26.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.19 ₹308

-29.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$0.68 ₹65.9

127.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.97

$0.52 ₹50.2

215.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.29

$0.83 ₹80.0

31.33%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥11.78

$1.07 ₹104

64.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.95 ¥140

$4.43 ₹428

372.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 ¥22.62

$3.37 ₹326

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥96.1

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.47

$1.99 ₹192

16.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$0.72 ₹70.1

122.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$1.02 ₹98.4

85.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.44

$0.52 ₹50.1

171.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$0.27 ₹25.96

296.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.28

$0.37 ₹35.42

235.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.43 ₹41.64

37.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.31 ₹30.39

90.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 ¥30.35

$4.92 ₹476

-7.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ¥79.0

$8.34 ₹808

41.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$1.64 ₹159

-43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.76

$2.70 ₹261

-34.81%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.46 ₹44.04

28.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.95 ¥147

$15.29 ₹1,480

43.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.75

$1.03 ₹99.8

41.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.27 ₹26.38

40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 ¥47.67

$1.53 ₹148

366.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$1.05 ₹102

28.57%

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

$19.3K ¥129.3K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

84.89%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

1.16%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$42.67 ₹4,129

49.50%

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

$10.04 ¥67.1

$4.04 ₹391

148.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.28 ¥109

$6.75 ₹653

141.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ¥336

$19.40 ₹1,878

159.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 ¥114

$8.06 ₹780

111.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ¥48.63

$5.08 ₹492

43.31%

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

$523 ¥3,496

$100 ₹9,696

422.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K ¥159.1K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

949.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥368

$24.14 ₹2,336

128.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 ¥271

$28.38 ₹2,747

42.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$53.3 ₹5,160

35.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 ¥617

$44.13 ₹4,271

109.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 ¥5,103

$264 ₹25.5K

189.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 ¥3,238

$154 ₹14.9K

214.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 ¥13.0K

$736 ₹71.2K

163.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 ¥5,650

$397 ₹38.5K

112.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.0K ¥93.7K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

462.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 ¥41.0K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

503.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,693 ¥11.3K

$585 ₹56.7K

189.25%

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 Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$484 42.8%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 68.2% $330

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$249 22%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 56.6% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.3%

Delhi

$67 13% 42.3% $50

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$99 8.7%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 11.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$90 8%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 40.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 54.4% $35

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.4%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 29.5% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $764 in Shenzhen 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 189% higher in Shenzhen, 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 Shenzhen versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

2 h 30 min behind Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

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 = 10.33 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

Shenzhen Delhi 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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

Shenzhen vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,134 in Shenzhen, $520 in Delhi – roughly 118% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,701 per month in Shenzhen 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 $30.00 in Shenzhen 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 $1,134 in Shenzhen and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 118%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Shenzhen at $1,134. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shenzhen 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, Shenzhen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.