Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shijiazhuang and Kottayam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kottayam: $265 a month against $682 in Shijiazhuang, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
Learn more

Shijiazhuang Living Index
13

Cost of Living Index in Kottayam
Learn more

Kottayam Living Index

Jump to prices

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Kottayam

🇮🇳 India

$265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shijiazhuang and in Kottayam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shijiazhuang and in Kottayam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $678 per month in Shijiazhuang vs $263 in Kottayam, rent included.

Shijiazhuang $678
Kottayam $263

A couple spends around $1,015 per month in Shijiazhuang vs $425 in Kottayam, rent included.

Shijiazhuang $1,015
Kottayam $425

A family of three spends $1,353 per month in Shijiazhuang vs $587 in Kottayam, rent included.

Shijiazhuang $1,353
Kottayam $587

Shijiazhuang costs about 157% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shijiazhuang and Kottayam are more affordable than the global median – Shijiazhuang 50% lower, Kottayam 80% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.76 ¥11.80

$1.08 ₹102

62.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.64 ¥125

$9.67 ₹918

92.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.68 ¥37.97

$3.19 ₹303

78.06%

Cappuccino

$3.27 ¥21.89

$0.82 ₹78.2

298.78%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.33 ₹31.79

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.82

$0.12 ₹11.57

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.23

$1.30 ₹123

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.42

$1.79 ₹170

-4.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$0.62 ₹58.7

103.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ¥7.78

$0.45 ₹42.86

157.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.53

$0.51 ₹47.98

33.33%

Eggs

$1.29 ¥8.61

$0.83 ₹79.3

55.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 ¥110

$2.05 ₹194

704.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.63 ¥17.58

$3.59 ₹341

-26.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 ¥64.7

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.10

$2.10 ₹200

-20.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.24

$0.56 ₹52.9

119.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.91 ₹86.0

-15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.95

$0.50 ₹47.35

138.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.35 ₹33.01

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.41 ₹39.11

51.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$0.59 ₹56.4

15.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.27 ₹25.79

59.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.39

$4.99 ₹474

-23.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.83 ¥25.58

$4.02 ₹381

-4.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.78

$1.59 ₹151

-55.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.21 ₹210

-65.16%

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

$3.40 ₹322

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.31 ₹29.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.67 ¥118

$9.30 ₹883

90.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.20

$0.81 ₹76.7

51.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$0.33 ₹31.46

12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 ¥23.81

$2.08 ₹197

71.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.07 ₹102

15.89%

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

$19.7K ¥131.4K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

72.62%

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

$17.3K ¥116.0K

$15.0K ₹1.4M

15.78%

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

$95.2 ¥637

$21.24 ₹2,017

348.35%

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

$4.40 ¥29.42

$2.99 ₹284

47.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.60 ¥44.16

$6.03 ₹573

9.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.69 ¥91.5

$6.49 ₹616

110.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.08 ¥101

$9.27 ₹881

62.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 ¥37.19

$1.68 ₹160

230.95%

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

$369 ¥2,467

$10.39 ₹986

3451.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,270 ¥35.2K

$514 ₹48.8K

925.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 ¥339

$18.71 ₹1,777

171.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.12 ¥175

$15.56 ₹1,477

67.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥499

$21.22 ₹2,015

251.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 ¥353

$12.01 ₹1,140

339.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,006

$126 ₹12.0K

138.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ¥1,231

$53.1 ₹5,038

247.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 ¥2,802

$263 ₹25.0K

59.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥1,864

$116 ₹11.1K

139.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,534 ¥16.9K

$934 ₹88.7K

171.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,709 ¥11.4K

$543 ₹51.6K

214.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$808 ¥5,400

$290 ₹27.6K

178.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

-63.22%

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

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kottayam: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shijiazhuang

$184 27%

Kottayam

$53 20.1% 71.2% $131

Groceries & Markets

Shijiazhuang

$172 25.3%

Kottayam

$88 33.3% 48.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shijiazhuang

$106 15.6%

Kottayam

$30 11.4% 71.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Shijiazhuang

$92 13.5%

Kottayam

$30 11.5% 67% $62

Eating Out

Shijiazhuang

$81 11.8%

Kottayam

$40 15.1% 50.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.6%

Kottayam

$9.9 3.7% 60.3% $15

Getting Around

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2%

Kottayam

$13 4.9% 41% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $302 in Shijiazhuang versus $128 in Kottayam. 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 177% higher in Shijiazhuang, 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 $19.00 in Shijiazhuang versus $10.00 in Kottayam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $89.0 – making Kottayam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🇮🇳 Kottayam

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

2 h 30 min behind Shijiazhuang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,235,086

55,374

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shijiazhuang Kottayam 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Shijiazhuang
Kottayam

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

Shijiazhuang vs Kottayam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shijiazhuang costs about 157% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,017 per month in Shijiazhuang and $395 in Kottayam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kottayam, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $678 in Shijiazhuang and $263 in Kottayam. That's a gap of about 157%.

Public transport costs about 99% less in Kottayam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $678 in Shijiazhuang and $263 in Kottayam, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kottayam – 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 Kottayam. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shijiazhuang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.