Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xi'an and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $733 in Xi'an, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
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Xi'an Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $733 per month in Xi'an vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Xi'an $733
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,128 per month in Xi'an vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Xi'an $1,128
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,523 per month in Xi'an vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Xi'an $1,523
Delhi $1,195

Xi'an costs about 41% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Xi'an and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Xi'an 45% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.72 ¥18.15

$3.67 ₹355

-25.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.21 ¥122

$20.95 ₹2,027

-13.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ¥30.41

$3.74 ₹362

21.66%

Cappuccino

$2.16 ¥14.45

$2.33 ₹226

-7.30%

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

$0.41 ¥2.71

$0.37 ₹35.82

10.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.20 ₹18.91

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$2.02 ₹195

-24.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.13

$3.19 ₹308

-52.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$0.68 ₹65.9

116.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥11.48

$0.52 ₹50.2

230.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.97

$0.83 ₹80.0

7.23%

Eggs

$1.46 ¥9.76

$1.07 ₹104

36.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 ¥77.8

$4.43 ₹428

162.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 ¥27.82

$3.37 ₹326

23.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 ¥69.5

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$1.99 ₹192

-18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.75

$0.72 ₹70.1

61.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.02 ₹98.4

26.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.82

$0.52 ₹50.1

153.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.62

$0.27 ₹25.96

155.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.90

$0.37 ₹35.42

97.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.43 ₹41.64

41.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.31 ₹30.39

87.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 ¥23.10

$4.92 ₹476

-29.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.96 ¥66.6

$8.34 ₹808

19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.64 ₹159

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.20

$2.70 ₹261

-37.78%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.46 ₹44.04

-36.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.12 ¥175

$15.29 ₹1,480

70.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ¥8.57

$1.03 ₹99.8

24.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.27 ₹26.38

14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 ¥30.13

$1.53 ₹148

194.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.99

$1.05 ₹102

27.62%

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

$19.1K ¥127.8K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

82.71%

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

$17.6K ¥117.5K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

-4.27%

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

$89.4 ¥597

$42.67 ₹4,129

109.42%

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

$6.09 ¥40.72

$4.04 ₹391

50.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.78 ¥72.1

$6.75 ₹653

59.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.01 ¥201

$19.40 ₹1,878

54.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.10 ¥141

$8.06 ₹780

161.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ¥39.82

$5.08 ₹492

17.32%

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

$692 ¥4,626

$100 ₹9,696

590.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

670.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.93 ¥260

$24.14 ₹2,336

61.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.83 ¥246

$28.38 ₹2,747

29.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥496

$53.3 ₹5,160

39.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 ¥618

$44.13 ₹4,271

109.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,071

$264 ₹25.5K

17.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ¥1,190

$154 ₹14.9K

15.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 ¥5,876

$736 ₹71.2K

19.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ¥2,341

$397 ₹38.5K

-11.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,369 ¥15.8K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

-5.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,647 ¥11.0K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

61.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,069 ¥7,141

$585 ₹56.7K

82.52%

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 Xi'an: October 4, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xi'an

$195 26.6%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 44.7% $87

Accommodation & Living

Xi'an

$178 24.2%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 13.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Xi'an

$109 14.8%

Delhi

$67 13% 38.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xi'an

$106 14.5%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 49.7% $53

Eating Out

Xi'an

$75 10.2%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 16.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Xi'an

$42 5.7%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 29.5% $12

Getting Around

Xi'an

$30 4.1%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 35.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Xi'an 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 83% higher in Xi'an, 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 $18.00 in Xi'an versus $21.00 in Delhi. Groceries tell a different story – $195 in Xi'an vs $108 in Delhi – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

15:20 3:20 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

2 h 30 min behind Xi'an

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,183,280

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

Xi'an Delhi 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Xi'an
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

Xi'an vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $733 in Xi'an, $520 in Delhi – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,099 per month in Xi'an 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 $18.00 in Xi'an 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 $733 in Xi'an and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 41%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $733 in Xi'an and $520 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, Xi'an makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.