Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $842 in Xiamen, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $842 per month in Xiamen vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Xiamen $842
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,338 per month in Xiamen vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Xiamen $1,338
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,835 per month in Xiamen vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Xiamen $1,835
Delhi $1,195

Xiamen costs about 62% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Xiamen and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Xiamen 37% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.10

$3.67 ₹355

-17.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.67 ¥158

$20.95 ₹2,027

12.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.85

$3.74 ₹362

43.32%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ¥16.78

$2.33 ₹226

7.73%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.37 ₹35.82

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$0.20 ₹18.91

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.86

$2.02 ₹195

-27.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ¥19.97

$3.19 ₹308

-6.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$0.68 ₹65.9

114.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ¥15.20

$0.52 ₹50.2

336.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$0.83 ₹80.0

18.07%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥10.92

$1.07 ₹104

52.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 ¥79.9

$4.43 ₹428

169.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.83

$3.37 ₹326

-25.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.05

$1.99 ₹192

28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$0.72 ₹70.1

104.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.09

$1.02 ₹98.4

62.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.19

$0.52 ₹50.1

278.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$0.27 ₹25.96

281.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.18

$0.37 ₹35.42

391.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ¥6.05

$0.43 ₹41.64

111.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.31

$0.31 ₹30.39

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$4.92 ₹476

-37.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ¥75.0

$8.34 ₹808

34.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$1.64 ₹159

-50.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$2.70 ₹261

-37.04%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.07

$0.46 ₹44.04

-65.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.10 ¥80.9

$15.29 ₹1,480

-20.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.03 ₹99.8

42.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.27 ₹26.38

7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 ¥49.07

$1.53 ₹148

379.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$1.05 ₹102

24.76%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

84.13%

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

$17.3K ¥115.4K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

-5.99%

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

$44.42 ¥297

$42.67 ₹4,129

4.10%

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

$8.81 ¥58.9

$4.04 ₹391

118.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ¥68.3

$6.75 ₹653

51.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.22 ¥322

$19.40 ₹1,878

148.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.59 ¥70.8

$8.06 ₹780

31.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 ¥68.3

$5.08 ₹492

101.18%

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

$488 ¥3,264

$100 ₹9,696

387.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ¥161.3K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

964.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.84 ¥260

$24.14 ₹2,336

60.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 ¥190

$28.38 ₹2,747

0.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 ¥703

$53.3 ₹5,160

97.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥565

$44.13 ₹4,271

91.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ¥2,283

$264 ₹25.5K

29.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 ¥1,798

$154 ₹14.9K

74.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥5,511

$736 ₹71.2K

12.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥3,655

$397 ₹38.5K

37.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,597 ¥57.5K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

244.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,684 ¥31.3K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

360.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,138 ¥7,607

$585 ₹56.7K

94.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.33

-58.46%

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

Last update for Xiamen: 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

Xiamen

$269 32.2%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 42.7% $115

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$216 25.8%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 49.9% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$116 13.9%

Delhi

$67 13% 41.7% $48

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$69 8.2%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 56.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$63 7.6%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 15.8% $10

Getting Around

Xiamen

$16 1.9%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 24.7% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $342 in Xiamen 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 94% higher in Xiamen, 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 Xiamen versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

2 h 30 min behind Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

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 = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 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 = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Xiamen Delhi 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

Xiamen vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $842 in Xiamen, $520 in Delhi – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,263 per month in Xiamen 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 $24.00 in Xiamen 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 $842 in Xiamen and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 62%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $842 in Xiamen 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, Xiamen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.