Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xining and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $723 in Xining, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Xining
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Xining Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Xining

🇨🇳 China

$723

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $723 per month in Xining vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Xining $723
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,143 per month in Xining vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Xining $1,143
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,562 per month in Xining vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Xining $1,562
Delhi $1,195

Xining costs about 39% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Xining and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Xining 46% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.34

$3.67 ₹352

-25.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.93 ¥147

$20.95 ₹2,006

4.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.48

$3.74 ₹359

29.95%

Cappuccino

$2.98 ¥19.94

$2.33 ₹223

27.90%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.37 ₹35.45

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.20 ₹18.71

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.82

$2.02 ₹193

-56.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.74

$3.19 ₹305

-35.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.56

$0.68 ₹65.2

176.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.82

$0.52 ₹49.63

211.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$0.83 ₹79.1

8.43%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.26

$1.07 ₹103

43.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.2

$4.43 ₹424

191.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 ¥20.90

$3.37 ₹323

-7.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 ¥68.0

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ¥11.97

$1.99 ₹190

-10.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$0.72 ₹69.4

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$1.02 ₹97.4

45.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.41

$0.52 ₹49.56

113.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$0.27 ₹25.68

174.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.37 ₹35.05

148.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.78

$0.43 ₹41.20

32.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.31 ₹30.07

74.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ¥21.03

$4.92 ₹471

-35.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 ¥69.9

$8.34 ₹799

25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$1.64 ₹157

-54.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.58

$2.70 ₹259

-41.48%

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

$6.15 ₹589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.46 ₹43.57

-36.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.01 ¥114

$15.29 ₹1,465

11.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$1.03 ₹98.7

37.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$0.27 ₹26.10

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 ¥44.01

$1.53 ₹146

330.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.78

$1.05 ₹101

10.48%

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

$19.4K ¥129.9K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

85.75%

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

$17.2K ¥114.6K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

-6.61%

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

$44.99 ¥301

$42.67 ₹4,086

5.44%

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

$9.74 ¥65.1

$4.04 ₹387

141.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.84 ¥79.2

$6.75 ₹646

75.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.53 ¥278

$19.40 ₹1,858

114.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.17 ¥94.7

$8.06 ₹772

75.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.85

$5.08 ₹487

14.37%

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

$333 ¥2,227

$100 ₹9,594

232.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$2,268 ₹217.2K

652.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.37 ¥297

$24.14 ₹2,311

83.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.89 ¥200

$28.38 ₹2,718

5.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥487

$53.3 ₹5,106

36.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 ¥485

$44.13 ₹4,226

64.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,826

$264 ₹25.3K

3.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥1,270

$154 ₹14.8K

23.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 ¥4,005

$736 ₹70.5K

-18.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 ¥2,362

$397 ₹38.0K

-11.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,029 ¥20.2K

$2,494 ₹238.8K

21.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,058 ¥13.8K

$1,017 ₹97.4K

102.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

8.33

-53.30%

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

Last update for Xining: October 5, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Xining

$198 27.8%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 45.5% $90

Accommodation & Living

Xining

$190 26.7%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 18.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Xining

$99 13.9%

Delhi

$67 13% 31.7% $31

Eating Out

Xining

$84 11.8%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 4.2% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xining

$67 9.4%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 19.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Xining

$53 7.5%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 44.4% $24

Getting Around

Xining

$21 3%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 8.1% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $273 in Xining 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Xining versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xining

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

2 h 30 min behind Xining

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,333,700

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 = 10.44 USD

1,000 INR = 9.32 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 13, 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 95.76 INR (100 INR = 1.04 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.32 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Xining Delhi 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Xining
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

Xining vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $723 in Xining, $520 in Delhi – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,085 per month in Xining 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 $22.00 in Xining 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 $723 in Xining and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 39%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $723 in Xining 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Xining makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.