Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhongshan and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $700 in Zhongshan, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Zhongshan despite lower rent and utilities.

34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
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Zhongshan Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $700 per month in Zhongshan vs $522 in Delhi, rent included.

Zhongshan $700
Delhi $522

A couple spends around $1,110 per month in Zhongshan vs $872 in Delhi, rent included.

Zhongshan $1,110
Delhi $872

A family of three spends $1,521 per month in Zhongshan vs $1,222 in Delhi, rent included.

Zhongshan $1,521
Delhi $1,222

Zhongshan costs about 34% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zhongshan and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Zhongshan 48% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.91 ¥19.47

$3.70 ₹352

-21.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.18 ¥162

$21.05 ₹2,002

14.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ¥29.86

$3.73 ₹355

19.84%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.80

$2.35 ₹224

19.57%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.37 ₹35.28

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.15 ₹13.96

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$2.14 ₹204

-63.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$3.06 ₹292

-40.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$0.69 ₹65.2

124.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.61

$0.53 ₹50.1

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.31

$0.77 ₹73.2

-16.88%

Eggs

$1.20 ¥8.00

$1.11 ₹105

8.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 ¥139

$4.63 ₹441

348.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ¥18.63

$3.52 ₹335

-20.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ¥90.4

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 ¥13.65

$2.00 ₹190

2.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$0.74 ₹70.7

39.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$0.97 ₹92.7

-28.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.50

$0.53 ₹50.0

167.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ¥3.57

$0.30 ₹28.66

76.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.19

$0.40 ₹37.89

95.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.42 ₹39.70

2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.60

$0.31 ₹29.86

74.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ¥19.79

$4.94 ₹470

-40.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 ¥80.4

$8.21 ₹781

46.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$1.58 ₹150

-56.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥12.01

$2.69 ₹256

-33.09%

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

$6.19 ₹589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.46 ₹43.54

-36.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.18 ¥102

$15.78 ₹1,501

-3.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.07 ₹102

38.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ¥2.78

$0.27 ₹25.71

55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 ¥47.58

$1.58 ₹151

350.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$1.07 ₹102

20.56%

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

$19.1K ¥128.0K

$10.7K ₹1.0M

79.62%

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

$18.0K ¥120.7K

$18.9K ₹1.8M

-4.71%

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

$41.21 ¥276

$42.37 ₹4,031

-2.74%

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

$9.85 ¥65.9

$4.03 ₹384

144.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 ¥85.3

$6.95 ₹661

83.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.8 ¥454

$19.18 ₹1,824

253.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.33 ¥49.00

$7.92 ₹754

-7.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 ¥40.42

$5.27 ₹501

14.61%

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

$324 ¥2,164

$100 ₹9,543

222.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$2,247 ₹213.8K

505.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.30 ¥330

$24.11 ₹2,294

104.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 ¥270

$27.85 ₹2,650

45.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 ¥400

$52.4 ₹4,986

14.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥508

$42.90 ₹4,081

77.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ¥1,391

$267 ₹25.4K

-22.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ¥864

$156 ₹14.8K

-17.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥2,483

$734 ₹69.9K

-49.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,437

$394 ₹37.5K

-45.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,447 ¥16.4K

$2,507 ₹238.5K

-2.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$1,020 ₹97.0K

48.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$956 ¥6,396

$608 ₹57.8K

57.38%

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 Zhongshan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhongshan

$224 32.1%

Delhi

$109 20.9% 51.4% $115

Accommodation & Living

Zhongshan

$129 18.5%

Delhi

$156 29.9% 20.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Zhongshan

$101 14.5%

Delhi

$66 12.7% 34.7% $35

Eating Out

Zhongshan

$81 11.6%

Delhi

$88 16.8% 8.5% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Zhongshan

$80 11.4%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 62.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhongshan

$64 9.1%

Delhi

$53 10.2% 16.4% $10

Getting Around

Zhongshan

$20 2.8%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 0.7% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $208 in Zhongshan versus $267 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 57% higher in Zhongshan, 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 Zhongshan versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $109 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

2 h 30 min behind Zhongshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,209,600

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 = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.39 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 95.14 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Zhongshan Delhi 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Zhongshan
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

Zhongshan vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $700 in Zhongshan, $522 in Delhi – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,049 per month in Zhongshan and $783 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 Zhongshan 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 $700 in Zhongshan and $522 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 34%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $700 in Zhongshan and $522 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, Zhongshan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.