Cost of living comparison
compared to
India vs. China Cost of Living Summary
India is 40.8% cheaper than China overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.1% less in India
- Groceries
-
pay 41.1% less in India
- Transportation
-
pay 26.9% less in India
- Housing
-
pay 45.3% less in India
- Childcare
-
pay 87.8% less in India
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.6% less in India
- Clothing
-
pay 43.8% less in India
Expenses including childcare, housing, clothing, groceries, transportation, and restaurants are lower in India.
India vs. China Cost Breakdown
If you lived in India instead of China, you would:
pay 26.1% less for restaurants
|
China
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.90
CN¥20.50
|
$2.31
₹206.21
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.02
CN¥35.49
|
$3.75
₹335.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
CN¥3.36
|
$0.39
₹35.17
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.28
CN¥1.96
|
$0.16
₹14.36
|
|
China vs. India - Cost of restaurants
pay 41.1% less for groceries
|
China
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.63
CN¥11.52
|
$0.46
₹40.99
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.32
CN¥44.71
|
$2.49
₹222.53
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.70
CN¥47.44
|
$2.50
₹223.40
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.56
CN¥11.05
|
$0.92
₹82.29
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.52
CN¥10.78
|
$1.32
₹117.54
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.74
CN¥5.25
|
$0.88
₹78.31
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
CN¥3.86
|
$0.32
₹28.22
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.62
CN¥4.41
|
$0.46
₹40.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
CN¥3.57
|
$0.22
₹19.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
CN¥2.13
|
$0.17
₹14.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.39
CN¥2.79
|
$0.19
₹17.39
|
|
China vs. India - Cost of groceries
pay 26.9% less for transportation
|
China
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
CN¥30.68
|
$4.38
₹391.36
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.32
CN¥143.78
|
$9.48
₹847.15
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,143.98
CN¥135,449.43
|
$13,332.05
₹1,191,189.91
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.94
CN¥27.89
|
$2.95
₹263.95
|
|
China vs. India - Cost of transportation
pay 45.3% less for housing
|
China
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$11.18
CN¥79.08
|
$7.18
₹641.55
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$304.90
CN¥2,157.22
|
$129.45
₹11,566.12
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$195.65
CN¥1,384.25
|
$85.74
₹7,660.63
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.04
CN¥290.39
|
$27.98
₹2,500.20
|
|
China vs. India - Cost of housing
pay 87.8% less for childcare
|
China
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$390.25
CN¥2,761.13
|
$54.51
₹4,870.23
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,493.57
CN¥109,621.66
|
$1,593.07
₹142,337.57
|
|
China vs. India - Cost of childcare
pay 14.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
China
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.04
CN¥7.37
|
$1.84
₹164.03
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.84
CN¥20.07
|
$1.58
₹141.02
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.36
CN¥23.77
|
$3.49
₹311.70
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.13
CN¥290.99
|
$15.59
₹1,392.59
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.98
CN¥42.33
|
$3.17
₹283.17
|
|
China vs. India - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 43.8% less for clothing
|
China
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
CN¥324.95
|
$22.98
₹2,053.12
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.93
CN¥218.85
|
$23.83
₹2,129.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.26
CN¥504.18
|
$40.59
₹3,626.97
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.88
CN¥515.65
|
$29.72
₹2,655.10
|
|
China vs. India - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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