This project compares the characteristics of urban households, their urban built environment, and the spatial distribution of carbon emissions between Xi’an and Bangalore, and discovers the key determinants of carbon emissions associated with urban households. Data are collected through household survey in both cities. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis are used to test the hypothesis that household carbon emission is a function of household attributes and the urban built environment. The findings show distinctive spatial distribution of carbon emissions. The level of emission forms a set of concentric rings in Xi’an with higher emission volumes found in the outer rings, while in Bangalore the distribution pattern is more sporadic. Households in Bangalore are larger and poorer but use more motor vehicles than their counterparts in Xi’an. Households in Xi’an live in an urban built environment with a richer mix of services, facilities and jobs. In both cities ownership of cars and electric appliances as well as income influence the level of household carbon emissions positively. In Xi’an the mix of job opportunities in a neighborhood has an inverse relationship with the household carbon emissions. In Bangalore the size of housing demonstrates a positive relationship with household carbon emissions.