Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asmara and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,402 in Asmara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. The total is higher in Asmara despite lower rent and utilities.

67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,402 in Asmara versus $520 in Delhi.

Asmara $1,402
Delhi $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,192 in Asmara versus $858 in Delhi.

Asmara $2,192
Delhi $858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Asmara versus $1,195 in Delhi.

Asmara $2,983
Delhi $1,195

Living in Asmara is roughly 169% more expensive than in Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Asmara is 5% above, Delhi is 61% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 ERN 313

$3.67 ₹355

467.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 ERN 509

$20.95 ₹2,027

61.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ERN 90.7

$3.74 ₹362

61.50%

Cappuccino

$0.77 ERN 11.54

$2.33 ₹226

-66.95%

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

$0.97 ERN 14.60

$0.37 ₹35.82

162.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.28

$0.20 ₹18.91

410.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.62 ERN 9.30

$2.02 ₹195

-69.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ERN 24.67

$0.68 ₹65.9

141.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 ERN 35.01

$0.83 ₹80.0

180.72%

Eggs

$4.34 ERN 65.3

$1.07 ₹104

305.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.98 ERN 44.76

$4.43 ₹428

-32.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.73 ERN 401

$3.37 ₹326

693.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ERN 152

Apples (1kg)

$12.28 ERN 184

$1.99 ₹192

517.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ERN 19.79

$0.72 ₹70.1

83.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ERN 29.31

$1.02 ₹98.4

91.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ERN 17.05

$0.52 ₹50.1

119.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ERN 26.40

$0.27 ₹25.96

551.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ERN 14.26

$0.37 ₹35.42

156.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ERN 33.91

$0.31 ₹30.39

629.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ERN 178

$8.34 ₹808

42.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ERN 14.76

$1.64 ₹159

-40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.27

$2.70 ₹261

-62.22%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ERN 2.13

$0.46 ₹44.04

-69.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 ERN 123

$15.29 ₹1,480

-46.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ERN 8.62

$0.27 ₹26.38

111.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 ERN 148

$1.53 ₹148

543.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 ERN 37.88

$1.05 ₹102

140.00%

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

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

534.67%

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

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

$18.4K ₹1.8M

274.73%

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

$25.13 ERN 377

$42.67 ₹4,129

-41.11%

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

$68.7 ERN 1,032

$4.04 ₹391

1600.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$202 ERN 3,031

$6.75 ₹653

2889.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.72 ERN 401

$19.40 ₹1,878

37.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.91 ERN 73.8

$8.06 ₹780

-39.08%

Cinema Ticket

$1.22 ERN 18.40

$5.08 ₹492

-75.98%

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

$24.69 ERN 371

$100 ₹9,696

-75.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

14.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 ERN 2,039

$24.14 ₹2,336

462.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 ERN 1,800

$28.38 ₹2,747

322.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$203 ERN 3,056

$53.3 ₹5,160

281.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 ERN 2,276

$44.13 ₹4,271

243.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 ERN 3,700

$264 ₹25.5K

-6.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ERN 2,988

$154 ₹14.9K

29.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 ERN 6,867

$736 ₹71.2K

-37.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 ERN 6,488

$397 ₹38.5K

8.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

-48.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

144.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

44.06%

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

Last update for Asmara: 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

Asmara

$364 * 26.4%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 70.3% $256

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asmara

$296 21.4%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 81.9% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Asmara

$275 19.9%

Delhi

$67 13% 75.4% $207

Eating Out

Asmara

$205 * 14.9%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 57.4% $118

Accommodation & Living

Asmara

$199 14.4%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 22.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Asmara

$29 2.1%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 1.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Asmara

$12 * 0.8%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 68% $7.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Asmara and $264 in Delhi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Asmara vs $21.00 in Delhi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $108 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Asmara

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

13:51 1:51 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Asmara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000 Capital

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to ERN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asmara Delhi 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Asmara
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

Asmara vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asmara and Delhi differ by about 169% in total monthly costs ($1,402 vs $520 including rent). Delhi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,103 in Asmara and $780 in Delhi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $246 in Asmara versus $264 in Delhi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Delhi runs roughly 87% less than in Asmara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $24.69 in Asmara versus $100 in Delhi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $520 in Delhi versus $1,402 in Asmara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Delhi but tight or insufficient in Asmara. The gap between the two cities makes Delhi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Asmara and Delhi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Delhi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% less than in Asmara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.