Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chandigarh and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chandigarh: $488 a month against $536 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Chandigarh
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Chandigarh Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Chandigarh

🇮🇳 India

$488

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Chandigarh versus $536 in Delhi.

Chandigarh $488
Delhi $536

Estimated couple costs with rent: $788 in Chandigarh versus $901 in Delhi.

Chandigarh $788
Delhi $901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,088 in Chandigarh versus $1,266 in Delhi.

Chandigarh $1,088
Delhi $1,266

Living in Chandigarh costs roughly 9% less than in Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chandigarh 64% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹304

$3.66 ₹348

-12.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.68 ₹1,299

$20.76 ₹1,971

-34.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.11 ₹390

$3.74 ₹355

9.89%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ₹256

$2.48 ₹236

8.47%

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

$0.44 ₹41.50

$0.38 ₹36.11

15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.78

$0.17 ₹15.81

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₹204

$2.04 ₹194

5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₹301

$3.07 ₹292

3.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 ₹69.4

$0.70 ₹66.2

4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.17

$0.52 ₹49.11

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.3

$0.82 ₹78.0

-1.22%

Eggs

$0.91 ₹86.3

$1.17 ₹111

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.93 ₹468

$4.31 ₹410

14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹270

$3.36 ₹319

-15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ₹156

$1.96 ₹186

-16.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹70.9

$0.74 ₹70.4

1.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₹101

$0.99 ₹93.9

7.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.8

$0.49 ₹46.59

36.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.54

$0.29 ₹27.21

-3.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.38

$0.41 ₹38.52

-17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₹63.4

$0.44 ₹41.83

52.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.25

$0.31 ₹29.72

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 ₹472

$5.03 ₹478

-1.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 ₹1,086

$8.37 ₹794

36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹158

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹266

$2.81 ₹267

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

$6.55 ₹622

$6.64 ₹631

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.60

$0.41 ₹38.47

-39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.58 ₹435

$15.60 ₹1,481

-70.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.90

$0.25 ₹23.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 ₹158

$1.57 ₹149

5.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹103

$1.11 ₹105

-1.80%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$11.1K ₹1.0M

1.39%

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

$25.0K ₹2.4M

$19.6K ₹1.9M

27.54%

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

$38.21 ₹3,628

$43.87 ₹4,166

-12.90%

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

$4.08 ₹388

$4.27 ₹406

-4.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.52 ₹619

$6.82 ₹647

-4.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.72 ₹2,443

$26.06 ₹2,474

-1.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.08 ₹767

$8.09 ₹768

-0.12%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 ₹298

$5.34 ₹507

-41.39%

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

$57.7 ₹5,480

$100 ₹9,507

-42.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,480 ₹235.5K

$2,288 ₹217.2K

8.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.87 ₹2,551

$24.84 ₹2,359

8.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ₹2,398

$29.18 ₹2,771

-13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.6 ₹5,469

$53.2 ₹5,048

8.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.40 ₹4,216

$44.74 ₹4,248

-0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$171 ₹16.3K

$277 ₹26.3K

-38.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ₹12.1K

$159 ₹15.1K

-19.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₹45.8K

$798 ₹75.8K

-39.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.3K

$420 ₹39.8K

-26.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 ₹177.4K

$2,558 ₹242.9K

-26.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,025 ₹97.4K

$1,172 ₹111.3K

-12.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 ₹41.5K

$598 ₹56.8K

-26.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

-4.19%

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

Last update for Chandigarh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chandigarh

$127 26%

Delhi

$159 29.6% 25% $32

Groceries & Markets

Chandigarh

$113 23.2%

Delhi

$108 20.2% 4.3% $4.9

Eating Out

Chandigarh

$90 18.5%

Delhi

$89 16.6% 1.4% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Chandigarh

$69 14.2%

Delhi

$68 12.8% 1.4% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chandigarh

$49 10%

Delhi

$55 10.3% 12.6% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chandigarh

$32 6.6%

Delhi

$37 6.9% 14.8% $4.8

Getting Around

Chandigarh

$7.9 1.6%

Delhi

$20 3.7% 147% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $171 in Chandigarh and $277 in Delhi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Delhi pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $14 in Chandigarh vs $21 in Delhi. Groceries flip the comparison at $113 vs $108, with Delhi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Chandigarh

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

Same time as Chandigarh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,667

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Chandigarh vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chandigarh wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Delhi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chandigarh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Chandigarh. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $171 in Chandigarh versus $277 in Delhi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chandigarh runs roughly 71% less than in Delhi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $58 in Chandigarh versus $100 in Delhi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Chandigarh gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Chandigarh wins on affordability, Delhi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.