Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Alba Iulia

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $902 in Alba Iulia, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$522
/mo nomad
Alba Iulia
🇷🇴 Romania
$902
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Alba Iulia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Delhi and in Alba Iulia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $522 in Delhi versus $902 in Alba Iulia.

  • Delhi $522
  • Alba Iulia $902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $872 in Delhi versus $1,372 in Alba Iulia.

  • Delhi $872
  • Alba Iulia $1,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,222 in Delhi versus $1,841 in Alba Iulia.

  • Delhi $1,222
  • Alba Iulia $1,841

Living in Delhi costs roughly 42% less than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Delhi 61% lower, Alba Iulia 33% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.70 ₹351
$8.42 RON 39.84
-56.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.05 ₹1,999
$30.94 RON 146
-31.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.73 ₹354
$5.67 RON 26.85
-34.22%
Cappuccino
$2.35 ₹223
$2.16 RON 10.24
8.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₹35.21
$1.76 RON 8.32
-78.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹13.93
$1.45 RON 6.85
-89.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 ₹203
$2.01 RON 9.50
6.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 ₹291
$2.13 RON 10.10
43.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.69 ₹65.1
$1.23 RON 5.80
-43.90%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 ₹50.0
$1.09 RON 5.15
-51.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 ₹73.1
$1.49 RON 7.07
-48.32%
Eggs
$1.11 ₹105
$2.67 RON 12.65
-58.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.63 ₹440
$7.53 RON 35.62
-38.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.52 ₹334
$5.82 RON 27.54
-39.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$10.61 RON 50.2
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.00 ₹190
$0.96 RON 4.52
108.33%
Banana (1kg)
$0.74 ₹70.5
$1.35 RON 6.38
-45.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.97 ₹92.6
$1.22 RON 5.77
-20.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.53 ₹49.92
$2.34 RON 11.06
-77.35%
Potato (1kg)
$0.30 ₹28.61
$0.71 RON 3.38
-57.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.40 ₹37.82
$0.58 RON 2.75
-31.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.42 ₹39.62
$0.82 RON 3.89
-48.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.81
$0.64 RON 3.04
-51.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.94 ₹469
$5.31 RON 25.13
-6.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.21 ₹779
$4.21 RON 19.90
95.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 ₹150
$1.12 RON 5.29
41.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 ₹255
$1.22 RON 5.75
120.49%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.19 ₹588
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 ₹43.46
$0.71 RON 3.38
-35.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.78 ₹1,498
$16.66 RON 78.8
-5.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.07 ₹102
$0.63 RON 2.98
69.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹25.66
$0.68 RON 3.21
-60.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.58 ₹150
$4.55 RON 21.51
-65.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ₹101
$1.53 RON 7.22
-30.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$10.7K ₹1.0M
$28.1K RON 133.1K
-62.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.9K ₹1.8M
$24.3K RON 115.1K
-22.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.37 ₹4,024
$123 RON 583
-65.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.03 ₹383
$7.40 RON 35.00
-45.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.95 ₹660
$9.34 RON 44.20
-25.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.18 ₹1,821
$28.80 RON 136
-33.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.92 ₹752
$31.03 RON 147
-74.48%
Cinema Ticket
$5.27 ₹500
$4.98 RON 23.57
5.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$100 ₹9,525
$442 RON 2,090
-77.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,247 ₹213.4K
$6,914 RON 32.7K
-67.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.11 ₹2,290
$38.88 RON 184
-37.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.85 ₹2,645
$23.97 RON 113
16.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$52.4 ₹4,977
$73.6 RON 348
-28.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.90 ₹4,074
$64.0 RON 303
-32.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$267 ₹25.4K
$293 RON 1,386
-8.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 ₹14.8K
$289 RON 1,367
-46.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$734 ₹69.7K
$621 RON 2,938
18.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$394 ₹37.5K
$474 RON 2,243
-16.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,507 ₹238.0K
$1,602 RON 7,578
56.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,020 ₹96.8K
$1,414 RON 6,688
-27.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Delhi
Alba Iulia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$608 ₹57.7K
$904 RON 4,278
-32.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.33
6.97
19.51%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Delhi
$156
Alba Iulia
$289 85.3% $133
Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$109
Alba Iulia
$184 68.5% $75
Eating Out
Delhi
$88
Alba Iulia
$137 56.5% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$66
Alba Iulia
$90 36.1% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$53
Alba Iulia
$140 162% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$30
Alba Iulia
$39 30.5% $9
Getting Around
Delhi
$20
Alba Iulia
$24 17.5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $267 in Delhi and $293 in Alba Iulia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alba Iulia pays 49% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $21.00 in Delhi vs $31.00 in Alba Iulia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $109 vs $184 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Delhi
🇷🇴 Alba Iulia
🕒 Local time
00:36 12:36 AM
22:06 10:06 PM
2 h 30 min behind Delhi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,787,941 Capital
63,536
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Delhi Alba Iulia 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Delhi
  • Alba Iulia

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
Delhi vs Alba Iulia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alba Iulia cheaper than Delhi?
Delhi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 73% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Delhi or Alba Iulia?
On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Alba Iulia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Delhi and Alba Iulia?
Rent for a central apartment: $267 in Delhi versus $293 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Delhi and in Alba Iulia?
All in, you'll spend $522 per month in Delhi versus $902 in Alba Iulia – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Delhi runs roughly 6% less than in Alba Iulia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,200 enough for either Delhi or Alba Iulia?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Delhi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Delhi or in Alba Iulia?
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.
Which city is safer, Delhi or Alba Iulia?
Safety-wise, Delhi and Alba Iulia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Delhi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Alba Iulia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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