Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Asmara

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.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Asmara

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 Asmara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Delhi $520
Asmara $1,402

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

Delhi $858
Asmara $2,192

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

Delhi $1,195
Asmara $2,983

Living in Delhi costs roughly 63% less than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$20.83 ERN 313

-82.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$33.92 ERN 509

-38.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$6.04 ERN 90.7

-38.08%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$0.77 ERN 11.54

202.60%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.97 ERN 14.60

-61.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$1.02 ERN 15.28

-80.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$0.62 ERN 9.30

225.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.64 ERN 24.67

-58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$2.33 ERN 35.01

-64.38%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$4.34 ERN 65.3

-75.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$2.98 ERN 44.76

48.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$26.73 ERN 401

-87.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ERN 152

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$12.28 ERN 184

-83.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.32 ERN 19.79

-45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.95 ERN 29.31

-47.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.14 ERN 17.05

-54.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$1.76 ERN 26.40

-84.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$0.95 ERN 14.26

-61.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$2.26 ERN 33.91

-86.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$11.87 ERN 178

-29.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$0.98 ERN 14.76

67.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$1.02 ERN 15.27

164.71%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.14 ERN 2.13

228.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$8.17 ERN 123

87.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.57 ERN 8.62

-52.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$9.84 ERN 148

-84.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$2.52 ERN 37.88

-58.33%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

-84.24%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

-73.31%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$25.13 ERN 377

69.80%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$68.7 ERN 1,032

-94.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$202 ERN 3,031

-96.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$26.72 ERN 401

-27.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$4.91 ERN 73.8

64.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$1.22 ERN 18.40

316.39%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$24.69 ERN 371

305.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

-12.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$136 ERN 2,039

-82.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$120 ERN 1,800

-76.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$203 ERN 3,056

-73.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$152 ERN 2,276

-70.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$246 ERN 3,700

7.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$199 ERN 2,988

-22.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$457 ERN 6,867

61.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$432 ERN 6,488

-8.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

94.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

-59.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

-30.58%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Asmara

$199 14.4% 29.1% $45

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Asmara

$364 * 26.4% 237% $256

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Asmara

$205 * 14.9% 135% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Asmara

$275 19.9% 307% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Asmara

$296 21.4% 453% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 1.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Asmara

$12 * 0.8% 40.5% $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 $264 in Delhi and $246 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

2 h 30 min behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.83 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Delhi Asmara 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $780 in Delhi and $2,103 in Asmara 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: $264 in Delhi versus $246 in Asmara. 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 $100 in Delhi versus $24.69 in Asmara. 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, Delhi and Asmara 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.