Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Bortala

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $536 a month against $758 in Bortala, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
Learn more

Bortala Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$536

/mo nomad

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Bortala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $536 in Delhi versus $758 in Bortala.

Delhi $536
Bortala $758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $901 in Delhi versus $1,168 in Bortala.

Delhi $901
Bortala $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,266 in Delhi versus $1,577 in Bortala.

Delhi $1,266
Bortala $1,577

Living in Delhi costs roughly 29% less than in Bortala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Delhi 61% lower, Bortala 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ₹348

$2.99 ¥19.91

22.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,974

$22.84 ¥152

-9.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹356

$4.86 ¥32.39

-23.05%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ₹236

$2.79 ¥18.57

-11.11%

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

$0.38 ₹36.17

$0.48 ¥3.19

-20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.83

$0.32 ¥2.11

-46.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹194

$1.11 ¥7.40

83.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹292

$2.16 ¥14.37

42.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.3

$1.87 ¥12.48

-62.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.19

$1.59 ¥10.60

-67.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₹78.1

$0.95 ¥6.31

-13.68%

Eggs

$1.17 ₹112

$1.60 ¥10.69

-26.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 ₹410

$13.42 ¥89.5

-67.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ₹319

$3.36 ¥22.41

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.29 ¥75.3

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 ₹186

$1.89 ¥12.57

3.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$1.34 ¥8.90

-44.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 ₹94.0

$1.51 ¥10.04

-34.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.67

$1.26 ¥8.37

-61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 ₹27.26

$0.75 ¥5.00

-61.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.58

$0.98 ¥6.51

-58.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.90

$0.59 ¥3.96

-25.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.77

$0.59 ¥3.90

-47.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 ₹478

$3.71 ¥24.75

35.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ₹796

$11.52 ¥76.8

-27.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹158

$0.88 ¥5.89

89.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹267

$1.55 ¥10.32

81.29%

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

$6.64 ₹632

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₹38.54

$0.28 ¥1.87

46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.60 ₹1,484

$15.99 ¥107

-2.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$1.57 ¥10.49

-31.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.71

$0.32 ¥2.15

-21.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ₹149

$7.15 ¥47.68

-78.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.17 ¥7.82

-5.13%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$19.4K ¥129.3K

-43.03%

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

$19.6K ₹1.9M

$15.2K ¥101.1K

29.14%

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

$43.87 ₹4,172

$57.1 ¥381

-23.20%

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

$4.27 ₹406

$8.48 ¥56.6

-49.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.82 ₹648

$11.13 ¥74.2

-38.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.06 ₹2,478

$41.95 ¥280

-37.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.09 ₹770

$14.98 ¥99.8

-45.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₹508

$6.53 ¥43.50

-18.22%

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

$100 ₹9,523

$453 ¥3,021

-77.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,288 ₹217.6K

$19.3K ¥128.8K

-88.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.84 ₹2,363

$42.79 ¥285

-41.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.18 ₹2,776

$30.92 ¥206

-5.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 ₹5,056

$75.6 ¥504

-29.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.74 ₹4,255

$68.3 ¥455

-34.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ₹26.3K

$291 ¥1,937

-4.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₹15.1K

$214 ¥1,424

-25.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₹75.9K

$582 ¥3,881

37.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₹39.9K

$343 ¥2,286

22.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,558 ₹243.3K

$3,687 ¥24.6K

-30.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 ₹111.5K

$1,825 ¥12.2K

-35.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 ₹56.9K

$625 ¥4,167

-4.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

3.36

148.51%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bortala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$159 29.6%

Bortala

$214 28.2% 34.5% $55

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.2%

Bortala

$210 27.7% 93.5% $101

Eating Out

Delhi

$89 16.6%

Bortala

$85 11.2% 4.4% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.8%

Bortala

$98 12.9% 43.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$55 10.3%

Bortala

$77 10.1% 39.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$37 6.9%

Bortala

$55 7.3% 49.7% $18

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.7%

Bortala

$20 2.7% 3.9% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Delhi and $291 in Bortala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bortala pays 4% 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 in Delhi vs $23 in Bortala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $210 per month, with Delhi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Bortala

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

246,706

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi Bortala 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Bortala

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 Bortala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Delhi wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Bortala. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Delhi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Delhi. 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: $277 in Delhi versus $291 in Bortala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $100 in Delhi versus $453 in Bortala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Delhi – a meal for two runs $21 versus $23 in Bortala. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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