Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $1,317 in Dhahran, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Dhahran

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $1,317 in Dhahran, rent included.

Delhi $522
Dhahran $1,317

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $1,671 in Dhahran, rent included.

Delhi $872
Dhahran $1,671

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $2,026 in Dhahran, rent included.

Delhi $1,222
Dhahran $2,026

Delhi is about 60% cheaper than Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Delhi and Dhahran are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Dhahran 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹351

$5.30 SAR 19.90

-30.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹1,999

$39.17 SAR 147

-46.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹354

$6.35 SAR 23.81

-41.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹223

$4.01 SAR 15.03

-41.40%

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

$0.37 ₹35.21

$0.74 SAR 2.76

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.93

$0.19 SAR 0.70

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹291

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.1

$1.65 SAR 6.18

-58.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$0.97 SAR 3.62

-45.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.1

$1.97 SAR 7.41

-60.91%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$3.87 SAR 14.54

-71.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹440

$8.59 SAR 32.23

-46.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$10.92 SAR 40.97

-67.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.15 SAR 8.07

-6.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$1.39 SAR 5.21

-46.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.6

$1.78 SAR 6.69

-45.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹49.92

$1.80 SAR 6.74

-70.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.61

$1.50 SAR 5.61

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.82

$0.96 SAR 3.61

-58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.62

$1.97 SAR 7.39

-78.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.81

$0.85 SAR 3.19

-63.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹469

$5.57 SAR 20.92

-11.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹779

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹255

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

$6.19 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.46

$0.83 SAR 3.11

-44.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,498

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-21.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.66

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-91.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹150

$9.52 SAR 35.73

-83.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹101

$0.65 SAR 2.44

64.62%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

-79.97%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

-8.45%

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

$42.37 ₹4,024

$59.0 SAR 221

-28.20%

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

$4.03 ₹383

$42.19 SAR 158

-90.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹660

$64.9 SAR 244

-89.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,821

$195 SAR 731

-90.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹752

$93.5 SAR 351

-91.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹500

$10.56 SAR 39.62

-50.09%

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

$100 ₹9,525

$65.3 SAR 245

53.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.4K

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

-83.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,290

$50.6 SAR 190

-52.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,645

$41.79 SAR 157

-33.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,977

$76.9 SAR 289

-31.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,074

$90.4 SAR 339

-52.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$361 SAR 1,355

-25.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$453 SAR 1,700

-65.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹96.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.7K

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

-78.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

4.5

85.11%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Dhahran

$453 34.4% 191% $297

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Dhahran

$231 17.6% 112% $122

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Dhahran

$113 8.6% 28.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Dhahran

$117 8.9% 76.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Dhahran

$166 12.6% 211% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Dhahran

$216 16.4% 626% $186

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6% 4.5% $0.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $361 in Dhahran. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 358% higher in Dhahran, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi versus $39.00 in Dhahran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $231 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

2 h 30 min behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

120,521

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Delhi Dhahran 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Dhahran

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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $1,317 in Dhahran – roughly 152% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $1,976 in Dhahran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $522 in Delhi and $1,317 in Dhahran. That's a gap of about 152%.

Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Delhi and $65.3 in Dhahran. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Dhahran at $1,317. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dhahran it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Delhi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dhahran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.