Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $526 a month against $739 in El Nido, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
Learn more

El Nido Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$526

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in El Nido

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

A single person spends $526 per month in Delhi vs $739 in El Nido, rent included.

Delhi $526
El Nido $739

A couple spends around $882 per month in Delhi vs $1,148 in El Nido, rent included.

Delhi $882
El Nido $1,148

A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Delhi vs $1,557 in El Nido, rent included.

Delhi $1,239
El Nido $1,557

Delhi is about 29% cheaper than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and El Nido are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, El Nido 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹352

$4.84 ₱305

-23.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.33 ₹2,026

$28.13 ₱1,771

-24.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.69 ₹351

$3.70 ₱233

-0.27%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ₹218

$2.25 ₱142

2.22%

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

$0.39 ₹36.82

$1.17 ₱73.8

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.05

$0.32 ₱20.45

-53.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 ₹195

$1.30 ₱81.8

57.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₹297

$1.99 ₱125

57.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.9

$1.59 ₱100

-56.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 ₹54.6

$1.00 ₱63.1

-42.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₹74.0

$1.29 ₱81.4

-39.53%

Eggs

$1.15 ₹109

$1.95 ₱123

-41.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.28 ₹407

$5.33 ₱336

-19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$3.98 ₱250

-11.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.98 ₱439

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₹184

$2.25 ₱142

-14.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 ₹75.1

$1.54 ₱97.1

-48.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 ₹95.6

$2.26 ₱142

-55.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$1.16 ₱72.8

-54.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.21

$1.95 ₱123

-85.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.46

$2.01 ₱127

-81.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.89

$0.92 ₱58.0

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.89

$0.53 ₱33.65

-41.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₹470

$3.35 ₱211

47.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 ₹814

$7.24 ₱456

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₹152

$1.00 ₱62.9

61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₹253

$1.87 ₱118

42.25%

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

$6.40 ₹608

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.63

$0.24 ₱15.07

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.59 ₹1,481

$10.28 ₱648

51.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.4

$0.85 ₱53.8

22.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.79

$0.20 ₱12.47

35.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$1.72 ₱108

-10.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.31 ₱82.3

-15.27%

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

$11.5K ₹1.1M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

-40.17%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

-12.66%

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

$42.45 ₹4,031

$121 ₱7,638

-65.01%

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

$4.20 ₹399

$14.38 ₱906

-70.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.89 ₹654

$24.44 ₱1,539

-71.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.09 ₹1,908

$34.90 ₱2,197

-42.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.89 ₹749

$3.99 ₱251

97.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 ₹504

$5.23 ₱329

1.53%

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

$101 ₹9,571

$124 ₱7,818

-18.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,315 ₹219.8K

$6,869 ₱432.4K

-66.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.64 ₹2,340

$33.86 ₱2,132

-27.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.82 ₹2,737

$18.81 ₱1,185

53.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.6 ₹5,088

$66.9 ₱4,211

-19.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.17 ₹4,194

$49.95 ₱3,145

-11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$271 ₹25.8K

$269 ₱17.0K

0.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 ₹14.9K

$177 ₱11.2K

-11.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$744 ₹70.6K

$535 ₱33.7K

38.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 ₹38.4K

$358 ₱22.5K

13.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,574 ₹244.4K

$2,607 ₱164.1K

-1.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 ₹95.2K

$900 ₱56.7K

11.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$615 ₹58.4K

$257 ₱16.2K

139.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

6.79

22.68%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 18, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$157 29.9%

El Nido

$177 24% 12.9% $20

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$110 20.8%

El Nido

$174 23.6% 59% $65

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.5%

El Nido

$93 12.6% 7.3% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.9%

El Nido

$76 10.3% 12.1% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$54 10.2%

El Nido

$160 21.7% 199% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$31 5.8%

El Nido

$45 6.1% 47.7% $15

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

El Nido

$13 1.8% 34.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $271 in Delhi versus $269 in El Nido. 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 140% higher in Delhi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi versus $28.00 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $110 vs $174 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

50,494

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi El Nido 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
El Nido

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 El Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $526 in Delhi, $739 in El Nido – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $789 per month in Delhi and $1,109 in El Nido. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi and $28.00 in El Nido. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $526 in Delhi and $739 in El Nido. That's a gap of about 41%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $526 in Delhi and $739 in El Nido, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, El Nido makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.