Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Karnal

For one person, living is cheaper in Karnal: $340 a month against $536 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Karnal
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Karnal Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$536

/mo nomad

Karnal

🇮🇳 India

$340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Karnal

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

A single person spends $536 per month in Delhi vs $340 in Karnal, rent included.

Delhi $536
Karnal $340

A couple spends around $901 per month in Delhi vs $546 in Karnal, rent included.

Delhi $901
Karnal $546

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Delhi vs $752 in Karnal, rent included.

Delhi $1,266
Karnal $752

Delhi costs about 58% more than Karnal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Delhi and Karnal are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Karnal 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ₹349

$1.60 ₹153

128.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,976

$10.34 ₹985

100.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹356

$1.97 ₹188

89.85%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ₹236

$1.62 ₹155

53.09%

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

$0.38 ₹36.21

$0.37 ₹35.32

2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.85

$0.10 ₹9.32

70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹194

$1.33 ₹127

53.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹293

$2.30 ₹219

33.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.4

$0.56 ₹53.1

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.25

$0.51 ₹48.96

1.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₹78.2

$0.73 ₹69.1

12.33%

Eggs

$1.17 ₹112

$0.87 ₹82.6

34.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 ₹411

$4.97 ₹473

-13.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ₹320

$3.40 ₹323

-1.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 ₹186

$2.21 ₹211

-11.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.6

$0.60 ₹57.4

23.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 ₹94.1

$1.19 ₹113

-16.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.72

$0.35 ₹33.69

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 ₹27.29

$0.27 ₹25.47

7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.62

$0.27 ₹25.66

51.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.94

$0.62 ₹58.6

-29.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.80

$0.29 ₹27.65

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 ₹479

$3.52 ₹335

42.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ₹796

$9.13 ₹869

-8.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹159

$1.22 ₹117

36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹268

$1.64 ₹156

71.34%

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

$6.64 ₹632

$6.47 ₹616

2.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₹38.58

$0.16 ₹15.07

156.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.60 ₹1,485

$16.79 ₹1,599

-7.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$0.33 ₹31.65

227.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.74

$0.12 ₹11.84

108.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ₹149

$1.54 ₹147

1.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$0.98 ₹93.0

13.27%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$7,976 ₹759.4K

38.60%

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

$19.6K ₹1.9M

$12.6K ₹1.2M

55.23%

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

$43.87 ₹4,177

$43.12 ₹4,106

1.74%

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

$4.27 ₹407

$2.69 ₹256

58.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.82 ₹649

$5.74 ₹547

18.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.06 ₹2,481

$13.19 ₹1,255

97.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.09 ₹771

$4.30 ₹410

88.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₹509

$2.69 ₹256

98.51%

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

$100 ₹9,533

$26.12 ₹2,486

283.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,288 ₹217.8K

$642 ₹61.1K

256.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.84 ₹2,365

$12.39 ₹1,180

100.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.18 ₹2,779

$28.11 ₹2,676

3.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 ₹5,062

$47.10 ₹4,484

12.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.74 ₹4,260

$22.36 ₹2,129

100.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ₹26.4K

$66.5 ₹6,333

316.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₹15.1K

$45.12 ₹4,296

251.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₹76.0K

$183 ₹17.4K

336.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₹40.0K

$131 ₹12.5K

220.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,558 ₹243.6K

$1,179 ₹112.2K

117.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 ₹111.6K

$372 ₹35.4K

215.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 ₹57.0K

$444 ₹42.3K

34.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

8.58

-2.68%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karnal: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$159 29.6%

Karnal

$45 13.3% 71.6% $114

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.2%

Karnal

$105 31% 3% $3.2

Eating Out

Delhi

$89 16.6%

Karnal

$51 15.1% 42.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.8%

Karnal

$49 14.6% 27.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$55 10.3%

Karnal

$52 15.2% 6.2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$37 6.9%

Karnal

$19 5.5% 49.5% $18

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.7%

Karnal

$18 5.4% 5.9% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Delhi versus $67 in Karnal. 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 35% higher in Delhi, 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 in Delhi versus $10 in Karnal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $105 – making Karnal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇳 Karnal

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

Same time as Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

286,974

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Delhi vs Karnal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $536 in Delhi, $340 in Karnal – Karnal comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $803 per month in Delhi and $509 in Karnal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karnal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $67 there versus $277 in Delhi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi and $10 in Karnal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $536 in Delhi and $340 in Karnal. That makes Karnal about 37% cheaper.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $536 in Delhi and $340 in Karnal, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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