Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Kolkata (Calcutta)

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $434 a month against $536 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$536

/mo nomad

Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $536 per month in Delhi vs $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent included.

Delhi $536
Kolkata (Calcutta) $434

A couple spends around $901 per month in Delhi vs $691 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent included.

Delhi $901
Kolkata (Calcutta) $691

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Delhi vs $948 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent included.

Delhi $1,266
Kolkata (Calcutta) $948

Delhi costs about 23% more than Kolkata (Calcutta), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Delhi and Kolkata (Calcutta) are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Kolkata (Calcutta) 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ₹348

$2.08 ₹198

75.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,971

$13.98 ₹1,327

48.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹355

$4.15 ₹394

-9.88%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ₹236

$1.66 ₹158

49.40%

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

$0.38 ₹36.11

$0.45 ₹42.69

-15.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.81

$0.12 ₹11.11

41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹194

$1.95 ₹185

4.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹292

$3.01 ₹286

1.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.2

$0.67 ₹63.4

4.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.11

$0.50 ₹47.53

4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₹78.0

$0.74 ₹70.2

10.81%

Eggs

$1.17 ₹111

$1.08 ₹102

8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 ₹410

$5.20 ₹494

-17.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ₹319

$3.00 ₹285

12.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 ₹186

$2.42 ₹230

-19.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.4

$0.81 ₹77.0

-8.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 ₹93.9

$1.36 ₹129

-27.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.59

$0.66 ₹62.5

-25.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 ₹27.21

$0.30 ₹28.66

-3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.52

$0.47 ₹44.83

-12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.83

$0.31 ₹29.00

41.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.72

$0.28 ₹26.82

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 ₹478

$5.10 ₹484

-1.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ₹794

$10.36 ₹983

-19.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹158

$1.76 ₹167

-5.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹267

$2.82 ₹267

-0.35%

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

$6.64 ₹631

$7.01 ₹666

-5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₹38.47

$0.18 ₹16.66

127.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.60 ₹1,481

$3.12 ₹296

400.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$0.81 ₹76.7

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.67

$0.31 ₹29.20

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ₹149

$1.61 ₹152

-2.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$1.10 ₹105

0.91%

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

$11.1K ₹1.0M

$13.1K ₹1.2M

-15.89%

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

$19.6K ₹1.9M

$23.3K ₹2.2M

-15.80%

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

$43.87 ₹4,166

$52.5 ₹4,987

-16.47%

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

$4.27 ₹406

$5.16 ₹490

-17.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.82 ₹647

$7.36 ₹699

-7.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.06 ₹2,474

$15.76 ₹1,496

65.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.09 ₹768

$11.45 ₹1,088

-29.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₹507

$3.19 ₹303

67.40%

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

$100 ₹9,507

$43.26 ₹4,107

131.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,288 ₹217.2K

$1,997 ₹189.6K

14.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.84 ₹2,359

$27.19 ₹2,581

-8.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.18 ₹2,771

$26.01 ₹2,470

12.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 ₹5,048

$35.95 ₹3,413

47.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.74 ₹4,248

$29.01 ₹2,754

54.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ₹26.3K

$167 ₹15.9K

65.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₹15.1K

$103 ₹9,802

53.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₹75.8K

$392 ₹37.2K

103.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₹39.8K

$241 ₹22.9K

74.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,558 ₹242.9K

$1,097 ₹104.2K

133.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 ₹111.3K

$612 ₹58.1K

91.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 ₹56.8K

$379 ₹36.0K

57.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

9.08

-8.04%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$159 29.6%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$103 23.8% 35% $56

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$117 27% 7.8% $8.5

Eating Out

Delhi

$89 16.6%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$67 15.5% 24.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.8%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$53 12.3% 22.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$55 10.3%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15% 18.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$37 6.9%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$22 5.1% 39.7% $15

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6.2 1.4% 68.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Delhi versus $167 in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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 58% higher in Delhi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi versus $14 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Groceries tell a different story – $108 in Delhi vs $117 in Kolkata (Calcutta) – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

Same time as Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

4,486,679

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Delhi Kolkata (Calcutta) 1,300 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Delhi vs Kolkata (Calcutta): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $536 in Delhi, $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta) – Kolkata (Calcutta) comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $803 per month in Delhi and $651 in Kolkata (Calcutta). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $167 there versus $277 in Delhi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi and $14 in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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 $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta). That makes Kolkata (Calcutta) about 19% cheaper.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $536 in Delhi and $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kolkata (Calcutta) – 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 Kolkata (Calcutta). If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Delhi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.