Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $917 in Kota Kinabalu, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
Learn more

Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Kota Kinabalu

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $917 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Delhi $520
Kota Kinabalu $917

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Delhi $858
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

Delhi is about 43% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Kota Kinabalu are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Kota Kinabalu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$3.57 MYR 14.59

2.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$19.54 MYR 79.8

7.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$4.92 MYR 20.09

-23.98%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$2.63 MYR 10.74

-11.41%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.60 MYR 2.44

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.30 MYR 1.22

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$2.39 MYR 9.75

-15.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$3.74 MYR 15.27

-14.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-60.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$1.28 MYR 5.23

-59.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$2.26 MYR 9.23

-63.27%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$3.46 MYR 14.13

-69.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$28.33 MYR 116

-84.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$3.69 MYR 15.05

-8.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 MYR 27.27

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$2.24 MYR 9.15

-11.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-49.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.94 MYR 7.91

-47.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.99 MYR 8.13

-73.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$1.67 MYR 6.81

-83.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$2.13 MYR 8.71

-82.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-54.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$4.92 MYR 20.10

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$15.84 MYR 64.7

-47.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$3.63 MYR 14.81

-54.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$2.47 MYR 10.07

9.31%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$1.91 MYR 7.80

-75.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$41.92 MYR 171

-63.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.91 MYR 7.82

-46.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.23 MYR 0.94

17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$0.76 MYR 3.11

38.16%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-75.17%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-48.46%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$70.5 MYR 288

-39.46%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$9.69 MYR 39.56

-58.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$32.36 MYR 132

-79.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$52.3 MYR 214

-62.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$3.09 MYR 12.64

160.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$5.22 MYR 21.31

-2.68%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$141 MYR 575

-28.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

-67.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$81.5 MYR 333

-70.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$36.64 MYR 150

-22.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$93.7 MYR 382

-43.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$48.75 MYR 199

-9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$425 MYR 1,735

-37.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$193 MYR 788

-20.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$679 MYR 2,771

8.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$368 MYR 1,501

8.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$1,848 MYR 7,546

34.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,099 MYR 4,489

-7.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$592 MYR 2,419

-1.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.9

113.59%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 25.2% $39

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 166% $180

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 12.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 73.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 111% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 112% $33

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 170% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $425 in Kota Kinabalu. 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 1% higher in Kota Kinabalu, 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 $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu. Groceries tell a different story – $108 in Delhi vs $288 in Kota Kinabalu – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

500,425

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi Kota Kinabalu 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Kota Kinabalu

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 Kota Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $917 in Kota Kinabalu – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $1,375 in Kota Kinabalu. 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 $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $520 in Delhi and $917 in Kota Kinabalu. That's a gap of about 76%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Kota Kinabalu at $917. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kota Kinabalu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Delhi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $917 in Kota Kinabalu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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