Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
Learn more

Kuala Lumpur Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Kuala Lumpur

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Delhi $520
Kuala Lumpur $1,067

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,662 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Delhi $858
Kuala Lumpur $1,662

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $2,257 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Kuala Lumpur $2,257

Delhi is about 51% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Kuala Lumpur are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Kuala Lumpur 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$4.80 MYR 19.60

-23.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$28.82 MYR 118

-27.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$5.00 MYR 20.40

-25.20%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$3.05 MYR 12.47

-23.61%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.85 MYR 3.46

-56.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.45 MYR 1.84

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$4.51 MYR 18.41

-55.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$6.00 MYR 24.50

-46.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$2.11 MYR 8.63

-67.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$1.08 MYR 4.40

-51.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$2.02 MYR 8.24

-58.91%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$2.55 MYR 10.40

-58.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$13.85 MYR 56.6

-68.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$4.39 MYR 17.91

-23.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 39.46

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$3.47 MYR 14.16

-42.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.77 MYR 7.23

-59.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$2.25 MYR 9.21

-54.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.55 MYR 6.34

-66.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-79.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$1.38 MYR 5.64

-73.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$1.17 MYR 4.79

-63.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.67 MYR 2.73

-53.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$4.38 MYR 17.87

12.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$18.87 MYR 77.1

-55.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$3.62 MYR 14.78

-54.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$5.06 MYR 20.64

-46.64%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.72 MYR 2.92

-36.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$12.46 MYR 50.9

22.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.25 MYR 5.11

-17.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-78.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$4.82 MYR 19.68

-68.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$0.86 MYR 3.52

22.09%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$41.4K MYR 168.8K

-74.69%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

-46.85%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$61.5 MYR 251

-30.58%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$8.60 MYR 35.12

-53.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$26.25 MYR 107

-74.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$49.06 MYR 200

-60.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$7.69 MYR 31.39

4.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$4.95 MYR 20.23

2.63%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$295 MYR 1,204

-66.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

-82.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$72.6 MYR 296

-66.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$41.57 MYR 170

-31.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$85.7 MYR 350

-37.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$95.2 MYR 389

-53.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$625 MYR 2,553

-57.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$378 MYR 1,545

-59.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$1,177 MYR 4,806

-37.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$639 MYR 2,608

-37.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$4,112 MYR 16.8K

-39.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$1,504 MYR 6,141

-32.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$1,491 MYR 6,088

-60.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

4.18

99.28%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$378 34.7% 146% $224

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$273 25% 153% $165

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$130 11.9% 48.7% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 96.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.8% 80.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.4% 99.4% $29

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1% 16.6% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $625 in Kuala Lumpur. 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 155% higher in Kuala Lumpur, 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 $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $273 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

13:42 1:42 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 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 = 0.218 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi Kuala Lumpur 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Kuala Lumpur

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 Kuala Lumpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $1,600 in Kuala Lumpur. 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 $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. 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 $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur. That's a gap of about 105%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Kuala Lumpur at $1,067. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Lumpur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kuala Lumpur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur. 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, Kuala Lumpur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.