Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Lhasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $526 a month against $733 in Lhasa, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
Learn more

Lhasa Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$526

/mo nomad

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Lhasa

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

A single person spends $526 per month in Delhi vs $733 in Lhasa, rent included.

Delhi $526
Lhasa $733

A couple spends around $882 per month in Delhi vs $1,192 in Lhasa, rent included.

Delhi $882
Lhasa $1,192

A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Delhi vs $1,651 in Lhasa, rent included.

Delhi $1,239
Lhasa $1,651

Delhi is about 28% cheaper than Lhasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Lhasa are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Lhasa 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹352

$4.53 ¥30.26

-18.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.33 ₹2,026

$30.37 ¥203

-29.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.69 ₹351

$7.52 ¥50.3

-50.93%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ₹218

$2.79 ¥18.69

-17.56%

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

$0.39 ₹36.82

$0.43 ¥2.90

-9.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.05

$0.30 ¥2.04

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 ₹195

$1.48 ¥9.89

38.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₹297

$2.06 ¥13.80

51.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.9

$1.78 ¥11.93

-61.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 ₹54.6

$1.65 ¥11.00

-64.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₹74.0

$0.96 ¥6.39

-18.75%

Eggs

$1.15 ₹109

$1.68 ¥11.26

-31.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.28 ₹407

$7.16 ¥47.89

-40.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$2.92 ¥19.52

20.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.97 ¥73.3

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₹184

$1.88 ¥12.57

2.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 ₹75.1

$1.29 ¥8.61

-38.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 ₹95.6

$1.55 ¥10.37

-34.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$1.27 ¥8.52

-58.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.21

$0.70 ¥4.70

-60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.46

$0.94 ¥6.26

-60.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.89

$0.58 ¥3.89

-24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.89

$0.55 ¥3.70

-43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₹470

$3.77 ¥25.18

31.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 ₹814

$11.77 ¥78.7

-27.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₹152

$0.89 ¥5.95

80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₹253

$1.56 ¥10.42

70.51%

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

$6.40 ₹608

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.63

$0.29 ¥1.92

75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.59 ₹1,481

$17.84 ¥119

-12.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.4

$1.45 ¥9.72

-28.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.79

$0.33 ¥2.20

-18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$7.00 ¥46.79

-78.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.25 ¥8.36

-11.20%

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

$11.5K ₹1.1M

$19.5K ¥130.2K

-41.08%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$17.2K ¥114.7K

9.98%

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

$42.45 ₹4,031

$57.0 ¥381

-25.58%

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

$4.20 ₹399

$8.51 ¥56.9

-50.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.89 ₹654

$11.05 ¥73.9

-37.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.09 ₹1,908

$42.14 ¥282

-52.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.89 ₹749

$14.97 ¥100

-47.29%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 ₹504

$6.48 ¥43.33

-18.06%

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

$101 ₹9,571

$413 ¥2,762

-75.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,315 ₹219.8K

$17.6K ¥117.9K

-86.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.64 ₹2,340

$44.14 ¥295

-44.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.82 ₹2,737

$33.10 ¥221

-12.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.6 ₹5,088

$73.9 ¥494

-27.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.17 ₹4,194

$75.9 ¥507

-41.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$271 ₹25.8K

$294 ¥1,965

-7.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 ₹14.9K

$183 ¥1,223

-14.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$744 ₹70.6K

$624 ¥4,174

19.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 ₹38.4K

$375 ¥2,508

7.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,574 ₹244.4K

$3,432 ¥22.9K

-25.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 ₹95.2K

$1,929 ¥12.9K

-48.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$615 ₹58.4K

$2,127 ¥14.2K

-71.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

3.36

147.92%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lhasa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$157 29.9%

Lhasa

$183 24.9% 16.5% $26

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$110 20.8%

Lhasa

$188 25.6% 71.3% $78

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.5%

Lhasa

$107 14.6% 22.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.9%

Lhasa

$102 13.9% 50.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$54 10.2%

Lhasa

$77 10.5% 43.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$31 5.8%

Lhasa

$55 7.5% 79.4% $24

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Lhasa

$22 3% 10.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $271 in Delhi versus $294 in Lhasa. 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 246% higher in Lhasa, 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 $30.00 in Lhasa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $110 vs $188 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

867,891

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Delhi Lhasa 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Lhasa

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 Lhasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $526 in Delhi, $733 in Lhasa – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $789 per month in Delhi and $1,100 in Lhasa. 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 $30.00 in Lhasa. 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 $733 in Lhasa. That's a gap of about 39%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $526 in Delhi and $733 in Lhasa, 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.

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