Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $42,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$520
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in London

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

  • Delhi $520
  • London $4,086

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

  • Delhi $858
  • London $5,816

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

  • Delhi $1,195
  • London $7,546

Delhi is about 87% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Delhi sits 61% below the global median, while London is 205% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Delhi
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.67 ₹355
$26.62 £20.12
-86.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.95 ₹2,027
$108 £81.3
-80.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.74 ₹362
$10.39 £7.86
-64.00%
Cappuccino
$2.33 ₹226
$5.79 £4.38
-59.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₹35.82
$3.01 £2.27
-87.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.20 ₹18.91
$2.15 £1.63
-90.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.02 ₹195
$9.35 £7.07
-78.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 ₹308
$7.84 £5.93
-59.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Delhi
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.68 ₹65.9
$1.79 £1.35
-62.01%
White Bread (500g)
$0.52 ₹50.2
$2.06 £1.56
-74.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.83 ₹80.0
$2.31 £1.74
-64.07%
Eggs
$1.07 ₹104
$5.05 £3.82
-78.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.43 ₹428
$12.57 £9.50
-64.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.37 ₹326
$10.66 £8.05
-68.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$17.13 £12.95
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.99 ₹192
$3.03 £2.29
-34.32%
Banana (1kg)
$0.72 ₹70.1
$1.41 £1.07
-48.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.02 ₹98.4
$3.05 £2.31
-66.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.52 ₹50.1
$3.38 £2.56
-84.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.27 ₹25.96
$1.67 £1.26
-83.83%
Onion (1kg)
$0.37 ₹35.42
$1.73 £1.31
-78.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 ₹41.64
$1.41 £1.07
-69.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹30.39
$1.79 £1.35
-82.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.92 ₹476
$23.22 £17.55
-78.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.34 ₹808
$12.99 £9.82
-35.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₹159
$3.18 £2.41
-48.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 ₹261
$4.41 £3.34
-38.78%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.15 ₹596
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Delhi
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 ₹44.04
$3.87 £2.93
-88.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.29 ₹1,480
$250 £189
-93.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 ₹99.8
$5.71 £4.31
-81.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹26.38
$3.33 £2.51
-91.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ₹148
$57.9 £43.77
-97.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.05 ₹102
$2.04 £1.54
-48.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$10.5K ₹1.0M
$37.5K £28.4K
-72.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.4K ₹1.8M
$40.9K £30.9K
-55.09%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.67 ₹4,129
$376 £284
-88.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.04 ₹391
$17.88 £13.51
-77.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.75 ₹653
$40.01 £30.25
-83.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.40 ₹1,878
$61.2 £46.23
-68.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.06 ₹780
$21.07 £15.93
-61.75%
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 ₹492
$17.95 £13.57
-71.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Delhi
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$100 ₹9,696
$2,865 £2,166
-96.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,268 ₹219.5K
$35.3K £26.7K
-93.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.14 ₹2,336
$116 £87.7
-79.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.38 ₹2,747
$54.1 £40.88
-47.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.3 ₹5,160
$127 £95.7
-57.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.13 ₹4,271
$159 £120
-72.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Delhi
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$264 ₹25.5K
$2,853 £2,157
-90.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$154 ₹14.9K
$2,301 £1,740
-93.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$736 ₹71.2K
$5,201 £3,932
-85.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$397 ₹38.5K
$3,723 £2,814
-89.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,494 ₹241.4K
$19.0K £14.4K
-86.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,017 ₹98.4K
$7,881 £5,957
-87.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Delhi
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$585 ₹56.7K
$4,818 £3,642
-87.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.33
4.65
79.14%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Delhi
$154
London
$2.3K 1393% $2.1K
Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$108
London
$349 224% $241
Eating Out
Delhi
$87
London
$397 354% $309
Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$67
London
$205 204% $138
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$53
London
$434 712% $381
Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$30
London
$97 228% $67
Getting Around
Delhi
$20
London
$288 1376% $268

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $2,853 in London. 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 723% higher in London, 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 $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $349 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Delhi
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
09:02 9:02 AM
04:32 4:32 AM
4 h 30 min behind Delhi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,787,941 Capital
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Delhi London 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Delhi
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Delhi and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $4,086 in London – roughly 685% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Delhi compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Delhi and London?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Delhi or London?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $520 in Delhi and $4,086 in London. That's a gap of about 685%.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in London at $4,086. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Delhi and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Delhi and London?
If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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