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 Machakos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $526 per month in Delhi vs $516 in Machakos, rent included.
Delhi $526
Machakos $516
A couple spends around $882 per month in Delhi vs $797 in Machakos, rent included.
Delhi $882
Machakos $797
A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Delhi vs $1,078 in Machakos, rent included.
Delhi $1,239
Machakos $1,078
😐
Delhi costs about 2% more than Machakos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both Delhi and Machakos are more affordable than the global median – Delhi61% lower, Machakos62% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.70₹352
$3.15KES 408
17.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.33₹2,026
$18.98KES 2,461
12.38%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.69₹351
$6.19KES 803
-40.39%
Cappuccino
$2.30₹218
$1.98KES 257
16.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39₹36.82
$0.64KES 83.0
-39.06%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15₹14.05
$0.54KES 69.8
-72.22%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.05₹195
$2.11KES 273
-2.84%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13₹297
$2.71KES 352
15.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.69₹65.9
$0.37KES 48.53
86.49%
White Bread(500g)
$0.58₹54.6
$0.44KES 56.9
31.82%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.78₹74.0
$0.74KES 95.4
5.41%
Eggs
$1.15₹109
$1.36KES 177
-15.44%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$4.28₹407
$10.73KES 1,391
-60.11%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.52₹334
$6.29KES 815
-44.04%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
-
$4.55KES 589
-
Apples(1kg)
$1.93₹184
$1.58KES 205
22.15%
Banana(1kg)
$0.79₹75.1
$0.73KES 95.2
8.22%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.01₹95.6
$0.40KES 52.4
152.50%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.53₹50.0
$0.41KES 53.1
29.27%
Potato(1kg)
$0.28₹26.21
$0.80KES 104
-65.00%
Onion(1kg)
$0.37₹35.46
$0.81KES 104
-54.32%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.44₹41.89
$0.68KES 88.4
-35.29%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31₹29.89
$0.38KES 49.11
-18.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95₹470
$3.51KES 455
41.03%
Wine(Bottle)
$8.57₹814
$11.44KES 1,483
-25.09%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61₹152
$1.90KES 247
-15.26%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66₹253
$2.80KES 363
-5.00%
Buffalo Round(or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)(1kg)
$6.40₹608
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.51₹48.63
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$15.59₹1,481
-
-
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.04₹98.4
$0.79KES 103
31.65%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.27₹25.79
$0.78KES 101
-65.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$1.54₹146
$2.84KES 368
-45.77%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.11₹106
$1.49KES 193
-25.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.5K₹1.1M
$19.2KKES 2.5M
-40.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.9K₹1.8M
$21.5KKES 2.8M
-12.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$42.45₹4,031
$56.1KES 7,279
-24.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.20₹399
$7.82KES 1,014
-46.29%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.89₹654
$11.48KES 1,488
-39.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$20.09₹1,908
$38.18KES 4,950
-47.38%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.89₹749
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.31₹504
$7.62KES 987
-30.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$101₹9,571
$45.44KES 5,892
121.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$2,315₹219.8K
$12.3KKES 1.6M
-81.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.64₹2,340
$11.34KES 1,470
117.28%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.82₹2,737
$28.69KES 3,719
0.45%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$53.6₹5,088
$69.4KES 8,991
-22.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.17₹4,194
$38.50KES 4,992
14.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$271₹25.8K
$93.9KES 12.2K
188.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$157₹14.9K
$68.7KES 8,905
128.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$744₹70.6K
$154KES 20.0K
382.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$405₹38.4K
$115KES 15.0K
250.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,574₹244.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,003₹95.2K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Delhi
Machakos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$615₹58.4K
$383KES 49.6K
60.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
8.33
14.71
-43.37%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Delhi: October 18, 2026
Last update for Machakos: October 17, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Delhi
$157 29.9%
Machakos
$69 13.3% ↓ 56.2%$88
🛒Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$110 20.8%
Machakos
$159 30.8% ↑ 45.2%$49
🍽Eating Out
Delhi
$87 16.5%
Machakos
$88 17.1% ↑ 1.6%$1.4
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$68 12.9%
Machakos
$67 12.9% ↓ 2.2%$1.5
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$54 10.2%
Machakos
$75 14.6% ↑ 40.9%$22
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$31 5.8%
Machakos
$53 10.4% ↑ 73.9%$23
🚌Getting Around
Delhi
$20 3.8%
Machakos
$4.7 * 0.9% ↓ 76.5%$15
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Delhi
$405 32.7%
Machakos
$115 10.7% ↓ 71.5%$289
🛒Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$236 19.1%
Machakos
$350 32.5% ↑ 48.2%$114
🍽Eating Out
Delhi
$279 22.5%
Machakos
$265 24.6% ↓ 5%$14
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$151 12.2%
Machakos
$148 13.7% ↓ 2.2%$3.3
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$58 4.7%
Machakos
$83 7.7% ↑ 44.2%$26
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$69 5.6%
Machakos
$107 * 9.9% ↑ 54.1%$38
🚌Getting Around
Delhi
$41 3.3%
Machakos
$9.4 * 0.9% ↓ 77.1%$32
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Cost Breakdown
🏠A central one-bedroom costs $271 in Delhi versus $93.9 in Machakos. 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 61% higher in Delhi, 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 $19.00 in Machakos. Groceries tell a different story – $110 in Delhi vs $159 in Machakos – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.
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 Machakos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Delhi and in Machakos compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $526 in Delhi, $516 in Machakos – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Delhi compared to Machakos?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $789 per month in Delhi and $774 in Machakos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Delhi and Machakos?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Machakos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Delhi or Machakos?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $526 in Delhi and $516 in Machakos. That's a gap of about 2%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Delhi and Machakos?
Kindergarten costs $101 per month in Delhi and $45.44 in Machakos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $800 go in Delhi compared to Machakos?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $526 in Delhi and $516 in Machakos, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Delhi or Machakos?
Families tend to lean toward Machakos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Delhi or Machakos safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Delhi and Machakos?
If budget matters most, go with Machakos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Delhi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.