Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Malda

For one person, living is cheaper in Malda: $430 a month against $536 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Malda
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Malda Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$536

/mo nomad

Malda

🇮🇳 India

$430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Malda

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

A single person spends $536 per month in Delhi vs $430 in Malda, rent included.

Delhi $536
Malda $430

A couple spends around $901 per month in Delhi vs $616 in Malda, rent included.

Delhi $901
Malda $616

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Delhi vs $801 in Malda, rent included.

Delhi $1,266
Malda $801

Delhi costs about 25% more than Malda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Delhi and Malda are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Malda 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ₹348

$1.02 ₹97.1

258.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,971

$13.82 ₹1,313

50.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹355

$4.26 ₹404

-12.21%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ₹236

$1.73 ₹165

43.35%

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

$0.38 ₹36.11

$0.48 ₹45.78

-20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.80

$0.12 ₹11.85

41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹194

$1.87 ₹177

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹292

$3.11 ₹295

-1.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.2

$0.61 ₹58.2

14.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.11

$0.49 ₹46.75

6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₹78.0

$0.51 ₹48.33

60.78%

Eggs

$1.17 ₹111

$0.78 ₹74.4

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 ₹410

$5.50 ₹522

-21.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ₹319

$2.27 ₹216

48.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 ₹186

$2.42 ₹230

-19.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.4

$0.80 ₹76.2

-7.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 ₹93.9

$1.38 ₹131

-28.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.59

$0.54 ₹51.6

-9.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 ₹27.21

$0.22 ₹20.93

31.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.51

$0.41 ₹38.65

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.83

$0.32 ₹30.23

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.72

$0.15 ₹14.56

106.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 ₹478

$4.94 ₹469

1.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ₹794

$10.69 ₹1,015

-21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹158

$1.79 ₹170

-6.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹267

$2.74 ₹260

2.55%

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

$6.64 ₹631

$2.18 ₹207

204.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₹38.47

$0.25 ₹23.54

64.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.60 ₹1,481

$7.70 ₹731

102.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$0.81 ₹77.3

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.67

$0.31 ₹29.01

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ₹149

$1.56 ₹148

0.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$1.16 ₹110

-4.31%

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

$11.1K ₹1.0M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

-10.84%

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

$19.6K ₹1.9M

$22.5K ₹2.1M

-12.84%

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

$43.87 ₹4,165

$52.8 ₹5,009

-16.85%

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

$4.27 ₹405

$3.08 ₹293

38.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.82 ₹647

$4.33 ₹411

57.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.06 ₹2,474

$14.33 ₹1,360

81.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.09 ₹768

$6.68 ₹635

21.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₹507

$3.08 ₹292

73.38%

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

$100 ₹9,506

$42.88 ₹4,071

133.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,288 ₹217.2K

$1,982 ₹188.2K

15.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.84 ₹2,359

$5.39 ₹512

360.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.18 ₹2,771

$26.28 ₹2,495

11.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 ₹5,048

$36.72 ₹3,486

44.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.74 ₹4,248

$29.01 ₹2,754

54.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ₹26.3K

$163 ₹15.5K

69.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₹15.1K

$125 ₹11.8K

27.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₹75.8K

$276 ₹26.2K

189.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₹39.8K

$156 ₹14.8K

169.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,558 ₹242.9K

$967 ₹91.8K

164.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 ₹111.3K

$524 ₹49.8K

123.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 ₹56.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

9.08

-8.04%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Malda: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$159 29.6%

Malda

$125 29% 21.4% $34

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.2%

Malda

$110 25.5% 1.2% $1.3

Eating Out

Delhi

$89 16.6%

Malda

$60 13.9% 32.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.8%

Malda

$44 10.2% 35.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$55 10.3%

Malda

$60 14% 9.5% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$37 6.9%

Malda

$20 4.8% 44.3% $16

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.7%

Malda

$11 2.6% 43.6% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Delhi versus $163 in Malda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi versus $14 in Malda. Groceries tell a different story – $108 in Delhi vs $110 in Malda – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇳 Malda

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

Same time as Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

324,237

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Delhi Malda 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Malda

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 Malda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $536 in Delhi, $430 in Malda – Malda comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $803 per month in Delhi and $644 in Malda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $163 there versus $277 in Delhi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $536 in Delhi and $430 in Malda. That makes Malda about 20% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Delhi and $43 in Malda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $536 in Delhi and $430 in Malda, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Malda – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.