Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $613 in Medan, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Medan despite lower rent and utilities.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
Learn more

Medan Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Medan

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $613 in Medan, rent included.

Delhi $522
Medan $613

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $940 in Medan, rent included.

Delhi $872
Medan $940

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $1,266 in Medan, rent included.

Delhi $1,222
Medan $1,266

Delhi is about 15% cheaper than Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Delhi and Medan are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Medan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹351

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

116.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹1,999

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

153.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹354

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

26.44%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹223

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

53.59%

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

$0.37 ₹35.21

$0.35 Rp 6,215

5.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.93

$0.25 Rp 4,534

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

28.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹291

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

-14.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.1

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

-37.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-55.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.1

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

-4.94%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

-15.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹440

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

-42.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

-1.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

-29.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.6

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

-31.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹49.92

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

-43.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.61

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

-64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.82

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

-77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.62

$0.38 Rp 6,905

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.81

$0.44 Rp 7,872

-29.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹469

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

72.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹779

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

-47.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

-13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹255

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

-10.63%

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

$6.19 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.46

$0.27 Rp 4,816

70.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,498

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

166.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.51 Rp 9,186

109.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.66

$0.19 Rp 3,465

42.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹150

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹101

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

33.75%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

-56.80%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-41.21%

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

$42.37 ₹4,024

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

-50.06%

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

$4.03 ₹383

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

27.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹660

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

-70.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,821

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

13.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹752

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

-5.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹500

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

60.18%

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

$100 ₹9,525

$112 Rp 2.0M

-10.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.4K

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

32.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,290

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

-55.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,645

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

-27.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,977

$108 Rp 1.9M

-51.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,074

$111 Rp 2.0M

-61.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$233 Rp 4.2M

14.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

73.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.7K

$494 Rp 8.9M

48.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

$212 Rp 3.8M

86.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.0K

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

116.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹96.8K

$560 Rp 10.1M

82.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.7K

$215 Rp 3.9M

182.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

9.25

-9.95%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Medan

$90 14.6% 42.4% $66

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Medan

$181 29.5% 66% $72

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Medan

$59 9.6% 33.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Medan

$140 22.9% 112% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Medan

$112 18.2% 109% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Medan

$24 3.8% 20.8% $6.2

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 57.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $233 in Medan. 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 182% higher in Delhi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi versus $8.00 in Medan. Groceries tell a different story – $109 in Delhi vs $181 in Medan – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

2,097,610

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi Medan 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Medan

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 Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $613 in Medan – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $920 in Medan. 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 $8.00 in Medan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $522 in Delhi and $613 in Medan. That's a gap of about 17%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $522 in Delhi and $613 in Medan, 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, Medan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.