Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Meerut

For one person, living is cheaper in Meerut: $381 a month against $536 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Meerut
Learn more

Meerut Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$536

/mo nomad

Meerut

🇮🇳 India

$381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Meerut

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

A single person spends $536 per month in Delhi vs $381 in Meerut, rent included.

Delhi $536
Meerut $381

A couple spends around $901 per month in Delhi vs $588 in Meerut, rent included.

Delhi $901
Meerut $588

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Delhi vs $795 in Meerut, rent included.

Delhi $1,266
Meerut $795

Delhi costs about 41% more than Meerut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Delhi and Meerut are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Meerut 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ₹349

$3.06 ₹291

19.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,976

$10.38 ₹989

100.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹356

$2.61 ₹249

43.30%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ₹237

$1.88 ₹179

31.91%

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

$0.38 ₹36.21

$0.33 ₹31.89

15.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.85

$0.14 ₹12.95

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹195

$1.56 ₹148

30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹293

$1.75 ₹167

75.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.4

$0.63 ₹60.3

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.25

$0.47 ₹44.44

10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₹78.2

$0.77 ₹72.9

6.49%

Eggs

$1.17 ₹112

$0.90 ₹86.1

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 ₹411

$3.44 ₹328

25.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ₹320

$1.90 ₹181

76.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 ₹186

$1.21 ₹115

61.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.6

$0.67 ₹63.5

10.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 ₹94.1

$0.62 ₹58.8

59.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.72

$0.47 ₹45.02

4.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 ₹27.29

$0.30 ₹28.72

-3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.63

$0.35 ₹32.90

17.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.95

$0.36 ₹34.19

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.80

$0.29 ₹27.77

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 ₹479

$4.75 ₹452

5.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ₹797

$9.77 ₹931

-14.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹159

$1.37 ₹130

21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹268

$2.00 ₹190

40.50%

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

$6.64 ₹633

$2.91 ₹278

128.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₹38.58

$0.31 ₹29.10

32.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.60 ₹1,485

$6.27 ₹597

148.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$0.56 ₹52.9

92.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.74

$0.22 ₹20.96

13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ₹149

$1.07 ₹101

46.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.04 ₹99.1

6.73%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$8,504 ₹809.8K

29.99%

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

$19.6K ₹1.9M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

57.70%

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

$43.87 ₹4,178

$36.26 ₹3,452

20.99%

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

$4.27 ₹407

$3.07 ₹293

39.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.82 ₹649

$5.06 ₹482

34.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.06 ₹2,481

$10.31 ₹982

152.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.09 ₹771

$12.13 ₹1,155

-33.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₹509

$3.77 ₹359

41.64%

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

$100 ₹9,534

$31.45 ₹2,994

218.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,288 ₹217.9K

$1,265 ₹120.5K

80.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.84 ₹2,366

$25.16 ₹2,396

-1.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.18 ₹2,779

$23.73 ₹2,260

22.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 ₹5,063

$39.75 ₹3,785

33.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.74 ₹4,260

$39.76 ₹3,786

12.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ₹26.4K

$152 ₹14.5K

82.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₹15.1K

$94.1 ₹8,956

68.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₹76.0K

$712 ₹67.8K

12.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₹40.0K

$178 ₹17.0K

135.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,558 ₹243.6K

$661 ₹62.9K

287.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 ₹111.6K

$239 ₹22.8K

389.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 ₹57.0K

$467 ₹44.4K

28.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

8.73

-4.35%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Meerut: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$159 29.6%

Meerut

$94 24.7% 40.7% $65

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.2%

Meerut

$89 23.5% 17.6% $19

Eating Out

Delhi

$89 16.6%

Meerut

$68 17.9% 23.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.8%

Meerut

$58 15.2% 15.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$55 10.3%

Meerut

$44 11.7% 19.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$37 6.9%

Meerut

$18 4.7% 51.4% $19

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.7%

Meerut

$9.2 2.4% 53.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Delhi versus $152 in Meerut. 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 28% 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 in Delhi versus $10 in Meerut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $89 – making Meerut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇳 Meerut

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

Same time as Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

500,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Delhi Meerut 61 km

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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 Meerut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $536 in Delhi, $381 in Meerut – Meerut comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $803 per month in Delhi and $571 in Meerut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Meerut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $152 there versus $277 in Delhi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi and $10 in Meerut. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $536 in Delhi and $381 in Meerut. That makes Meerut about 29% cheaper.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $536 in Delhi and $381 in Meerut, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Meerut – 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 Meerut. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Delhi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.