Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Patna

For one person, living is cheaper in Patna: $368 a month against $536 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Delhi, India
Patna, India
Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$536
/mo nomad
Patna
🇮🇳 India
$368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Patna

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

A single person spends $536 per month in Delhi vs $368 in Patna, rent included.

  • Delhi $536
  • Patna $368

A couple spends around $901 per month in Delhi vs $605 in Patna, rent included.

  • Delhi $901
  • Patna $605

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Delhi vs $842 in Patna, rent included.

  • Delhi $1,266
  • Patna $842

Delhi costs about 45% more than Patna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Delhi and Patna are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Patna 73% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Delhi
Patna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.66 ₹348
$2.04 ₹194
79.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.76 ₹1,974
$9.33 ₹888
122.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.74 ₹356
$3.06 ₹291
22.22%
Cappuccino
$2.48 ₹236
$1.65 ₹157
50.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 ₹36.17
$0.35 ₹33.75
8.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 ₹15.83
$0.17 ₹16.23
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.04 ₹194
$1.90 ₹181
7.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 ₹292
$6.00 ₹571
-48.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Delhi
Patna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.70 ₹66.3
$0.60 ₹57.3
16.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.52 ₹49.19
$0.43 ₹40.98
20.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.82 ₹78.1
$0.53 ₹50.1
54.72%
Eggs
$1.17 ₹112
$0.95 ₹90.5
23.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.31 ₹410
$6.73 ₹640
-35.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.36 ₹319
$2.17 ₹206
54.84%
Apples (1kg)
$1.96 ₹186
$1.35 ₹129
45.19%
Banana (1kg)
$0.74 ₹70.5
$0.68 ₹64.8
8.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.99 ₹94.0
$1.05 ₹99.9
-5.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.49 ₹46.67
$0.45 ₹42.73
8.89%
Potato (1kg)
$0.29 ₹27.26
$0.33 ₹31.23
-12.12%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 ₹38.58
$0.49 ₹46.73
-16.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 ₹41.90
$0.44 ₹41.76
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.77
$0.29 ₹27.60
6.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.03 ₹478
$5.10 ₹485
-1.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.37 ₹796
$6.32 ₹601
32.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 ₹158
$1.59 ₹151
5.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 ₹267
$2.08 ₹198
35.10%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.64 ₹632
$6.63 ₹630
0.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Delhi
Patna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 ₹38.54
$0.33 ₹31.46
24.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.60 ₹1,484
$4.82 ₹458
223.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 ₹102
$1.28 ₹121
-15.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.25 ₹23.71
$0.16 ₹15.15
56.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ₹149
$2.12 ₹202
-25.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ₹106
$1.10 ₹104
0.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.1M
$11.1K ₹1.1M
-0.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K ₹1.9M
$27.0K ₹2.6M
-27.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
Patna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$43.87 ₹4,172
$44.79 ₹4,259
-2.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.27 ₹406
$2.94 ₹279
45.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.82 ₹648
$6.46 ₹614
5.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
Patna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.06 ₹2,478
$21.52 ₹2,046
21.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.09 ₹770
$12.17 ₹1,158
-33.53%
Cinema Ticket
$5.34 ₹508
$3.38 ₹322
57.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Delhi
Patna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$100 ₹9,523
$54.5 ₹5,185
83.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,288 ₹217.6K
$1,713 ₹162.9K
33.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
Patna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.84 ₹2,363
$23.86 ₹2,269
4.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.18 ₹2,776
$29.25 ₹2,782
-0.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.2 ₹5,056
$37.98 ₹3,612
39.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.74 ₹4,255
$34.04 ₹3,237
31.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Delhi
Patna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$277 ₹26.3K
$82.0 ₹7,794
237.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$159 ₹15.1K
$56.1 ₹5,337
182.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$798 ₹75.9K
$280 ₹26.6K
185.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$420 ₹39.9K
$184 ₹17.5K
127.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,558 ₹243.3K
$1,195 ₹113.6K
114.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,172 ₹111.5K
$564 ₹53.6K
107.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Delhi
Patna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$598 ₹56.9K
$342 ₹32.5K
75.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.35
9.46
-11.73%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Patna: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Delhi
$159
Patna
$56 64.7% $103
Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$108
Patna
$97 10.9% $12
Eating Out
Delhi
$89
Patna
$69 22.5% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$68
Patna
$56 17.6% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$55
Patna
$54 1.4% $0.8
Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$37
Patna
$28 23% $8.5
Getting Around
Delhi
$20
Patna
$8.2 58% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Delhi versus $82 in Patna. 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 75% higher in Delhi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi versus $9 in Patna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $96 – making Patna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Delhi
🇮🇳 Patna
🕒 Local time
18:20 6:20 PM
18:20 6:20 PM
Same time as Delhi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,787,941 Capital
500,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Delhi Patna 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Delhi
  • Patna

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Delhi vs Patna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Delhi and in Patna compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $536 in Delhi, $368 in Patna – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Delhi compared to Patna?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $803 per month in Delhi and $553 in Patna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Delhi and Patna?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Patna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $277 in Delhi.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi and $9 in Patna. 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 Patna?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $536 in Delhi and $368 in Patna. That’s a gap of about 45%.
How far does $1,000 go in Delhi compared to Patna?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $536 in Delhi and $368 in Patna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Delhi or Patna?
Families tend to lean toward Patna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Delhi and Patna?
If budget matters most, go with Patna. 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.

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