Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Petaling Jaya

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Delhi $520
Petaling Jaya $1,062

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,529 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Delhi $858
Petaling Jaya $1,529

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $1,997 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Petaling Jaya $1,997

Delhi is about 51% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Petaling Jaya 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$3.71 MYR 15.15

-1.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$24.45 MYR 99.8

-14.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$4.87 MYR 19.88

-23.20%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$2.99 MYR 12.21

-22.07%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.88 MYR 3.59

-57.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.44 MYR 1.80

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$3.33 MYR 13.60

-39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$5.69 MYR 23.21

-43.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$1.93 MYR 7.90

-64.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$1.03 MYR 4.20

-49.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$1.44 MYR 5.89

-42.36%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-39.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$9.66 MYR 39.44

-54.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$3.32 MYR 13.54

1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 MYR 38.94

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$3.44 MYR 14.05

-42.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.93 MYR 7.89

-62.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$2.77 MYR 11.31

-63.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$1.83 MYR 7.47

-71.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$2.15 MYR 8.80

-87.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$2.01 MYR 8.23

-81.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$1.43 MYR 5.85

-69.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.55 MYR 2.25

-43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$4.57 MYR 18.66

7.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$19.30 MYR 78.8

-56.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$2.71 MYR 11.08

-39.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$4.46 MYR 18.20

-39.46%

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$1.20 MYR 4.92

-61.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$12.40 MYR 50.6

23.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$1.25 MYR 5.09

-17.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.35 MYR 1.44

-22.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$8.73 MYR 35.64

-82.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$0.88 MYR 3.58

19.32%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

-74.54%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$32.6K MYR 133.2K

-43.69%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$48.53 MYR 198

-12.08%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$8.08 MYR 33.00

-50.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$26.83 MYR 110

-74.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$51.8 MYR 211

-62.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$3.16 MYR 12.89

155.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$4.92 MYR 20.09

3.25%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$279 MYR 1,137

-64.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$10.4K MYR 42.4K

-78.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$52.4 MYR 214

-53.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$29.65 MYR 121

-4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$76.3 MYR 311

-30.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$84.9 MYR 347

-48.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$482 MYR 1,970

-45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$404 MYR 1,651

-61.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$831 MYR 3,391

-11.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$554 MYR 2,260

-28.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$3,121 MYR 12.7K

-20.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$952 MYR 3,888

6.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$1,744 MYR 7,120

-66.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

4.51

84.70%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Petaling Jaya

$404 38.8% 162% $250

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Petaling Jaya

$250 24% 131% $142

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.9% 30% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Petaling Jaya

$109 10.5% 62.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Petaling Jaya

$83 8% 56.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Petaling Jaya

$62 5.9% 108% $32

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 3.7% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $482 in Petaling Jaya. 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 198% higher in Petaling Jaya, 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 $24.00 in Petaling Jaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $250 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

771,687

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Delhi Petaling Jaya 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Petaling Jaya

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 Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $1,062 in Petaling Jaya – roughly 104% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $1,593 in Petaling Jaya. 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 $24.00 in Petaling Jaya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $520 in Delhi and $1,062 in Petaling Jaya. That's a gap of about 104%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Petaling Jaya at $1,062. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Petaling Jaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Delhi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $1,062 in Petaling Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Petaling Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.