Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Salmiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $1,624 in Salmiya, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Salmiya
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Salmiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Salmiya

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Salmiya

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $1,624 in Salmiya, rent included.

Delhi $522
Salmiya $1,624

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $2,422 in Salmiya, rent included.

Delhi $872
Salmiya $2,422

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $3,219 in Salmiya, rent included.

Delhi $1,222
Salmiya $3,219

Delhi is about 68% cheaper than Salmiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Delhi sits 61% below the global median, while Salmiya is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹351

$9.62 KWD 2.96

-61.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹1,999

$49.01 KWD 15.10

-57.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹354

$8.25 KWD 2.54

-54.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 KWD 0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 KWD 0.81

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹223

$4.98 KWD 1.54

-52.81%

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

$0.37 ₹35.21

$0.45 KWD 0.14

-17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.93

$0.31 KWD 0.10

-51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹291

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.1

$1.57 KWD 0.48

-56.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$0.68 KWD 0.21

-22.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.1

$1.88 KWD 0.58

-59.04%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$2.07 KWD 0.64

-46.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹440

$4.25 KWD 1.31

8.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$6.51 KWD 2.01

-45.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 KWD 3.17

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.48 KWD 0.76

-19.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-61.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.6

$1.74 KWD 0.54

-44.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹49.92

$1.49 KWD 0.46

-64.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.61

$1.32 KWD 0.41

-77.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.82

$1.43 KWD 0.44

-72.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.62

$2.28 KWD 0.70

-81.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.81

$0.46 KWD 0.14

-32.61%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹469

$2.80 KWD 0.86

76.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹779

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹255

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

$6.19 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.46

$1.14 KWD 0.35

-59.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,498

$48.50 KWD 14.94

-67.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$3.29 KWD 1.01

-67.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.66

$3.25 KWD 1.00

-91.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹150

$10.61 KWD 3.27

-85.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹101

$0.33 KWD 0.10

224.24%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$19.6K KWD 6,040

-45.63%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$20.1K KWD 6,199

-5.86%

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

$42.37 ₹4,024

$48.28 KWD 14.87

-12.24%

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

$4.03 ₹383

$22.50 KWD 6.93

-82.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹660

$29.85 KWD 9.20

-76.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,821

$148 KWD 45.59

-87.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹752

$15.85 KWD 4.88

-50.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹500

$11.44 KWD 3.52

-53.93%

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

$100 ₹9,525

$302 KWD 92.9

-66.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.4K

$7,555 KWD 2,328

-70.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,290

$37.52 KWD 11.56

-35.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,645

$39.30 KWD 12.11

-29.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,977

$96.1 KWD 29.62

-45.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,074

$89.8 KWD 27.67

-52.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$1,045 KWD 322

-74.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$823 KWD 254

-81.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.7K

$2,364 KWD 728

-68.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

$1,319 KWD 406

-70.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹96.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.7K

$2,097 KWD 646

-71.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

6.53

27.57%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Salmiya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Salmiya

$823 50.7% 428% $667

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Salmiya

$174 10.7% 59.9% $65

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Salmiya

$165 10.1% 87.2% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Salmiya

$118 7.3% 78.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Salmiya

$101 6.2% 88.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Salmiya

$171 10.5% 475% $141

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Salmiya

$73 4.5% 262% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $1,045 in Salmiya. 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 245% higher in Salmiya, 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 $49.00 in Salmiya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $174 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇰🇼 Salmiya

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

2 h 30 min behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

309,960

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, 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).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi Salmiya 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Salmiya

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 Salmiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $1,624 in Salmiya – roughly 211% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $2,436 in Salmiya. 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 $49.00 in Salmiya. 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 $1,624 in Salmiya. That's a gap of about 211%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Salmiya at $1,624. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salmiya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, Salmiya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.