Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Shah Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $933 in Shah Alam, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Shah Alam

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $933 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Delhi $522
Shah Alam $933

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $1,429 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Delhi $872
Shah Alam $1,429

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $1,925 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Delhi $1,222
Shah Alam $1,925

Delhi is about 44% cheaper than Shah Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Shah Alam are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Shah Alam 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹351

$3.72 MYR 15.19

-0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹1,999

$19.34 MYR 78.9

8.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹354

$4.21 MYR 17.16

-11.40%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹223

$2.87 MYR 11.70

-18.12%

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

$0.37 ₹35.21

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-52.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.93

$0.39 MYR 1.58

-61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

$3.40 MYR 13.85

-37.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹291

$4.33 MYR 17.65

-29.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.1

$1.79 MYR 7.29

-61.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$1.06 MYR 4.31

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.1

$1.47 MYR 6.01

-47.62%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$2.17 MYR 8.85

-48.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹440

$13.59 MYR 55.4

-65.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$4.36 MYR 17.78

-19.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 38.79

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$3.53 MYR 14.38

-43.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$1.62 MYR 6.61

-54.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.6

$2.62 MYR 10.67

-62.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹49.92

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-69.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.61

$1.25 MYR 5.08

-76.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.82

$2.04 MYR 8.33

-80.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.62

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-70.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.81

$0.54 MYR 2.19

-42.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹469

$4.33 MYR 17.66

14.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹779

$18.85 MYR 76.9

-56.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$2.76 MYR 11.26

-42.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹255

$4.64 MYR 18.94

-42.03%

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

$6.19 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.46

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-38.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,498

$16.11 MYR 65.7

-2.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.20 MYR 4.90

-10.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.66

$0.41 MYR 1.67

-34.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹150

$7.48 MYR 30.52

-78.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹101

$0.81 MYR 3.32

32.10%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$42.1K MYR 171.7K

-74.67%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

-45.78%

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

$42.37 ₹4,024

$36.85 MYR 150

14.98%

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

$4.03 ₹383

$9.64 MYR 39.32

-58.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹660

$28.94 MYR 118

-75.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,821

$40.19 MYR 164

-52.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹752

$4.88 MYR 19.92

62.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹500

$6.58 MYR 26.86

-19.91%

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

$100 ₹9,525

$199 MYR 812

-49.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.4K

$4,548 MYR 18.6K

-50.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,290

$57.6 MYR 235

-58.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,645

$39.52 MYR 161

-29.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,977

$67.8 MYR 277

-22.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,074

$70.0 MYR 285

-38.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$340 MYR 1,386

-21.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$308 MYR 1,255

-49.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.7K

$564 MYR 2,301

30.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

$560 MYR 2,283

-29.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.0K

$1,502 MYR 6,128

66.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹96.8K

$1,165 MYR 4,753

-12.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.7K

$1,264 MYR 5,156

-51.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

4.04

106.19%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Shah Alam

$308 33% 97.3% $152

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Shah Alam

$261 28% 140% $152

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Shah Alam

$107 11.5% 21.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Shah Alam

$106 11.3% 59.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Shah Alam

$75 8.1% 41.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Shah Alam

$53 5.7% 79.6% $24

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Shah Alam

$22 2.4% 11.5% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $340 in Shah Alam. 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 108% higher in Shah Alam, 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 $19.00 in Shah Alam. Groceries tell a different story – $109 in Delhi vs $261 in Shah Alam – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

812,327

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Delhi Shah Alam 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Shah Alam

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 Shah Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $933 in Shah Alam – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $1,399 in Shah Alam. 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 $19.00 in Shah Alam. 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 $933 in Shah Alam. That's a gap of about 79%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $522 in Delhi and $933 in Shah Alam, 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.

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