Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Tehran

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $625 in Tehran, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Tehran

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $625 in Tehran, rent included.

Delhi $520
Tehran $625

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $1,071 in Tehran, rent included.

Delhi $858
Tehran $1,071

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $1,516 in Tehran, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Tehran $1,516

Delhi is about 17% cheaper than Tehran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Delhi and Tehran are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Tehran 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$3.66 $3.66

0.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$17.96 $17.96

16.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$3.96 $3.96

-5.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$1.39 $1.39

67.63%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.49 $0.49

-24.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$1.65 $1.65

-87.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$0.70 $0.70

-2.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$0.62 $0.62

-16.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$3.48 $3.48

-76.15%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$1.23 $1.23

-13.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$4.29 $4.29

3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$3.45 $3.45

-2.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 $10.40

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$1.40 $1.40

42.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.87 $1.87

-61.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$1.20 $1.20

-15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$0.67 $0.67

-22.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$0.54 $0.54

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$0.47 $0.47

-21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$0.58 $0.58

-25.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.28 $0.28

10.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$2.56 $2.56

92.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

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

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.11 $0.11

318.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

$5.46 $5.46

180.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$0.52 $0.52

98.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.29 $0.29

-6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$3.02 $3.02

-49.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$0.10 $0.10

950.00%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

$50.0K $50.0K

-79.09%

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$44.5K $44.5K

-58.75%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$12.91 $12.91

230.52%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$1.64 $1.64

146.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$3.79 $3.79

78.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$24.40 $24.40

-20.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

$13.24 $13.24

-39.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$1.96 $1.96

159.18%

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

$100 ₹9,696

$106 $106

-5.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

$2,548 $2,548

-11.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$26.42 $26.42

-8.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$37.23 $37.23

-23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$117 $117

-54.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$75.0 $75.0

-41.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$420 $420

-37.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$267 $267

-42.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$941 $941

-21.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$637 $637

-37.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$1,238 $1,238

101.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$708 $708

43.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$211 $211

177.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

24.79

-66.40%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Last update for Tehran: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Tehran

$267 42.4% 73.5% $113

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Tehran

$128 20.3% 18.4% $20

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Tehran

$66 10.5% 23.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Tehran

$115 18.2% 70.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Tehran

$18 2.9% 65.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Tehran

$28 4.5% 4.2% $1.2

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Tehran

$7.9 1.3% 59.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $420 in Tehran. 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 178% higher in Delhi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi versus $18.00 in Tehran. Groceries tell a different story – $108 in Delhi vs $128 in Tehran – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇷 Tehran

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

2 h behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

8,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Delhi Tehran 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Tehran

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 Tehran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $625 in Tehran – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $938 in Tehran. 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 $18.00 in Tehran. 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 $625 in Tehran. That's a gap of about 20%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $520 in Delhi and $625 in Tehran, 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.

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