Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram: $391 a month against $522 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Thiruvananthapuram
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Thiruvananthapuram Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Thiruvananthapuram

🇮🇳 India

$391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Thiruvananthapuram

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $391 in Thiruvananthapuram, rent included.

Delhi $522
Thiruvananthapuram $391

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $615 in Thiruvananthapuram, rent included.

Delhi $872
Thiruvananthapuram $615

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $840 in Thiruvananthapuram, rent included.

Delhi $1,222
Thiruvananthapuram $840

Delhi costs about 34% more than Thiruvananthapuram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Thiruvananthapuram 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹351

$2.53 ₹240

46.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.05 ₹1,999

$10.30 ₹978

104.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 ₹354

$3.56 ₹338

4.78%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ₹223

$1.83 ₹174

28.42%

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

$0.37 ₹35.21

$0.40 ₹37.90

-7.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.93

$0.19 ₹18.28

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

$2.04 ₹194

4.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₹291

$2.67 ₹254

14.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.1

$0.56 ₹53.5

23.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$0.53 ₹50.3

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.1

$0.56 ₹53.3

37.50%

Eggs

$1.11 ₹105

$0.88 ₹83.1

26.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹440

$5.43 ₹516

-14.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$2.69 ₹255

30.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.21 ₹210

-9.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$0.81 ₹77.3

-8.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.6

$1.15 ₹109

-15.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹49.92

$0.45 ₹43.04

17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.61

$0.44 ₹41.89

-31.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.82

$0.49 ₹46.16

-18.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹39.62

$0.57 ₹53.8

-26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.81

$0.30 ₹28.81

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹469

$4.47 ₹424

10.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹779

$5.36 ₹509

53.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$1.75 ₹167

-9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₹255

$3.07 ₹292

-12.38%

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

$6.19 ₹588

$4.76 ₹452

30.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹43.46

$0.20 ₹18.96

130.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.78 ₹1,498

$2.91 ₹276

442.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.68 ₹160

-36.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.66

$0.25 ₹23.54

8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₹150

$2.58 ₹245

-38.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹101

$1.11 ₹105

-3.60%

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

$10.7K ₹1.0M

$13.7K ₹1.3M

-21.97%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$30.9K ₹2.9M

-38.67%

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

$42.37 ₹4,024

$35.03 ₹3,327

20.95%

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

$4.03 ₹383

$3.42 ₹325

17.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₹660

$7.76 ₹737

-10.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.18 ₹1,821

$14.02 ₹1,332

36.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.92 ₹752

$7.77 ₹737

1.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 ₹500

$2.11 ₹201

149.76%

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

$100 ₹9,525

$37.77 ₹3,587

165.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 ₹213.4K

$2,091 ₹198.5K

7.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.11 ₹2,290

$21.80 ₹2,071

10.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 ₹2,645

$17.95 ₹1,705

55.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₹4,977

$36.91 ₹3,505

41.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.90 ₹4,074

$27.57 ₹2,618

55.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₹25.4K

$175 ₹16.6K

52.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$98.9 ₹9,390

57.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 ₹69.7K

$361 ₹34.3K

103.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 ₹37.5K

$214 ₹20.3K

84.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,507 ₹238.0K

$851 ₹80.8K

194.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,020 ₹96.8K

$453 ₹43.0K

125.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.7K

$241 ₹22.9K

152.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

10.31

-19.20%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Thiruvananthapuram: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$156 29.9%

Thiruvananthapuram

$99 25.3% 36.6% $57

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$109 20.9%

Thiruvananthapuram

$103 26.4% 5.4% $5.9

Eating Out

Delhi

$88 16.8%

Thiruvananthapuram

$71 18.1% 19.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$66 12.7%

Thiruvananthapuram

$47 12% 29.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.2%

Thiruvananthapuram

$46 11.8% 13.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Thiruvananthapuram

$18 4.7% 38.6% $11

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Thiruvananthapuram

$6.6 1.7% 66.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $175 in Thiruvananthapuram. 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 152% higher in Delhi, 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 $10.00 in Thiruvananthapuram. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $103 – making Thiruvananthapuram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇳 Thiruvananthapuram

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

Same time as Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

744,983

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Delhi Thiruvananthapuram 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Delhi vs Thiruvananthapuram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $391 in Thiruvananthapuram – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $586 in Thiruvananthapuram. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram, 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 $10.00 in Thiruvananthapuram. 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 $391 in Thiruvananthapuram. That's a gap of about 34%.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $522 in Delhi and $391 in Thiruvananthapuram, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Thiruvananthapuram has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $391 in Thiruvananthapuram to $522 in Delhi. 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 Thiruvananthapuram. 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.