Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $536 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index

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Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$536

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Varkala

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

A single person spends $536 per month in Delhi vs $383 in Varkala, rent included.

Delhi $536
Varkala $383

A couple spends around $901 per month in Delhi vs $611 in Varkala, rent included.

Delhi $901
Varkala $611

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Delhi vs $839 in Varkala, rent included.

Delhi $1,266
Varkala $839

Delhi costs about 40% more than Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Delhi and Varkala are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Varkala 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.66 ₹348

$2.30 ₹219

59.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,974

$10.55 ₹1,003

96.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹356

$3.55 ₹338

5.35%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ₹236

$1.51 ₹143

64.24%

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

$0.38 ₹36.17

$0.40 ₹38.47

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.83

$0.17 ₹15.96

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹194

$1.78 ₹169

14.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹292

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.3

$0.71 ₹67.8

-1.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.19

$0.45 ₹42.48

15.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₹78.1

$0.67 ₹64.0

22.39%

Eggs

$1.17 ₹112

$0.94 ₹89.6

24.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.31 ₹410

$5.02 ₹477

-14.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ₹319

$3.04 ₹289

10.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 ₹186

$2.03 ₹193

-3.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$0.75 ₹71.0

-1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 ₹94.0

$0.94 ₹89.7

5.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.67

$0.54 ₹51.7

-9.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 ₹27.26

$0.36 ₹33.86

-19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.58

$0.46 ₹43.33

-10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.90

$0.45 ₹43.05

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.77

$0.31 ₹29.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 ₹478

$3.98 ₹379

26.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ₹796

$7.30 ₹694

14.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹158

$1.71 ₹162

-2.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹267

$2.86 ₹272

-1.75%

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

$6.64 ₹632

$5.52 ₹525

20.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₹38.54

$0.28 ₹26.44

46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.60 ₹1,484

$8.50 ₹808

83.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$0.84 ₹79.9

28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.71

$0.25 ₹23.76

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ₹149

$1.49 ₹141

5.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.17 ₹111

-5.13%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$13.8K ₹1.3M

-20.01%

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

$19.6K ₹1.9M

$21.9K ₹2.1M

-10.46%

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

$43.87 ₹4,172

$38.84 ₹3,694

12.95%

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

$4.27 ₹406

$3.53 ₹335

20.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.82 ₹648

$7.21 ₹686

-5.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.06 ₹2,478

$16.07 ₹1,528

62.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.09 ₹770

$7.04 ₹670

14.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₹508

$2.86 ₹272

86.71%

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

$100 ₹9,523

$50.6 ₹4,810

97.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,288 ₹217.6K

$1,531 ₹145.6K

49.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.84 ₹2,363

$24.03 ₹2,286

3.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.18 ₹2,776

$24.85 ₹2,364

17.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 ₹5,056

$42.77 ₹4,068

24.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.74 ₹4,255

$30.58 ₹2,909

46.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ₹26.3K

$122 ₹11.6K

126.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 ₹15.1K

$75.1 ₹7,138

111.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₹75.9K

$275 ₹26.1K

190.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₹39.9K

$182 ₹17.3K

131.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,558 ₹243.3K

$1,076 ₹102.3K

137.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 ₹111.5K

$611 ₹58.1K

91.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 ₹56.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.35

8.67

-3.69%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$159 29.6%

Varkala

$75 19.6% 52.7% $84

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.2%

Varkala

$106 27.6% 2.3% $2.5

Eating Out

Delhi

$89 16.6%

Varkala

$64 16.8% 27.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.8%

Varkala

$55 14.3% 19.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$55 10.3%

Varkala

$50 12.9% 9.8% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$37 6.9%

Varkala

$22 5.7% 40.7% $15

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.7%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 40.1% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Delhi versus $122 in Varkala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Delhi versus $11 in Varkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $106 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

Same time as Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

50,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Delhi Varkala 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $536 in Delhi, $383 in Varkala – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $803 per month in Delhi and $575 in Varkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $277 in Delhi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $536 in Delhi and $383 in Varkala. That’s a gap of about 40%.

Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Delhi and $51 in Varkala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $536 in Delhi and $383 in Varkala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Varkala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.