Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Zalau

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $526 a month against $871 in Zalau, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Zalau
Learn more

Zalau Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$526

/mo nomad

Zalau

🇷🇴 Romania

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi and in Zalau

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

A single person spends $526 per month in Delhi vs $871 in Zalau, rent included.

Delhi $526
Zalau $871

A couple spends around $882 per month in Delhi vs $1,327 in Zalau, rent included.

Delhi $882
Zalau $1,327

A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Delhi vs $1,783 in Zalau, rent included.

Delhi $1,239
Zalau $1,783

Delhi is about 40% cheaper than Zalau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Zalau are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Zalau 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 ₹352

$7.52 RON 35.59

-50.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.33 ₹2,026

$35.18 RON 166

-39.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.69 ₹351

$5.25 RON 24.83

-29.71%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ₹218

$2.18 RON 10.30

5.50%

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

$0.39 ₹36.82

$1.49 RON 7.07

-73.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.05

$1.24 RON 5.86

-87.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 ₹195

$1.87 RON 8.83

9.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₹297

$2.37 RON 11.19

32.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.9

$1.38 RON 6.53

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 ₹54.6

$1.13 RON 5.34

-48.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₹74.0

$1.23 RON 5.84

-36.59%

Eggs

$1.15 ₹109

$1.97 RON 9.31

-41.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.28 ₹407

$7.88 RON 37.28

-45.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 ₹334

$5.50 RON 26.01

-36.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.45 RON 49.45

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₹184

$0.80 RON 3.79

141.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 ₹75.1

$1.29 RON 6.09

-38.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 ₹95.6

$1.44 RON 6.83

-29.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.0

$1.89 RON 8.96

-71.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.21

$0.66 RON 3.13

-57.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.46

$0.56 RON 2.63

-33.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.89

$0.61 RON 2.89

-27.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.89

$0.73 RON 3.44

-57.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₹470

$4.94 RON 23.39

0.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 ₹814

$5.20 RON 24.59

64.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₹152

$1.07 RON 5.06

50.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₹253

$1.14 RON 5.40

133.33%

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

$6.40 ₹608

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.63

$0.81 RON 3.84

-37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.59 ₹1,481

$21.39 RON 101

-27.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.4

$0.82 RON 3.89

26.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.79

$0.82 RON 3.86

-67.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$7.61 RON 36.03

-79.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.50 RON 7.08

-26.00%

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

$11.5K ₹1.1M

$28.5K RON 135.0K

-59.78%

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

$18.9K ₹1.8M

$25.7K RON 121.8K

-26.74%

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

$42.45 ₹4,031

$102 RON 481

-58.28%

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

$4.20 ₹399

$4.27 RON 20.22

-1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.89 ₹654

$6.29 RON 29.74

9.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.09 ₹1,908

$33.09 RON 157

-39.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.89 ₹749

$21.48 RON 102

-63.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 ₹504

$5.38 RON 25.46

-1.30%

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

$101 ₹9,571

$420 RON 1,985

-75.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,315 ₹219.8K

$7,019 RON 33.2K

-67.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.64 ₹2,340

$52.5 RON 248

-53.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.82 ₹2,737

$30.12 RON 143

-4.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.6 ₹5,088

$56.8 RON 269

-5.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.17 ₹4,194

$62.1 RON 294

-28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$271 ₹25.8K

$383 RON 1,812

-29.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 ₹14.9K

$288 RON 1,362

-45.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$744 ₹70.6K

$586 RON 2,772

26.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 ₹38.4K

$445 RON 2,104

-9.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,574 ₹244.4K

$1,818 RON 8,602

41.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,003 ₹95.2K

$1,323 RON 6,257

-24.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$615 ₹58.4K

$621 RON 2,936

-0.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

6.85

21.61%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zalau: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Delhi

$157 29.9%

Zalau

$288 33.1% 83.4% $131

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$110 20.8%

Zalau

$180 20.6% 64% $70

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.5%

Zalau

$127 14.6% 46.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$68 12.9%

Zalau

$91 10.4% 33.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$54 10.2%

Zalau

$112 12.9% 110% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$31 5.8%

Zalau

$44 5% 42.8% $13

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Zalau

$30 3.4% 47.4% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $271 in Delhi versus $383 in Zalau. 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 1% higher in Zalau, 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 $35.00 in Zalau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $110 vs $180 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇷🇴 Zalau

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

23:26 11:26 PM

2 h 30 min behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

56,202

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Delhi Zalau 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
Zalau

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 Zalau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $526 in Delhi, $871 in Zalau – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $789 per month in Delhi and $1,307 in Zalau. 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 $35.00 in Zalau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $526 in Delhi and $871 in Zalau. That's a gap of about 66%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $526 in Delhi and $871 in Zalau, 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, Zalau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.