Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Iran

Name: Iran
Address: IR

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $497 in Iran, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Iran
Learn more

Iran Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇮🇷 Iran

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in Iran

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in India and in Iran actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $497 in Iran.

India $399
Iran $497

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $809 in Iran.

India $639
Iran $809

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $1,121 in Iran.

India $879
Iran $1,121

India ($230–$813) and Iran ($361–$874) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in India costs about 20% less than in Iran on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, Iran 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$3.41 $3.41

-37.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹996

$15.99 $15.99

-34.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹362

$3.95 $3.95

-3.80%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 $0.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$1.18 $1.18

42.37%

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

$0.38 ₹36.05

$0.53 $0.53

-28.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.63

$0.85 $0.85

-82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.3

$0.62 $0.62

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.84

$0.48 $0.48

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.4

$2.35 $2.35

-73.19%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$1.11 $1.11

-13.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹462

$3.74 $3.74

29.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$3.00 $3.00

-5.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 $9.85

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹191

$0.97 $0.97

106.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.5

$1.47 $1.47

-55.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.4

$0.89 $0.89

8.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.37

$0.58 $0.58

-18.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.92

$0.51 $0.51

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.79

$0.46 $0.46

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.46

$0.51 $0.51

-7.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.72

$0.23 $0.23

34.78%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.01 $1.01

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 $0.53

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹484

$2.21 $2.21

129.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹696

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹263

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

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.89

$0.15 $0.15

73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹817

$10.20 $10.20

-15.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.8

$0.52 $0.52

92.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.78

$0.31 $0.31

-12.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$2.43 $2.43

-36.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.28 $0.28

282.14%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$59.2K $59.2K

-81.05%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$52.7K $52.7K

-61.96%

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

$37.08 ₹3,532

$13.72 $13.72

170.26%

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

$3.58 ₹341

$2.30 $2.30

55.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹681

$6.70 $6.70

6.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,429

$16.70 $16.70

-10.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹683

$12.24 $12.24

-41.42%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

$1.54 $1.54

107.79%

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

$58.8 ₹5,601

$81.3 $81.3

-27.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.7K

$1,146 $1,146

45.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,194

$22.85 $22.85

0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,302

$26.56 $26.56

-9.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,924

$100 $100

-58.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,821

$62.5 $62.5

-52.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹14.0K

$252 $252

-41.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,178

$180 $180

-46.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.7K

$556 $556

-38.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.3K

$345 $345

-32.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹112.1K

$994 $994

18.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.3K

$585 $585

8.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$243 $243

68.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

23.39

-61.82%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iran: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Iran

$108 21.7% 5.6% $5.7

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Iran

$180 36.1% 86.5% $83

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Iran

$59 11.8% 11.6% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Iran

$96 19.2% 79.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Iran

$23 4.6% 52.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Iran

$20 4% 7.5% $1.6

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Iran

$13 2.6% 7.4% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $295 in Iran. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $430 in Tehran.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $268 in Iran. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 146% higher in Iran.

Dining out costs 45% more in Iran.

Public transport is 25% more expensive in Iran.

Salaries are 54% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇮🇷 Iran

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

2 h behind India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

86,758,304

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.25 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

India Iran 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

India
Iran

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

India vs Iran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $497 in Iran, India comes out about 20% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $295 in Iran and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.