Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Lesotho

Name: Lesotho
Address: LS

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $874 in Lesotho, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Lesotho
Learn more

Lesotho Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in Lesotho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $874 in Lesotho.

India $399
Lesotho $874

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $1,328 in Lesotho.

India $639
Lesotho $1,328

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $1,783 in Lesotho.

India $879
Lesotho $1,783

Internal cost variation is higher in India: monthly costs span $230 to $813, compared to $665–$725 in Lesotho. City choice carries more weight in India.

Living in India costs about 54% less than in Lesotho on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, Lesotho 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$7.64 LSL 127

-71.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹996

$24.49 LSL 408

-57.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹362

$6.11 LSL 102

-37.81%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$2.00 LSL 33.34

-16.00%

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

$0.38 ₹36.03

$1.01 LSL 16.85

-62.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.62

$0.78 LSL 12.99

-80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$1.83 LSL 30.46

2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

$2.22 LSL 37.02

43.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.3

$1.10 LSL 18.31

-43.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.82

$0.78 LSL 13.00

-35.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.4

$1.90 LSL 31.58

-66.84%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$1.51 LSL 25.19

-36.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹462

$6.48 LSL 108

-25.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$6.04 LSL 101

-52.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.60 LSL 93.2

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹191

$1.85 LSL 30.76

8.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.5

$1.91 LSL 31.74

-65.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.4

$2.38 LSL 39.57

-59.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.35

$2.33 LSL 38.83

-79.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.91

$1.53 LSL 25.54

-77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.78

$1.25 LSL 20.75

-66.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.45

$1.48 LSL 24.61

-68.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.71

$0.80 LSL 13.40

-61.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$5.10 LSL 84.9

-0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹696

$4.83 LSL 80.5

51.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$1.39 LSL 23.10

17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹263

$1.67 LSL 27.87

65.27%

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

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.89

$0.74 LSL 12.36

-64.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹817

$30.54 LSL 508

-71.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.8

$0.76 LSL 12.64

31.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.77

$0.74 LSL 12.26

-63.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$3.72 LSL 61.9

-58.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.29 LSL 21.48

-17.05%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$21.4K LSL 356.1K

-47.57%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$16.2K LSL 269.8K

23.74%

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

$37.08 ₹3,531

$214 LSL 3,567

-82.69%

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

$3.58 ₹341

$20.63 LSL 343

-82.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹681

$37.45 LSL 624

-80.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,428

$36.21 LSL 603

-58.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹683

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

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

$58.8 ₹5,599

$70.2 LSL 1,169

-16.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.7K

$1,445 LSL 24.1K

15.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,193

$56.4 LSL 939

-59.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,302

$54.8 LSL 912

-55.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,923

$122 LSL 2,031

-66.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,820

$142 LSL 2,365

-79.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$81.9 LSL 1,364

78.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,176

$50.9 LSL 848

89.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.7K

$431 LSL 7,168

-20.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.3K

$170 LSL 2,834

37.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹112.1K

$385 LSL 6,404

205.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.3K

$519 LSL 8,643

21.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$762 LSL 12.7K

-46.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

8.5

5.06%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lesotho: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Lesotho

$183 21% 79.4% $81

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Lesotho

$51 5.8% 47.1% $45

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Lesotho

$124 14.2% 86.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Lesotho

$169 19.3% 218% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Lesotho

$272 31.2% 470% $225

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Lesotho

$36 * 4.1% 69.3% $15

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Lesotho

$38 4.3% 217% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $77 in Lesotho. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $94 in Maseru.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $464 in Lesotho. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 56% higher in India.

Dining out costs 64% more in Lesotho.

Public transport is 275% more expensive in Lesotho.

Salaries are 13% higher in Lesotho, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇱🇸 Lesotho

🕒 Local time

02:17 2:17 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

3 h 30 min behind India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

2,007,201

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Lesotho Loti LSL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 LSL = 6.01 USD

100 LSL = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LSL, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.65 LSL (100 LSL = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.53 LSL (100 LSL = 5.4 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

India Lesotho 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

India
Lesotho

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 Lesotho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $874 in Lesotho, India comes out about 54% 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.

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