Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iran and India

Name: India
Address: IN

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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Iran
Learn more

Iran Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇷 Iran

$497

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iran and in India

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

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

Iran $497
India $399

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

Iran $809
India $639

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

Iran $1,121
India $879

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

Living in Iran is roughly 25% more expensive than in India on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 $3.41

$2.14 ₹204

59.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.99 $15.99

$10.46 ₹996

52.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.80 ₹362

3.95%

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

$1.18 $1.18

$1.68 ₹160

-29.76%

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

$0.53 $0.53

$0.38 ₹36.05

39.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$0.15 ₹14.63

466.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$0.62 ₹59.3

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.50 ₹47.84

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.63 ₹60.4

273.02%

Eggs

$1.11 $1.11

$0.96 ₹91.4

15.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$4.85 ₹462

-22.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.84 ₹271

5.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 $9.85

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.00 ₹191

-51.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.65 ₹61.5

126.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 $0.89

$0.97 ₹92.4

-8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 $0.58

$0.47 ₹44.37

23.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$0.34 ₹31.92

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 $0.46

$0.42 ₹39.79

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 $0.51

$0.47 ₹44.46

8.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 $0.23

$0.31 ₹29.72

-25.81%

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)

$2.21 $2.21

$5.08 ₹484

-56.50%

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)

$0.15 $0.15

$0.26 ₹24.89

-42.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.20 $10.20

$8.58 ₹817

18.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.00 ₹94.8

-48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.27 ₹25.78

14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.54 ₹146

57.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.28 $0.28

$1.07 ₹102

-73.83%

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

$59.2K $59.2K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

427.70%

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

$52.7K $52.7K

$20.1K ₹1.9M

162.89%

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

$13.72 $13.72

$37.08 ₹3,532

-63.00%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$3.58 ₹341

-35.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.70 $6.70

$7.15 ₹681

-6.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.70 $16.70

$15.00 ₹1,429

11.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.24 $12.24

$7.17 ₹683

70.71%

Cinema Ticket

$1.54 $1.54

$3.20 ₹304

-51.88%

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

$81.3 $81.3

$58.8 ₹5,601

38.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,146 $1,146

$1,667 ₹158.7K

-31.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.85 $22.85

$23.03 ₹2,194

-0.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.56 $26.56

$24.17 ₹2,302

9.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$41.20 ₹3,924

143.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.5 $62.5

$29.62 ₹2,821

111.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 $252

$146 ₹14.0K

71.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 $180

$96.4 ₹9,178

86.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 $556

$343 ₹32.7K

62.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$345 $345

$234 ₹22.3K

47.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$994 $994

$1,177 ₹112.1K

-15.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$585 $585

$633 ₹60.3K

-7.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$243 $243

$409 ₹38.9K

-40.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.39

8.93

161.93%

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

Last update for Iran: October 25, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iran

$180 36.1%

India

$96 24.1% 46.4% $83

Groceries & Markets

Iran

$108 21.7%

India

$102 25.6% 5.3% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Iran

$96 19.2%

India

$53 13.3% 44.4% $42

Eating Out

Iran

$59 11.8%

India

$67 16.7% 13.2% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iran

$23 4.6%

India

$48 12% 110% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Iran

$20 4%

India

$21 5.4% 8.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Iran

$13 2.6%

India

$12 3% 6.9% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $268 in Iran, $412 in India. 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

🇮🇷 Iran

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

19:20 7:20 PM

2 h ahead of Iran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,758,304

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

USD USD

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

INR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Iran
India

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

Iran vs India: 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.