Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kollam and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $284 a month against $536 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Kollam
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Kollam Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

Jump to prices

Kollam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kollam and in Delhi

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

A single person spends $284 per month in Kollam vs $536 in Delhi, rent included.

Kollam $284
Delhi $536

A couple spends around $446 per month in Kollam vs $901 in Delhi, rent included.

Kollam $446
Delhi $901

A family of three spends $609 per month in Kollam vs $1,266 in Delhi, rent included.

Kollam $609
Delhi $1,266

Kollam is about 47% cheaper than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kollam and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Kollam 79% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.03 ₹97.5

$3.66 ₹348

-71.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.14 ₹583

$20.76 ₹1,971

-70.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.23 ₹307

$3.74 ₹355

-13.64%

Cappuccino

$1.37 ₹130

$2.48 ₹236

-44.76%

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

$0.34 ₹31.99

$0.38 ₹36.11

-10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.54

$0.17 ₹15.81

-29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₹126

$2.04 ₹194

-34.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹177

$3.07 ₹292

-39.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹57.4

$0.70 ₹66.2

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 ₹45.65

$0.52 ₹49.11

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.51 ₹47.98

$0.82 ₹78.0

-37.80%

Eggs

$0.78 ₹74.1

$1.17 ₹111

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.59 ₹341

$4.31 ₹410

-16.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹203

$3.36 ₹319

-36.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₹149

$1.96 ₹186

-19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 ₹56.2

$0.74 ₹70.4

-20.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.1

$0.99 ₹93.9

-29.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.63

$0.49 ₹46.59

-16.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.95

$0.29 ₹27.21

20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹33.54

$0.41 ₹38.52

-14.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₹57.8

$0.44 ₹41.83

38.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.68

$0.31 ₹29.72

-12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.17 ₹491

$5.03 ₹478

2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.70 ₹256

$8.37 ₹794

-67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₹195

$1.67 ₹158

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₹258

$2.81 ₹267

-3.20%

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

$3.35 ₹318

$6.64 ₹631

-49.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ₹15.88

$0.41 ₹38.47

-58.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.20 ₹684

$15.60 ₹1,481

-53.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₹76.8

$1.08 ₹102

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.56

$0.25 ₹23.67

32.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 ₹195

$1.57 ₹149

30.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.11 ₹105

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

$9,035 ₹857.8K

$11.1K ₹1.0M

-18.27%

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

$16.6K ₹1.6M

$19.6K ₹1.9M

-15.25%

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

$32.12 ₹3,050

$43.87 ₹4,166

-26.78%

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

$2.97 ₹282

$4.27 ₹406

-30.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.04 ₹479

$6.82 ₹647

-26.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.44 ₹1,276

$26.06 ₹2,474

-48.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.44 ₹991

$8.09 ₹768

29.05%

Cinema Ticket

$1.54 ₹146

$5.34 ₹507

-71.16%

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

$21.19 ₹2,012

$100 ₹9,507

-78.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,630 ₹249.7K

$2,288 ₹217.2K

14.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.30 ₹1,548

$24.84 ₹2,359

-34.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ₹2,216

$29.18 ₹2,771

-20.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.49 ₹2,420

$53.2 ₹5,048

-52.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.42 ₹2,319

$44.74 ₹4,248

-45.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 ₹7,801

$277 ₹26.3K

-70.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.79 ₹4,538

$159 ₹15.1K

-69.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$182 ₹17.3K

$798 ₹75.8K

-77.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ₹10.9K

$420 ₹39.8K

-72.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$834 ₹79.2K

$2,558 ₹242.9K

-67.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$449 ₹42.6K

$1,172 ₹111.3K

-61.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 ₹49.9K

$598 ₹56.8K

-12.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.13

8.35

9.34%

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

Last update for Kollam: October 25, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kollam

$82 28.9%

Delhi

$108 20.2% 31.9% $26

Accommodation & Living

Kollam

$48 16.8%

Delhi

$159 29.6% 232% $111

Eating Out

Kollam

$47 16.4%

Delhi

$89 16.6% 90.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Kollam

$40 14.2%

Delhi

$68 12.8% 69.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kollam

$40 14.1%

Delhi

$55 10.3% 36.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Kollam

$17 5.8%

Delhi

$37 6.9% 122% $20

Getting Around

Kollam

$10 3.6%

Delhi

$20 3.7% 89% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $82 in Kollam versus $277 in Delhi. 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 14% higher in Delhi, 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 $6 in Kollam versus $21 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $82 vs $108 – making Kollam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kollam

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

Same time as Kollam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,107

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kollam Delhi 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kollam
Delhi

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

Kollam vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $284 in Kollam, $536 in Delhi – Kollam comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $426 per month in Kollam and $803 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kollam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $277 in Delhi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $6 in Kollam and $21 in Delhi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $284 in Kollam and $536 in Delhi. That makes Kollam about 47% cheaper.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $284 in Kollam and $536 in Delhi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Kollam. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Delhi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.