Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manali and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Manali: $408 a month against $522 in Delhi, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Manali
Learn more

Manali Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index

Jump to prices

Manali

🇮🇳 India

$408

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manali 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 Manali and in Delhi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $408 per month in Manali vs $522 in Delhi, rent included.

Manali $408
Delhi $522

A couple spends around $633 per month in Manali vs $872 in Delhi, rent included.

Manali $633
Delhi $872

A family of three spends $859 per month in Manali vs $1,222 in Delhi, rent included.

Manali $859
Delhi $1,222

Manali is about 22% cheaper than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Manali and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Manali 70% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₹203

$3.70 ₹351

-42.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.08 ₹578

$21.05 ₹1,999

-71.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.24 ₹403

$3.73 ₹354

13.67%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ₹260

$2.35 ₹223

16.17%

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

$0.23 ₹21.75

$0.37 ₹35.21

-37.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₹21.71

$0.15 ₹13.93

53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₹130

$2.14 ₹203

-35.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₹170

$3.06 ₹291

-41.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹64.1

$0.69 ₹65.1

-2.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 ₹48.14

$0.53 ₹50.0

-3.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 ₹81.2

$0.77 ₹73.1

10.39%

Eggs

$0.99 ₹94.4

$1.11 ₹105

-10.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.01 ₹476

$4.63 ₹440

8.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 ₹266

$3.52 ₹334

-20.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₹155

$2.00 ₹190

-18.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹71.3

$0.74 ₹70.5

1.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 ₹103

$0.97 ₹92.6

11.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.2

$0.53 ₹49.92

26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.69

$0.30 ₹28.61

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.77

$0.40 ₹37.82

-17.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ₹62.6

$0.42 ₹39.62

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.64

$0.31 ₹29.81

3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 ₹481

$4.94 ₹469

2.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 ₹1,103

$8.21 ₹779

41.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₹164

$1.58 ₹150

9.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₹253

$2.69 ₹255

-0.74%

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

$6.64 ₹630

$6.19 ₹588

7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.71

$0.46 ₹43.46

-43.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.58 ₹720

$15.78 ₹1,498

-51.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$1.07 ₹102

0.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.86

$0.27 ₹25.66

-7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 ₹156

$1.58 ₹150

3.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$1.07 ₹101

3.74%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$10.7K ₹1.0M

17.58%

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

$25.1K ₹2.4M

$18.9K ₹1.8M

32.57%

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

$38.09 ₹3,617

$42.37 ₹4,024

-10.10%

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

$3.87 ₹368

$4.03 ₹383

-3.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.54 ₹621

$6.95 ₹660

-5.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.85 ₹1,220

$19.18 ₹1,821

-33.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.98 ₹568

$7.92 ₹752

-24.49%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₹293

$5.27 ₹500

-41.37%

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

$59.2 ₹5,620

$100 ₹9,525

-41.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,414 ₹229.2K

$2,247 ₹213.4K

7.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.03 ₹2,566

$24.11 ₹2,290

12.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.36 ₹2,313

$27.85 ₹2,645

-12.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.7 ₹5,387

$52.4 ₹4,977

8.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.47 ₹4,128

$42.90 ₹4,074

1.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 ₹11.7K

$267 ₹25.4K

-53.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.2 ₹6,852

$156 ₹14.8K

-53.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₹24.9K

$734 ₹69.7K

-64.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₹16.5K

$394 ₹37.5K

-56.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$946 ₹89.8K

$2,507 ₹238.0K

-62.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$461 ₹43.7K

$1,020 ₹96.8K

-54.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 ₹49.2K

$608 ₹57.7K

-14.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

-3.96%

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

Last update for Manali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manali

$114 27.9%

Delhi

$109 20.9% 4.3% $4.9

Eating Out

Manali

$75 18.4%

Delhi

$88 16.8% 17.4% $13

Accommodation & Living

Manali

$72 17.7%

Delhi

$156 29.9% 116% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Manali

$68 16.7%

Delhi

$66 12.7% 2.8% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manali

$49 11.9%

Delhi

$53 10.2% 10% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Manali

$19 4.7%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 56.1% $11

Getting Around

Manali

$11 2.7%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 82.8% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $123 in Manali versus $267 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 17% 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 $6.00 in Manali versus $21.00 in Delhi. Groceries tell a different story – $114 in Manali vs $109 in Delhi – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Manali

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

Same time as Manali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manali Delhi 400 km

From you

Manali
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

Manali vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $408 in Manali, $522 in Delhi – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $611 per month in Manali and $783 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manali, 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 $6.00 in Manali and $21.00 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 $408 in Manali and $522 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 28%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $408 in Manali and $522 in Delhi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Manali – 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 Manali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Delhi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.