Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sa Pa and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $731 in Sa Pa, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
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Sa Pa Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $731 per month in Sa Pa vs $522 in Delhi, rent included.

Sa Pa $731
Delhi $522

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Sa Pa vs $872 in Delhi, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,170
Delhi $872

A family of three spends $1,608 per month in Sa Pa vs $1,222 in Delhi, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,608
Delhi $1,222

Sa Pa costs about 40% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sa Pa and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Sa Pa 46% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$3.70 ₹351

-48.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.25 ₫550.1K

$21.05 ₹1,999

0.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₫116.4K

$3.73 ₹354

20.64%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$2.35 ₹223

-27.66%

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

$0.47 ₫12.1K

$0.37 ₹35.21

27.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,831

$0.15 ₹13.93

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.1K

$2.14 ₹203

-54.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫41.0K

$3.06 ₹291

-48.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$0.69 ₹65.1

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.8K

$0.53 ₹50.0

86.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$0.77 ₹73.1

28.57%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.2K

$1.11 ₹105

26.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ₫303.8K

$4.63 ₹440

153.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$3.52 ₹334

4.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₫260.7K

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.0K

$2.00 ₹190

37.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$0.74 ₹70.5

39.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₫35.1K

$0.97 ₹92.6

40.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$0.53 ₹49.92

101.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$0.30 ₹28.61

240.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$0.40 ₹37.82

162.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.8K

$0.42 ₹39.62

54.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.31 ₹29.81

54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$4.94 ₹469

-72.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 ₫300.6K

$8.21 ₹779

41.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$1.58 ₹150

-52.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₫41.7K

$2.69 ₹255

-40.15%

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

$6.19 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,276

$0.46 ₹43.46

-30.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.51 ₫168.6K

$15.78 ₹1,498

-58.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.07 ₹102

-32.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$0.27 ₹25.66

129.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 ₫73.2K

$1.58 ₹150

79.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₫21.6K

$1.07 ₹101

-22.43%

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

$35.5K ₫920.2M

$10.7K ₹1.0M

233.47%

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

$32.1K ₫829.7M

$18.9K ₹1.8M

69.23%

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

$76.5 ₫2.0M

$42.37 ₹4,024

80.62%

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

$5.96 ₫154.3K

$4.03 ₹383

47.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.62 ₫223.1K

$6.95 ₹660

24.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.19 ₫574.5K

$19.18 ₹1,821

15.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫196.5K

$7.92 ₹752

-4.17%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$5.27 ₹500

-41.37%

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

$266 ₫6.9M

$100 ₹9,525

164.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ₫303.6M

$2,247 ₹213.4K

421.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.21 ₫1.0M

$24.11 ₹2,290

66.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.33 ₫603.9K

$27.85 ₹2,645

-16.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$52.4 ₹4,977

62.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₫2.0M

$42.90 ₹4,074

76.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₫9.4M

$267 ₹25.4K

36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$156 ₹14.8K

58.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$734 ₹69.7K

-0.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₫13.8M

$394 ₹37.5K

35.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,076 ₫53.7M

$2,507 ₹238.0K

-17.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,264 ₫32.7M

$1,020 ₹96.8K

23.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$608 ₹57.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

8.33

9.24%

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

Last update for Sa Pa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sa Pa

$248 33.9%

Delhi

$156 29.9% 37.1% $92

Groceries & Markets

Sa Pa

$191 26.2%

Delhi

$109 20.9% 43.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Sa Pa

$101 13.8%

Delhi

$66 12.7% 34.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sa Pa

$91 12.5%

Delhi

$53 10.2% 41.4% $38

Eating Out

Sa Pa

$60 8.2%

Delhi

$88 16.8% 46.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sa Pa

$28 3.9%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 4.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Sa Pa

$12 1.6%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 72.5% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $365 in Sa Pa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Sa Pa versus $21.00 in Delhi. Groceries tell a different story – $191 in Sa Pa vs $109 in Delhi – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

03:34 3:34 AM

1 h 30 min behind Sa Pa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,882

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sa Pa Delhi 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sa Pa
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

Sa Pa vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $731 in Sa Pa, $522 in Delhi – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,097 per month in Sa Pa 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 Delhi, 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 $21.00 in Sa Pa 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 $731 in Sa Pa and $522 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 40%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $731 in Sa Pa and $522 in Delhi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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