Is Delhi Expensive? Daily Costs & Budget 2026

No, Delhi is cheap by Western standards: a metro ride costs ₹11-64, and the biggest single expenses are hotel rooms and foreign monument entry at ₹550-600 a site. A budget traveller can get through a full day, with a hostel bed, three meals, metro rides, and a couple of monument entries, for a small fraction of what a day in a Western capital costs. Mid-range comfort costs a few times that. Luxury has no ceiling.

What Things Actually Cost

Here's what you'll pay for the basics. Metro and monument figures are the official 2026 prices; hotel and restaurant prices move too often to pin down, so for those we give the shape rather than the number.

Accommodation

• Hostel dorm bed: The cheapest bed in the city. Zostel and Moustache (C-794 New Friends Colony) are popular.
• Budget hotel room: Karol Bagh and Paharganj have dozens of options. Expect basic but functional.
• Mid-range hotel: Connaught Place, Defence Colony, and Aerocity have solid 3-star options. Bloomrooms near CP is reliable.
• Upscale hotel: The Lalit, Taj Palace, ITC Maurya.
• Luxury: The Lodhi, The Imperial, The Leela Palace.

For a full neighbourhood comparison, see our guide on where to stay in Delhi.

Food

Food is where Delhi's value really shows. Prices climb in steps:

• Street food snack (samosa, kachori, chaat): the cheapest thing you'll buy all day
• Full street food meal (chole bhature, paratha plate, kebab roll): still pocket change
• Local restaurant thali: a step up
• Mid-range restaurant (Khan Market, Hauz Khas): several times a thali, per person
• Fine dining: a different league, per person

You can eat like a king at street level. Sita Ram Diwan Chand in Paharganj is famous for its chole bhature; it shut for a spell in 2026, so check before going. Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, the restaurant that claims to have invented butter chicken, is the classic sit-down Old Delhi meal.

Transport

• Metro ride: ₹11-64 depending on distance
• Metro tourist card: ₹200 for one day or ₹500 for three days, unlimited rides; each includes a ₹50 refundable deposit, and neither is valid on the Airport Express
• Uber/Ola ride across the city (15-20 km): cheap by any Western measure, but the fare is set by the app on the day
• Auto-rickshaw (5 km via app): cheaper still
• Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station: about ₹65

The metro is your best friend for keeping costs down. More detail in our daily budget breakdown.

Sightseeing

Here's the catch: India has a dual pricing system for monuments. Foreigners pay significantly more than Indian nationals.

• Red Fort: ₹600 at the counter or ₹550 online for foreigners; ₹40 or ₹35 for Indians. Open daily. The museums inside are a separate add-on ticket.
• Humayun's Tomb: same fees as Red Fort
• Qutub Minar: approximately the same fees
• Lodhi Gardens: Free
• Jama Masjid: Foreign visitors pay a charge at the gate, with a further fee to climb the minaret
• Gurudwara Bangla Sahib: Free
• India Gate: Free

A full day hitting three major ASI monuments costs ₹1,650-1,800 in entry fees alone. Budget accordingly if you're visiting multiple paid sites.

Budget Tiers

Backpacker Budget

Hostel dorm, street food and thali restaurants, Delhi Metro for transport, one or two paid monuments per day. This is tight but absolutely doable. You'll eat well and see a lot.

Comfortable Mid-Range

Private hotel room in a decent area, mix of street food and sit-down restaurants, Uber for convenience, all the monuments you want. This is the sweet spot where Delhi feels easy without spending much.

Luxury

Five-star hotel, fine dining, private car with driver, guides at every site. Delhi's luxury tier is world-class and still a fraction of what you'd pay in London or New York.

Where the Money Goes

Most travellers find accommodation is their biggest expense, followed by monument entry fees. Food and transport are almost negligibly cheap. A common pattern is that the hotel room costs more than everything else put together, with entry fees the next biggest line, so the "experience" costs less than the bed.

One smart move: front-load your food tours early in the trip. A guided food walk through Old Delhi shows you the stalls you'll eat at for the rest of your stay, saving money on restaurant meals.

How Much Does a Meal Cost in Delhi?

Street food meals are the cheapest way to eat. A thali at a local restaurant costs a little more. Mid-range restaurants like those in Khan Market or Hauz Khas Village charge several times that per person. Fine dining at places like Indian Accent or Bukhara sits at the top of the scale, especially with drinks.

Is Delhi Cheaper Than Other Indian Cities?

Delhi is cheaper than Mumbai for accommodation and dining, roughly on par with Bangalore, and more expensive than Jaipur, Varanasi, or smaller cities. Street food and transport are cheap everywhere in India, but Delhi's mid-range and luxury segments cost more than most Indian cities outside Mumbai.

What Is the Biggest Expense for Tourists in Delhi?

Accommodation is typically the biggest cost, especially if you stay in South Delhi or near Connaught Place. Foreign tourist entry fees at monuments add up quickly: Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, and Qutub Minar are each ₹550 online or ₹600 at the counter. A full day of sightseeing can cost ₹1,650-1,800 in entry fees alone. Transport is cheap if you use the metro, but taxis between spread-out sites add up.