Delhi (NCR) vs Bangalore (Bengaluru) — Cost of Living
Rent, overall costs and the equivalent salary you'd need to keep your lifestyle.
| Delhi (NCR) | Bangalore (Bengaluru) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall cost index | 33 | 30 |
| Rent index | 30 | 26 |
| 1-bed city-centre rent | ₹30,000 | ₹25,000 |
A ₹6,00,000/year lifestyle in Delhi (NCR) needs about
₹5,45,455 / year
in Bangalore (Bengaluru) (cost-of-living parity, before tax)
Delhi (NCR)
Set against Bangalore (Bengaluru), Delhi (NCR) carries an overall index of 33 and a rent index of 30: an HRA metro (50% exemption) with a wide spread of rents across the NCR.
Bangalore (Bengaluru)
Bangalore (Bengaluru) scores 30 overall and 26 on rent against Delhi (NCR)’s 30: india's tech capital; classed non-metro for HRA despite high tech salaries.
Cost of living is only half of what decides a move between Delhi (NCR) and Bangalore (Bengaluru); tax is the other half, and because both cities sit in India the tax treatment is identical here — the India calculator applies to both, so the whole difference is housing and local prices.
What the gap actually costs
Delhi (NCR) is the more expensive of the two, about 9% ahead of Bangalore (Bengaluru) on the combined index (33 against 30), while the gap on rent alone is 13%. Housing does almost all the work between Delhi (NCR) and Bangalore (Bengaluru): groceries and transport move by tens of percent between cities, rents by multiples.
A one-bedroom city-centre flat runs about ₹30,000 in Delhi (NCR) against ₹25,000 in Bangalore (Bengaluru) — ₹5,000 a month between them, or ₹60,000 a year that never reaches your savings.
What is left after rent in Delhi (NCR) and Bangalore (Bengaluru)
On the ₹6,00,000 national median behind Delhi (NCR), in this comparison with Bangalore (Bengaluru), take-home is about ₹47,392 a month and a one-bedroom city-centre flat averages ₹30,000, leaving ₹17,392 for everything else. At 63% that is above what budgeting guidance calls sustainable, so on this Delhi (NCR) side of the comparison with Bangalore (Bengaluru) a flatshare or a longer commute is a requirement at the median rather than a preference. On rent index that is the heavier of the two here: Bangalore (Bengaluru) sits at 26 against 30 for Delhi (NCR).
The pressure is not evenly spread across Delhi (NCR), and that is what a headline index against Bangalore (Bengaluru) hides: at ₹4,50,000 the same ₹30,000 rent takes 85% of take-home and leaves ₹5,492, while at ₹12,00,000 it takes 32% and leaves ₹64,992.
On the ₹6,00,000 national median behind Bangalore (Bengaluru), in this comparison with Delhi (NCR), take-home is about ₹47,392 a month and a one-bedroom city-centre flat averages ₹25,000, leaving ₹22,392 for everything else. At 53% that is above what budgeting guidance calls sustainable, so on this Bangalore (Bengaluru) side of the comparison with Delhi (NCR) a flatshare or a longer commute is a requirement at the median rather than a preference. On rent index that is the lighter of the two here: Delhi (NCR) sits at 30 against 26 for Bangalore (Bengaluru).
The pressure is not evenly spread across Bangalore (Bengaluru), and that is what a headline index against Delhi (NCR) hides: at ₹4,50,000 the same ₹25,000 rent takes 70% of take-home and leaves ₹10,492, while at ₹12,00,000 it takes 26% and leaves ₹69,992.
| Salary level | Delhi (NCR) after rent | Bangalore (Bengaluru) after rent | Rent share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below median | ₹5,492 | ₹10,492 | 85% / 70% |
| National median | ₹17,392 | ₹22,392 | 63% / 53% |
| Well paid | ₹41,192 | ₹46,192 | 42% / 35% |
| Senior / specialist | ₹64,992 | ₹69,992 | 32% / 26% |
What common roles pay, and what survives the rent
National medians for five widely-held roles, taxed locally and set against the ₹30,000 rent in Delhi (NCR) and ₹25,000 in Bangalore (Bengaluru). Pay in Delhi (NCR) and Bangalore (Bengaluru) differs from the national figure — capital and financial-centre salaries run above it — so read these as a baseline to adjust from.
| Role | Median gross | Take-home / month | After Delhi (NCR) rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | 12 LPA | ₹94,992 | ₹64,992 |
| Accountant | 6 LPA | ₹47,392 | ₹17,392 |
| Registered Nurse | 4 LPA | ₹31,525 | ₹1,525 |
| Teacher | 5 LPA | ₹39,458 | ₹9,458 |
| Marketing Manager | 14 LPA | ₹1,04,033 | ₹74,033 |
| Role | Median gross | Take-home / month | After Bangalore (Bengaluru) rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | 12 LPA | ₹94,992 | ₹69,992 |
| Accountant | 6 LPA | ₹47,392 | ₹22,392 |
| Registered Nurse | 4 LPA | ₹31,525 | ₹6,525 |
| Teacher | 5 LPA | ₹39,458 | ₹14,458 |
| Marketing Manager | 14 LPA | ₹1,04,033 | ₹79,033 |
Frequently Asked Questions
+Is Bangalore (Bengaluru) cheaper than Delhi (NCR)?
Bangalore (Bengaluru) has an overall cost-of-living index of 30 versus Delhi (NCR)'s 33, so it is cheaper by roughly 9%, driven largely by rent.
+What salary do I need in Bangalore (Bengaluru) to match Delhi (NCR)?
To maintain a ₹6,00,000 lifestyle from Delhi (NCR), you'd need roughly ₹5,45,455 in Bangalore (Bengaluru), based on cost-of-living parity (before tax differences).
+How much rent should I expect in Delhi (NCR)?
A one-bedroom city-centre flat in Delhi (NCR) averages about ₹30,000 a month. On the national median salary that is 63% of take-home, leaving roughly ₹17,392 a month for everything else.
+How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bangalore (Bengaluru) compared with Delhi (NCR)?
On Bangalore (Bengaluru)'s national median of ₹6,00,000, take-home is about ₹47,392 a month and rent takes 53% of it, against 63% in Delhi (NCR). Comfort usually starts where rent drops below a third of take-home, which in Bangalore (Bengaluru) needs about ₹9,48,000 gross against the ₹6,00,000 median behind Delhi (NCR). Tax status and personal circumstances shift the figure either way.
+Would a higher Bangalore (Bengaluru) salary cancel out its costs versus Delhi (NCR)?
Not reliably. Rent is a fixed monthly cost while tax is progressive, so moving from Delhi (NCR) to Bangalore (Bengaluru) on a proportionally higher salary can still leave you with less: on each city's national median the after-rent figures are ₹17,392 and ₹22,392. Compare those columns rather than the gross salaries.
Estimate only — not tax advice. Figures are estimates based on publicly available tax rules and may not reflect your full circumstances. See our methodology & sources (last reviewed June 2026). Always confirm with an official tax authority or a licensed adviser before making decisions.