Delhi named world's cheapest major city for a romantic date: Report
Deutsche Bank's 2026 prices report says Delhi is the world's cheapest major city for a romantic date. The finding highlights the capital's low living costs even as salaries remain among the weakest in the survey.
Delhi is the world’s cheapest major city for a romantic date and remains relatively affordable for property, but people in the city also earn among the lowest salaries in the 69-city sample, according to Deutsche Bank’s Mapping the World’s Prices 2026 report. The report also said Delhi offers the cheapest broadband internet among the cities tracked, at USD 7.3 a month, or about Rs 703.
The report, which compares cities on prices, salaries and quality of life, said a ‘cheap date’ in Delhi costs USD 103, or about Rs 9,920, against USD 475 in Geneva, the most expensive city on the index. Delhi did not feature among the top 50 cities in the quality-of-life rankings, which take into account purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, housing affordability, commute times, pollution and climate.
The ‘cheap date’ index is based on the cost of a bottle of wine, a pair of jeans, a dress, two coffees, a meal for two, two cinema tickets, two one-way transport tickets and a 5-km taxi ride. For coffee drinkers, Delhi was also among the cheapest cities in the report, with a regular cappuccino priced at USD 2.40, or about Rs 231, placing it among the 10 cheapest cities tracked.
According to the report, city-centre property in Delhi costs an average of USD 2,465 per square metre, or about Rs 2,37,000, placing the city 65th globally. Property prices in Delhi have fallen 9.8 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade, but recovered 15.7 per cent since 2019. A three-bedroom apartment in the city centre rented for about USD 685, or around Rs 65,970, a month.
At the same time, Delhi ranked 66th out of 69 cities in 2026 on net monthly salary, at USD 538, or about Rs 51,800, which the report said was equal to 10 per cent of New York’s level. Historical monthly salary figures for Delhi were USD 633 in 2012, USD 653 in 2016, USD 556 in 2019, USD 607 in 2025 and USD 538 in 2026. Zurich topped the salary rankings at USD 8,363 a month. The report said Delhi’s salaries have fallen 17.7 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade and 3.3 per cent since 2019.
Delhi ranked 52nd among the 69 cities on the ‘Oasis’ index, named after the British rock and roll band, which measures the cost of five beers and two packs of cigarettes. The index stood at USD 18.8, or about Rs 1,800, in the national capital, around 35 per cent of the New York level. Delhi’s position improved by seven places from 2025, but slipped by one place from 2016. The cost of the index rose 36 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade and 13.1 per cent since 2019.
The report also said petrol in Delhi cost USD 1.05 a litre, almost the same as New York’s USD 1.08. Several everyday expenses in the city have fallen sharply in dollar terms over the past decade, including a monthly gym membership by 38.3 per cent, a pair of jeans by 36.9 per cent and a summer dress in a chain store by 26.5 per cent. The report, authored by Jim Reid and Galina Pozdnyakova of Deutsche Bank’s Research Institute and published on July 13, was based mainly on crowdsourced data from Numbeo that was crosschecked and cleaned by the bank’s research team. Overall, the report placed Delhi among the cheaper cities globally for internet, dining, utilities, clothing and housing, even as salaries remained among the lowest in the study.
Delhi is the world’s cheapest major city for a romantic date and remains relatively affordable for property, but people in the city also earn among the lowest salaries in the 69-city sample, according to Deutsche Bank’s Mapping the World’s Prices 2026 report. The report also said Delhi offers the cheapest broadband internet among the cities tracked, at USD 7.3 a month, or about Rs 703.
The report, which compares cities on prices, salaries and quality of life, said a ‘cheap date’ in Delhi costs USD 103, or about Rs 9,920, against USD 475 in Geneva, the most expensive city on the index. Delhi did not feature among the top 50 cities in the quality-of-life rankings, which take into account purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, housing affordability, commute times, pollution and climate.
The ‘cheap date’ index is based on the cost of a bottle of wine, a pair of jeans, a dress, two coffees, a meal for two, two cinema tickets, two one-way transport tickets and a 5-km taxi ride. For coffee drinkers, Delhi was also among the cheapest cities in the report, with a regular cappuccino priced at USD 2.40, or about Rs 231, placing it among the 10 cheapest cities tracked.
According to the report, city-centre property in Delhi costs an average of USD 2,465 per square metre, or about Rs 2,37,000, placing the city 65th globally. Property prices in Delhi have fallen 9.8 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade, but recovered 15.7 per cent since 2019. A three-bedroom apartment in the city centre rented for about USD 685, or around Rs 65,970, a month.
At the same time, Delhi ranked 66th out of 69 cities in 2026 on net monthly salary, at USD 538, or about Rs 51,800, which the report said was equal to 10 per cent of New York’s level. Historical monthly salary figures for Delhi were USD 633 in 2012, USD 653 in 2016, USD 556 in 2019, USD 607 in 2025 and USD 538 in 2026. Zurich topped the salary rankings at USD 8,363 a month. The report said Delhi’s salaries have fallen 17.7 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade and 3.3 per cent since 2019.
Delhi ranked 52nd among the 69 cities on the ‘Oasis’ index, named after the British rock and roll band, which measures the cost of five beers and two packs of cigarettes. The index stood at USD 18.8, or about Rs 1,800, in the national capital, around 35 per cent of the New York level. Delhi’s position improved by seven places from 2025, but slipped by one place from 2016. The cost of the index rose 36 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade and 13.1 per cent since 2019.
The report also said petrol in Delhi cost USD 1.05 a litre, almost the same as New York’s USD 1.08. Several everyday expenses in the city have fallen sharply in dollar terms over the past decade, including a monthly gym membership by 38.3 per cent, a pair of jeans by 36.9 per cent and a summer dress in a chain store by 26.5 per cent. The report, authored by Jim Reid and Galina Pozdnyakova of Deutsche Bank’s Research Institute and published on July 13, was based mainly on crowdsourced data from Numbeo that was crosschecked and cleaned by the bank’s research team. Overall, the report placed Delhi among the cheaper cities globally for internet, dining, utilities, clothing and housing, even as salaries remained among the lowest in the study.
Delhi is the world’s cheapest major city for a romantic date and remains relatively affordable for property, but people in the city also earn among the lowest salaries in the 69-city sample, according to Deutsche Bank’s Mapping the World’s Prices 2026 report. The report also said Delhi offers the cheapest broadband internet among the cities tracked, at USD 7.3 a month, or about Rs 703.
The report, which compares cities on prices, salaries and quality of life, said a ‘cheap date’ in Delhi costs USD 103, or about Rs 9,920, against USD 475 in Geneva, the most expensive city on the index. Delhi did not feature among the top 50 cities in the quality-of-life rankings, which take into account purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, housing affordability, commute times, pollution and climate.
The ‘cheap date’ index is based on the cost of a bottle of wine, a pair of jeans, a dress, two coffees, a meal for two, two cinema tickets, two one-way transport tickets and a 5-km taxi ride. For coffee drinkers, Delhi was also among the cheapest cities in the report, with a regular cappuccino priced at USD 2.40, or about Rs 231, placing it among the 10 cheapest cities tracked.
According to the report, city-centre property in Delhi costs an average of USD 2,465 per square metre, or about Rs 2,37,000, placing the city 65th globally. Property prices in Delhi have fallen 9.8 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade, but recovered 15.7 per cent since 2019. A three-bedroom apartment in the city centre rented for about USD 685, or around Rs 65,970, a month.
At the same time, Delhi ranked 66th out of 69 cities in 2026 on net monthly salary, at USD 538, or about Rs 51,800, which the report said was equal to 10 per cent of New York’s level. Historical monthly salary figures for Delhi were USD 633 in 2012, USD 653 in 2016, USD 556 in 2019, USD 607 in 2025 and USD 538 in 2026. Zurich topped the salary rankings at USD 8,363 a month. The report said Delhi’s salaries have fallen 17.7 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade and 3.3 per cent since 2019.
Delhi ranked 52nd among the 69 cities on the ‘Oasis’ index, named after the British rock and roll band, which measures the cost of five beers and two packs of cigarettes. The index stood at USD 18.8, or about Rs 1,800, in the national capital, around 35 per cent of the New York level. Delhi’s position improved by seven places from 2025, but slipped by one place from 2016. The cost of the index rose 36 per cent in dollar terms over the past decade and 13.1 per cent since 2019.
The report also said petrol in Delhi cost USD 1.05 a litre, almost the same as New York’s USD 1.08. Several everyday expenses in the city have fallen sharply in dollar terms over the past decade, including a monthly gym membership by 38.3 per cent, a pair of jeans by 36.9 per cent and a summer dress in a chain store by 26.5 per cent. The report, authored by Jim Reid and Galina Pozdnyakova of Deutsche Bank’s Research Institute and published on July 13, was based mainly on crowdsourced data from Numbeo that was crosschecked and cleaned by the bank’s research team. Overall, the report placed Delhi among the cheaper cities globally for internet, dining, utilities, clothing and housing, even as salaries remained among the lowest in the study.
