How much does a trip to Delhi cost?

What Delhi costs

Delhi is cheap by world-capital standards, and the two-tier monument pricing means a foreign visitor pays about ₹1,650 for the three great ASI monuments — which is most of a day's budget before a meal or a bed.

🎟️ Sightseeing

• Red Fort — ₹35 Indian / ₹550 foreign
• Qutub Minar — ₹35 / ₹550
• Humayun's Tomb — ₹35–40 / ₹550–600
• Children under 15 — free at all three
• India Gate, Jama Masjid, Lotus Temple, Akshardham, the Parliament exteriors, Connaught Place — free
• National Museum, Raj Ghat, Lodhi Garden — free or a few rupees

Some older sources list ₹30/₹500 for these monuments. The 2026 figure is ₹35/₹550; confirm at the gate.

Akshardham is free to enter but the exhibition halls, boat ride and light show cost extra, and no phones, cameras or food are allowed inside — there is a deposit, and the queue for it is long. Allow three hours.

A licensed guide at a major monument runs ₹1,000–2,000 for a group. Men offering cheap guiding at the gates are unlicensed. There is an aggressive reseller economy around Jama Masjid and the Red Fort — rickshaw drivers claiming a monument is closed, shoe-shiners, and men insisting a 'government' shop is where you must buy tickets. All false.

🛏️ Where you sleep

• Paharganj — ₹700–2,000. The budget-traveller district, five minutes from New Delhi station, noisy and gritty and unbeatable for price.
• Karol Bagh — ₹1,500–3,500. Better value than Paharganj for comfort, good metro access, enormous market.
• Connaught Place and the bungalow districts — ₹4,000–12,000. Central, walkable, the best base if the budget allows.
• South Delhi (Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash, Vasant Kunj) — ₹3,500–10,000. Greener, calmer, better restaurants, but far from Old Delhi.
• Luxury around India Gate — ₹15,000–40,000+

October to March is peak. Prices rise 30–50% around Diwali, Christmas, New Year and Republic Day, and book out. April to June is brutally hot and cheap. Monsoon is July to September.

🍛 Food

• Street chaat in Chandni Chowk — ₹30–100 a plate. Golgappe, aloo tikki, dahi bhalle, papdi chaat. The best in India.
• Parathas in Paranthe Wali Gali — ₹60–150, fried in ghee, dozens of fillings
• Chole bhature — ₹80–200
• Kebabs at Karim's near Jama Masjid — ₹300–700
• Butter chicken at Moti Mahal in Daryaganj — where the dish was invented — ₹400–800
• A meal at a budget restaurant — ₹150–350
• Mid-range dinner for two — ₹800–2,000
• Bukhara at ITC Maurya or Indian Accent — ₹6,000–15,000 for two

Eat where the queue is. Delhi street food is excellent and safe if you choose by turnover. Avoid trays of assembled chaat standing waiting for buyers.

🚕 Transport

• Metro — ₹11–64 a trip. Use it for everything.
• Airport Express to T3 — ₹60–64, 20 minutes
• Auto — ₹30–150 on the meter
• Uber/Ola — ₹80–600+, surging heavily in rain and at peak
• Full-day car with driver — ₹2,500–4,500

💰 Three daily budgets

Shoestring — ₹1,200–2,200. Paharganj dorm or budget room ₹700–1,200, street food all day ₹200–400, metro ₹100–200, one paid monument ₹35–550.

Mid-range — ₹4,000–8,000. Karol Bagh or south Delhi hotel ₹2,500–4,500 between two, restaurant meals ₹800–1,500, metro plus occasional cab ₹400–800, two paid monuments ₹70–1,100.

Comfort — ₹15,000+. Connaught Place or Lutyens' hotel ₹8,000–20,000, fine dining ₹4,000–8,000 for two, a private car and driver ₹2,500–4,500, a licensed guide ₹1,000–2,000.

A one-day foreign visitor doing Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb pays roughly ₹1,650 in entry alone, plus ₹200 transport and ₹600 food — about ₹2,450 before accommodation.

💳 Money

UPI is universal — every chai stall, rickshaw driver and monument counter takes it. Foreign cards work in hotels, malls and larger restaurants but not in Chandni Chowk. ATMs are everywhere.

Carry ₹1,500–2,000 in small notes. Cycle rickshaws, chai stalls and shoe deposits all need exact change.

Check bills for a service charge at restaurants — 5–10% is commonly added, and tipping on top is paying twice.

For getting between all of these, see the Delhi transport guide.

Next on the circuit: Jaipur.