Budget for 1 week in Delhi, India wih kids

Delhi, India, was an intense experience from the moment we arrived, hitting all senses at full blast all at once. The city is loud, busy, and full of life, with the aroma of Indian food all around us. We spent a week in the capital after flying in from the U.S., exploring historical sites, eating great food, and visiting temples that shouldn’t be missed. It was a big cultural shift for our family, but absolutely worth it. Here’s a breakdown of what we spent during our week in Delhi. In total, we spent $598.09 for 7 nights for a total of $85.44 per day for our family of 4. Let’s see how our budget of 1 week in Delhi, India was broken down. All amounts shown are in US dollars.

Accommodation—$306.60 or $43.80 per night.

We used Vrbo for our booking. The location we stayed at in Delhi was not in the best area of the city. It was, however, within walking distance of a metro station, which enabled us to get to anywhere in the city we desired.

Eating Out – $18.85 or $1.57 per meal

Food in Delhi was incredibly affordable for our family — and so full of flavor. We used the Swiggy app, which works like Uber Eats or DoorDash in the US, but it’s way cheaper and honestly more efficient.

Here’s a quick breakdown of a few of our meals:

• Paranthe Wali Gali restaurant — $6.38
  This spot has been run by the same family for six generations and is tucked away on a side street in Chandni Chowk. The food and history were both worth the trip.

• Local biryani — $7.90
  We had to try authentic biryani while in India. It didn’t disappoint.

• Pizza night — $4.57
  The kids were having a hard time with all the spices, so we grabbed some simple comfort food to reset everyone’s taste buds.

Groceries – $49.87

Since we were only in Delhi for a week, we didn’t need our usual stock of supplies. We focused on getting safe, mild food options for the girls without all the spices.

On average, we spent about $1.44 per meal for our family of four, and that included snacks throughout the day.

• Instamart via Swiggy — $49.87
  We used Swiggy to order groceries, and everything was delivered straight to our door within 20 minutes. Fast, easy, and super convenient for a short stay.

Transportation – $26.70

I have specifically omitted our flight cost for the sake that readers will have to get to Delhi, India from many different places in the world, and all flights and means of transportation will be different. We were able to book our flight using points we earned on our favorite travel credit card. We then used Daily Drop Pro to make it easy to search for reward flight from the US to Delhi. This saved us a significant amount of time searching for flight by using this site.

Getting around Delhi was surprisingly easy. Uber is widely available and super versatile — you can book anything from a full-size SUV to a tuk-tuk or even a motorcycle, all through the app.

• • • Uber from the airport to our accommodation — $7.20
      We grabbed an Uber right outside Delhi International Airport. No hassle, no bargaining, and easy to navigate with luggage and kids.

    • Uber to the laundromat and back (by tuk-tuk) — $6.41
      We used a tuk-tuk Uber for our laundry run, which the kids thought was half the fun.

    • Delhi Metro tickets — $6.04 total
      The Metro bases fares on the height of the passenger, not age, so we paid for three tickets each time. We took round-trip rides to Old Delhi to explore Chandni Chowk and Red Fort, visited Akshardham Temple, and made one failed attempt to catch a train to Agra for the Taj Mahal.

    • Uber from our accommodation back to the airport — $7.05
      Our final ride out of Delhi was just as smooth as our arrival.

Tourist Attractions – $14.62

Most things were free that we enjoyed while in Delhi:

• • • Red Fort – A large fort in Old Delhi. We paid for 2 adults with the “foreigner” price as the kids were free. $13.93

    • Garden of the 5 Senses- A peaceful garden without the hustle and bustle of the city- $0.69

Miscellaneous – $181.45

• • • India requires US passport holders to obtain a visa prior to entering the country. This can be provided via an eVisa. We paid for four, one year eVisas for a total of $165.56.

    • Airalo for eSim. $12.47

    • Laundry was needed as we use minimalist packing– $3.42

Total: $598.09

What we learned:

Transportation
Getting around Delhi was straightforward with the metro and Uber. There was no need to haggle with taxi drivers, since the prices were already set. The metro system is extensive and made it really easy to get to all the major landmarks, even with kids in tow.

Food
Food in Delhi is incredibly affordable. We spent around $1.44 per meal when eating at home with groceries, and just $1.57 per person when dining out. That kind of pricing is basically unheard of in the Western world — and the flavors were next level.

Accommodations
It was a little trickier to find a place within our ideal nightly budget that still felt comfortable and family friendly. But the low cost of food and transportation definitely helped balance things out overall.

Delhi was a whirlwind of culture shock for our family, but in the best way. We leaned into the chaos, soaked up the experience, and came away with a deeper appreciation for everything this vibrant capital has to offer. It challenged us, changed us, and left us with memories we’ll carry forever. Check out our 2-Day Delhi Itinerary with kids!