Cost of living in India
Summary of cost of living in India
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: ₨111,033
- Single person estimated monthly costs: ₨47,814
- India is the cheapest country in Asia (12 out of 12)
- India is the cheapest country in the World (85 out of 85)
Change the currency:
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | ₨375 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | ₨280 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | ₨136 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | ₨51 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | ₨71 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | ₨35 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | ₨219 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | ₨136 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | ₨29 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | ₨127 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | ₨782 | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | ₨84 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | ₨35 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | ₨33,333 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | ₨20,634 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | ₨4,401 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | ₨22,684 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | ₨13,488 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | ₨3,270 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | ₨728 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | ₨30,163 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | ₨10,381 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | ₨382 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | ₨332 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | ₨2,373 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | ₨2,587 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | ₨3,797 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | ₨2,693 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | ₨928,186 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | ₨76 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | ₨1,165 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | ₨98 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | ₨199 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | ₨925 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | ₨242 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | ₨171 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | ₨246 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | ₨142 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | ₨67 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | ₨231 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | ₨1,209 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | ₨491 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | ₨1,829 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | ₨1,915 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | ₨679 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | ₨223 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | ₨201 | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | ₨33,001 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | ₨2.15 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | ₨1,804 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | ₨260 | ||
Map of Cost of Living in India
This map shows only the top cities in India. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in India
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mumbai | 75 |
| 2nd | Nagpur | 72 |
| 3rd | Shimoga | 71 |
| 4th | Bijapur | 66 |
| 5th | Aizawl | 63 |
| 6th | Delhi | 63 |
| 7th | Bangalore | 63 |
| 8th | Nagercoil | 63 |
| 9th | Kolkata | 60 |
| 10th | Thane | 60 |
| 11th | Pune | 59 |
| 12th | Hyderabad, India | 58 |
| 13th | Ludhiana | 57 |
| 14th | Guwahati | 57 |
| 15th | Ahmedabad | 57 |
| 16th | Lucknow | 57 |
| 17th | Madras | 56 |
| 18th | Surat | 53 |
| 19th | Rajkot | 53 |
| 20th | Patna | 52 |
| 21st | Coimbatore | 52 |
| 22nd | Mangalore | 52 |
| 23rd | Visakhapatnam | 52 |
| 24th | Bhopal | 49 |
| 25th | Bhubaneswar | 47 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to India? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in India of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in India
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Delhi is about the same as in Mexicali
- Cost of living in Bangalore is about the same as in Delhi
- Cost of living in Delhi is 66% cheaper than in Singapore
- Cost of living in Bangalore is about the same as in Pune
- Cost of living in Mumbai is 14% more expensive than in Delhi
- Cost of living in Lucknow is 12% cheaper than in Delhi
- Cost of living in Mumbai is 51% more expensive than in Coimbatore
- Cost of living in Coimbatore is 19% cheaper than in Bangalore
- Cost of living in Delhi is 6% more expensive than in Pune
- Cost of living in Mumbai is 71% cheaper than in San Francisco, California
- Cost of living in Mumbai is 51% cheaper than in Fargo
- Cost of living in Vadodara is 32% cheaper than in Mumbai
- Cost of living in Madras is 14% more expensive than in Coimbatore
- Cost of living in Mumbai is 61% cheaper than in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Madurai is 45% cheaper than in Manila
- Cost of living in Hyderabad, India is 73% cheaper than in Seattle, Washington
- Cost of living in Kozhikode is 43% cheaper than in Dhaka
- Cost of living in Pune is 72% cheaper than in Los Angeles, California
- Cost of living in Lucknow is 62% cheaper than in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Cost of living in Madras is 10% cheaper than in Bangalore
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Mumbai costs ₨350 (about 8 hours ago)
- 1 month of gym membership in business district in Mumbai costs ₨2,000 (about 8 hours ago)
- 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Mumbai costs ₨100 (about 8 hours ago)
- Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Mumbai costs ₨250 (about 8 hours ago)
- Cocktail drink in downtown club in Mumbai costs ₨1,000 (about 8 hours ago)
- Nice dinner at an italian restaurant, dinner for two in Mumbai costs ₨1,500 (about 8 hours ago)
- 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) in Mumbai costs ₨4,000 (about 8 hours ago)
- 2 tickets to the movies in Mumbai costs ₨400 (about 8 hours ago)
- Basic dinner out in neighborhood pub, dinner for two in Mumbai costs ₨750 (about 8 hours ago)
- Hourly rate for babysitter services in Mumbai costs ₨200 (about 8 hours ago)