Cost of living in India

Summary of cost of living in India

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: ₨142,056
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: ₨64,741
  • India is the cheapest country in Asia (13 out of 13)
  • India is the cheapest country in the World (68 out of 68)
Change the currency:
Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district ₨392
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) ₨343
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast ₨174
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk ₨58
12 eggs, large ₨84
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes ₨45
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese ₨254
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples ₨175
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes ₨32
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket ₨173
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality ₨847
2 liters of coca-cola ₨96
Bread for 2 people for 1 day ₨39
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area ₨47,535
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area ₨29,557
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat ₨4,738
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area ₨32,048
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area ₨18,657
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio ₨4,677
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) ₨634
40” flat screen tv ₨30,729
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) ₨11,051
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) ₨532
Hourly rate for cleaning help ₨497
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) ₨2,292
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) ₨2,817
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) ₨4,321
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes ₨3,239
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new ₨1,659,570
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas ₨104
Monthly ticket public transport ₨996
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) ₨141
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) ₨318
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) ₨838
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) ₨372
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) ₨187
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) ₨288
4 rolls of toilet paper ₨162
Tube of toothpaste ₨88
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city ₨311
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub ₨1,373
2 tickets to the movies ₨609
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) ₨1,394
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert ₨1,965
1 cocktail drink in downtown club ₨882
Cappuccino in expat area of the city ₨233
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) ₨187
Ipad wi-fi 128gb ₨53,020
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) ₨1.27
1 month of gym membership in business district ₨1,460
1 package of marlboro cigarettes ₨274

Map of Cost of Living in India

loading...

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 Latur 59
2nd Mumbai 54
3rd Jammu 50
4th Hyderabad, India 47
5th Delhi 45
6th Pune 45
7th Nagpur 39
8th Srinagar 33
9th Rajkot 33

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:

Prices recently added

  • Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Delhi costs ₨800 (1 day ago)
  • Internet 8 mbps, 1 month in Delhi costs ₨400 (1 day ago)
  • 1 kg of rice in Delhi costs ₨70 (1 day ago)
  • Bread for 2 people for 1 day (250 g) in Delhi costs ₨35 (1 day ago)
  • 1 kg of potatoes in Delhi costs ₨20 (1 day ago)
  • 1 kg of apples in Delhi costs ₨140 (1 day ago)
  • 1 kg of tomatoes in Delhi costs ₨45 (1 day ago)
  • 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Bangalore costs ₨360 (1 day ago)
  • 1 month of gym membership in business district in Bangalore costs ₨4,000 (1 day ago)
  • 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Bangalore costs ₨150 (1 day ago)

Make a different comparison:

Compare cost of living between cities:
vs