Cost of living in India

Summary of cost of living in India

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: ₨148,250
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: ₨63,141
  • India is the cheapest country in Asia (9 out of 9)
  • India is the 2nd cheapest country in the World (61 out of 62)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district ₨393
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) ₨348
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast ₨173
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk ₨60
12 eggs, large ₨97
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes ₨48
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese ₨266
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples ₨194
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes ₨37
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket ₨160
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality ₨951
2 liters of coca-cola ₨97
Bread for 2 people for 1 day ₨41
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area ₨43,146
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area ₨27,011
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat ₨5,417
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area ₨26,559
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area ₨15,794
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio ₨4,914
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) ₨679
40” flat screen tv ₨27,132
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) ₨11,529
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) ₨431
Hourly rate for cleaning help ₨373
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) ₨2,496
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) ₨2,662
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) ₨4,043
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes ₨2,874
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new ₨1,969,750
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas ₨103
Monthly ticket public transport ₨1,226
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) ₨102
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) ₨266
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) ₨1,120
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) ₨364
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) ₨236
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) ₨277
4 rolls of toilet paper ₨183
Tube of toothpaste ₨85
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city ₨307
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub ₨1,593
2 tickets to the movies ₨681
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) ₨1,699
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert ₨2,238
1 cocktail drink in downtown club ₨633
Cappuccino in expat area of the city ₨206
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) ₨197
Ipad wi-fi 128gb ₨46,790
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) ₨16
1 month of gym membership in business district ₨1,625
1 package of marlboro cigarettes ₨297

Map of Cost of Living in India

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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 80
2nd Latur 63
3rd Bangalore 59
4th Jammu 54
5th Delhi 50
6th Kolkata 47
7th Kochi, India 42

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.

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Prices recently added

  • 1 kg of rice in Bangalore costs ₨105 (2 days ago)
  • Bread for 2 people for 1 day (250 g) in Bangalore costs ₨40 (2 days ago)
  • 2 liters of coca-cola in Bangalore costs ₨95 (2 days ago)
  • 1 kg of potatoes in Bangalore costs ₨56 (2 days ago)
  • 1 kg of apples in Bangalore costs ₨390 (2 days ago)
  • 250 g of local cheese in Bangalore costs ₨280 (2 days ago)
  • 1 kg of tomatoes in Bangalore costs ₨48 (2 days ago)
  • 6 eggs, large in Bangalore costs ₨96 (2 days ago)
  • 1 liter of whole fat milk in Bangalore costs ₨66 (2 days ago)
  • 500 g of boneless chicken breast in Bangalore costs ₨275 (2 days ago)

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