Cost of living in India

Summary of cost of living in India

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: ₨148,811
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: ₨65,969
  • India is the cheapest country in Asia (10 out of 10)
  • India is the 2nd cheapest country in the World (59 out of 60)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district ₨400
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) ₨350
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast ₨177
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk ₨63
12 eggs, large ₨102
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes ₨45
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese ₨254
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples ₨196
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes ₨40
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket ₨172
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality ₨961
2 liters of coca-cola ₨95
Bread for 2 people for 1 day ₨42
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area ₨46,983
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area ₨29,753
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat ₨5,571
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area ₨30,891
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area ₨18,623
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio ₨4,707
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) ₨772
40” flat screen tv ₨26,656
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) ₨12,082
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) ₨555
Hourly rate for cleaning help ₨704
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) ₨2,484
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) ₨2,578
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) ₨4,084
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes ₨2,961
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new ₨1,800,100
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas ₨104
Monthly ticket public transport ₨1,476
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) ₨94
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) ₨262
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) ₨1,182
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) ₨391
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) ₨229
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) ₨269
4 rolls of toilet paper ₨195
Tube of toothpaste ₨99
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city ₨303
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub ₨1,334
2 tickets to the movies ₨620
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) ₨1,539
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert ₨2,260
1 cocktail drink in downtown club ₨709
Cappuccino in expat area of the city ₨234
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) ₨199
Ipad wi-fi 128gb ₨42,549
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) ₨5.62
1 month of gym membership in business district ₨1,807
1 package of marlboro cigarettes ₨279

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 Latur 57
2nd Bangalore 49
3rd Jammu 48
4th Delhi 45
5th Kolkata 41
6th Kochi, India 38

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 bottle of red table wine, good quality in Agartala costs ₨2,000 (1 day ago)
  • 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Pune costs ₨300 (1 day ago)
  • Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Pune costs ₨400 (1 day ago)
  • Cocktail drink in downtown club in Pune costs ₨2,000 (1 day ago)
  • Nice dinner at an italian restaurant, dinner for two in Pune costs ₨1,500 (1 day ago)
  • 2 tickets to the movies in Pune costs ₨600 (1 day ago)
  • Basic dinner out in neighborhood pub, dinner for two in Pune costs ₨1,000 (1 day ago)
  • Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Pune costs ₨200 (1 day ago)
  • One-way ticket in public transport in Pune costs ₨30 (1 day ago)
  • Taxi fare per distance, weekday at noon, per 1 km. in Pune costs ₨17 (1 day ago)

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