Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amritsar and Chandigarh

For one person, living is cheaper in Amritsar: $381 a month against $471 in Chandigarh, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Amritsar
Learn more

Amritsar Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Chandigarh
Learn more

Chandigarh Living Index

Jump to prices

Amritsar

🇮🇳 India

$381

/mo nomad

Chandigarh

🇮🇳 India

$471

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amritsar and in Chandigarh

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Amritsar and in Chandigarh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $381 in Amritsar versus $471 in Chandigarh.

Amritsar $381
Chandigarh $471

Estimated couple costs with rent: $591 in Amritsar versus $760 in Chandigarh.

Amritsar $591
Chandigarh $760

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $802 in Amritsar versus $1,049 in Chandigarh.

Amritsar $802
Chandigarh $1,049

Living in Amritsar costs roughly 19% less than in Chandigarh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Amritsar 72% lower, Chandigarh 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₹194

$3.10 ₹294

-34.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.24 ₹782

$13.56 ₹1,288

-39.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.35 ₹318

$4.08 ₹387

-17.89%

Cappuccino

$1.97 ₹187

$2.72 ₹259

-27.57%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ₹41.39

$0.43 ₹41.05

2.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.96

$0.23 ₹21.71

-13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ₹145

$2.03 ₹193

-25.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₹301

$3.11 ₹295

1.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.3

$0.71 ₹67.4

-2.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹48.95

$0.54 ₹51.5

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ₹81.3

$0.88 ₹83.5

-2.27%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹79.8

$0.92 ₹87.7

-8.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.19 ₹398

$5.07 ₹481

-17.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.94 ₹279

$2.84 ₹270

3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ₹158

$1.64 ₹156

1.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.3

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 ₹58.5

$1.07 ₹102

-42.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.85

$0.68 ₹64.6

-30.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.57

$0.28 ₹26.53

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.75

$0.30 ₹28.89

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 ₹28.00

$0.66 ₹62.7

-56.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.49

$0.32 ₹30.81

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 ₹468

$4.91 ₹466

0.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 ₹1,095

$11.48 ₹1,090

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₹158

$1.71 ₹162

-2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₹258

$2.78 ₹264

-2.52%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.55 ₹527

$6.61 ₹627

-16.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₹36.80

$0.30 ₹28.16

30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.28 ₹2,021

$3.59 ₹341

492.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.2

$1.08 ₹102

-5.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₹20.90

$0.23 ₹21.80

-4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 ₹151

$1.64 ₹155

-3.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹106

$1.13 ₹107

-0.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$12.3K ₹1.2M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

-0.79%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.4K ₹2.4M

$24.6K ₹2.3M

3.34%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$38.33 ₹3,640

$37.66 ₹3,576

1.78%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$3.06 ₹291

$4.04 ₹384

-24.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.51 ₹618

$6.49 ₹616

0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.96 ₹2,845

$20.70 ₹1,965

44.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.13 ₹487

$8.11 ₹770

-36.74%

Cinema Ticket

$3.11 ₹295

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$38.96 ₹3,700

$58.6 ₹5,561

-33.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$583 ₹55.3K

$2,454 ₹233.1K

-76.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.61 ₹2,622

$27.27 ₹2,589

1.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.41 ₹2,318

$24.64 ₹2,340

-0.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ₹5,224

$57.7 ₹5,477

-4.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.21 ₹4,103

$44.07 ₹4,185

-1.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$62.0 ₹5,891

$166 ₹15.8K

-62.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$30.97 ₹2,941

$117 ₹11.1K

-73.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 ₹10.7K

$465 ₹44.2K

-75.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.9 ₹7,584

$285 ₹27.1K

-72.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$808 ₹76.8K

$3,052 ₹289.8K

-73.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$634 ₹60.2K

$1,786 ₹169.6K

-64.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 ₹67.3K

$432 ₹41.1K

63.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Amritsar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chandigarh: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Amritsar

$106 28%

Chandigarh

$114 24.3% 7.4% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Amritsar

$68 17.8%

Chandigarh

$69 14.7% 2.3% $1.5

Eating Out

Amritsar

$67 17.5%

Chandigarh

$89 18.8% 33.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amritsar

$48 12.6%

Chandigarh

$48 10.2% 0.6% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Amritsar

$36 9.5%

Chandigarh

$27 5.7% 25.6% $9.3

Accommodation & Living

Amritsar

$31 8.1%

Chandigarh

$117 24.8% 278% $86

Getting Around

Amritsar

$25 6.6%

Chandigarh

$7 1.5% 72% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $62.0 in Amritsar and $166 in Chandigarh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amritsar pays 64% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8.00 in Amritsar vs $14.00 in Chandigarh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $107 vs $114 per month, with Amritsar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Amritsar

🇮🇳 Chandigarh

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

Same time as Amritsar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,132,761

1,028,667

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amritsar Chandigarh 210 km

From you

Amritsar
Chandigarh

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Amritsar vs Chandigarh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amritsar wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Chandigarh. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Amritsar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Amritsar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $62.0 in Amritsar versus $166 in Chandigarh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Amritsar – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $14.00 in Chandigarh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $381 per month in Amritsar versus $471 in Chandigarh – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Amritsar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Amritsar and Chandigarh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Amritsar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Chandigarh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.