Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amritsar and Kolkata (Calcutta)

For one person, living is cheaper in Amritsar: $381 a month against $428 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kolkata (Calcutta) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

18

Cost of Living Index in Amritsar
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Amritsar Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index

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Amritsar

🇮🇳 India

$381

/mo nomad

Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Amritsar and in Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $381 in Amritsar versus $428 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Amritsar $381
Kolkata (Calcutta) $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $591 in Amritsar versus $676 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Amritsar $591
Kolkata (Calcutta) $676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $802 in Amritsar versus $924 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Amritsar $802
Kolkata (Calcutta) $924

Living in Amritsar costs roughly 11% less than in Kolkata (Calcutta), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Amritsar 72% lower, Kolkata (Calcutta) 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₹194

$2.10 ₹200

-2.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.24 ₹782

$14.69 ₹1,395

-43.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.35 ₹318

$4.28 ₹406

-21.73%

Cappuccino

$1.97 ₹187

$1.64 ₹156

20.12%

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

$0.44 ₹41.39

$0.45 ₹42.81

-2.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.96

$0.13 ₹12.23

53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ₹145

$1.94 ₹184

-21.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₹301

$3.21 ₹305

-1.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 ₹65.3

$0.71 ₹67.6

-2.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹48.95

$0.47 ₹44.41

10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ₹81.3

$0.70 ₹66.9

22.86%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹79.8

$1.04 ₹98.6

-19.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.19 ₹398

$5.20 ₹494

-19.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.94 ₹279

$3.06 ₹291

-3.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ₹158

$2.39 ₹227

-30.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.3

$0.83 ₹78.8

-14.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 ₹58.5

$1.47 ₹140

-57.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.85

$0.62 ₹58.8

-24.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.57

$0.30 ₹28.62

-6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.75

$0.44 ₹42.10

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 ₹28.00

$0.34 ₹32.68

-14.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.49

$0.28 ₹26.62

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 ₹468

$5.12 ₹486

-3.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 ₹1,095

$10.30 ₹979

11.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₹158

$1.83 ₹174

-9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₹258

$2.81 ₹267

-3.56%

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

$5.55 ₹527

$6.57 ₹624

-15.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₹36.80

$0.16 ₹15.06

143.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.28 ₹2,021

$3.13 ₹297

579.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.2

$0.66 ₹62.3

54.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₹20.90

$0.32 ₹30.52

-31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 ₹151

$1.61 ₹153

-1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹106

$1.11 ₹105

0.90%

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

$12.3K ₹1.2M

$15.9K ₹1.5M

-22.68%

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

$25.4K ₹2.4M

$22.5K ₹2.1M

12.56%

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

$38.33 ₹3,640

$52.9 ₹5,021

-27.50%

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

$3.06 ₹291

$4.97 ₹472

-38.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.51 ₹618

$7.30 ₹693

-10.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.96 ₹2,845

$15.66 ₹1,487

91.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.13 ₹487

$11.55 ₹1,097

-55.58%

Cinema Ticket

$3.11 ₹295

$3.42 ₹325

-9.06%

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

$38.96 ₹3,700

$47.35 ₹4,497

-17.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$583 ₹55.3K

$2,072 ₹196.7K

-71.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.61 ₹2,622

$27.13 ₹2,576

1.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.41 ₹2,318

$26.58 ₹2,524

-8.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ₹5,224

$35.20 ₹3,343

56.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.21 ₹4,103

$28.34 ₹2,691

52.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$62.0 ₹5,891

$152 ₹14.5K

-59.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$30.97 ₹2,941

$96.3 ₹9,143

-67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 ₹10.7K

$393 ₹37.3K

-71.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.9 ₹7,584

$212 ₹20.1K

-62.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$808 ₹76.8K

$1,115 ₹105.9K

-27.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$634 ₹60.2K

$597 ₹56.7K

6.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 ₹67.3K

$392 ₹37.2K

80.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.04

-11.50%

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

Last update for Amritsar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Amritsar

$106 28%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$117 27.4% 10.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Amritsar

$68 17.8%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$53 12.3% 22% $15

Eating Out

Amritsar

$67 17.5%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$68 15.8% 1.8% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amritsar

$48 12.6%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15.2% 36% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Amritsar

$36 9.5%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$23 5.3% 37.8% $14

Accommodation & Living

Amritsar

$31 8.1%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$96 22.5% 211% $65

Getting Around

Amritsar

$25 6.6%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6 1.4% 75.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $62.0 in Amritsar and $152 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amritsar pays 81% 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 $15.00 in Kolkata (Calcutta) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $107 vs $118 per month, with Amritsar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Amritsar

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

Same time as Amritsar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,132,761

4,486,679

💱 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

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Between locations

Amritsar Kolkata (Calcutta) 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Amritsar
Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amritsar wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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 81% 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 $152 in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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 $15.00 in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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 $428 in Kolkata (Calcutta) – a 12% 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.

Expats usually find Amritsar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Kolkata (Calcutta). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.