Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Madurai

For one person, living is cheaper in Madurai: $416 a month against $562 in Bangalore, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Madurai
Learn more

Madurai Living Index

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Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$562

/mo nomad

Madurai

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Madurai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $562 in Bangalore versus $416 in Madurai.

Bangalore $562
Madurai $416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $949 in Bangalore versus $703 in Madurai.

Bangalore $949
Madurai $703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,336 in Bangalore versus $989 in Madurai.

Bangalore $1,336
Madurai $989

Living in Bangalore is roughly 35% more expensive than in Madurai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 59% lower, Madurai 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹304

$1.71 ₹162

87.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.12 ₹1,720

$10.45 ₹992

73.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 ₹442

$4.23 ₹402

10.17%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹222

$2.28 ₹216

2.19%

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

$0.44 ₹41.73

$0.58 ₹55.1

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.29

$0.25 ₹23.87

-44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 ₹226

$2.14 ₹203

11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₹345

$3.72 ₹353

-2.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 ₹62.0

$0.55 ₹52.5

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 ₹55.0

$0.56 ₹53.4

3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹73.2

$0.68 ₹65.0

13.24%

Eggs

$1.09 ₹103

$0.84 ₹79.5

29.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.35 ₹603

$6.12 ₹581

3.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 ₹362

$2.96 ₹281

28.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ₹266

$2.98 ₹283

-6.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹72.2

$0.74 ₹70.3

2.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₹119

$1.68 ₹159

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.81

$0.50 ₹47.66

-16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.10

$0.62 ₹59.2

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.58

$0.70 ₹66.9

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ₹37.44

$0.67 ₹63.9

-41.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.07

$0.29 ₹27.13

3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.65 ₹442

$5.16 ₹490

-9.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.06 ₹860

$10.63 ₹1,010

-14.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 ₹180

$2.13 ₹202

-11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ₹284

$4.44 ₹421

-32.66%

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

$6.52 ₹619

$9.72 ₹923

-32.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹51.4

$0.20 ₹18.95

170.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.52 ₹1,189

$10.41 ₹988

20.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹101

$1.17 ₹111

-8.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.59

$0.33 ₹31.24

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ₹195

$1.29 ₹122

59.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹104

$1.11 ₹106

-0.90%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

-0.47%

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

$19.2K ₹1.8M

$23.7K ₹2.2M

-19.01%

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

$31.15 ₹2,958

$23.27 ₹2,210

33.86%

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

$4.11 ₹390

$4.76 ₹452

-13.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.56 ₹1,002

$7.55 ₹717

39.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.90 ₹2,080

$15.81 ₹1,501

38.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.86 ₹557

$6.46 ₹614

-9.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.64 ₹440

$2.67 ₹254

73.78%

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

$103 ₹9,733

$42.17 ₹4,004

143.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,902 ₹275.6K

$1,576 ₹149.6K

84.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.91 ₹3,125

$25.37 ₹2,409

29.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.69 ₹2,914

$25.52 ₹2,423

20.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 ₹5,320

$53.2 ₹5,048

5.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.75 ₹3,870

$32.85 ₹3,119

24.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₹29.6K

$135 ₹12.8K

131.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ₹17.3K

$79.7 ₹7,571

128.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 ₹80.0K

$433 ₹41.1K

94.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 ₹46.4K

$264 ₹25.0K

85.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,878 ₹178.3K

$987 ₹93.8K

90.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,045 ₹99.2K

$440 ₹41.8K

137.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ₹88.1K

$363 ₹34.4K

155.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.47

9.59

-11.68%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 25, 2026

Last update for Madurai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$182 32.4%

Madurai

$80 19.2% 56.2% $102

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$124 22.1%

Madurai

$129 31% 4% $5

Eating Out

Bangalore

$89 15.8%

Madurai

$75 18% 15.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$72 12.9%

Madurai

$62 14.8% 14.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$46 8.2%

Madurai

$36 8.6% 22.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$31 5.6%

Madurai

$21 5.1% 32.2% $10

Getting Around

Bangalore

$17 3.1%

Madurai

$14 3.4% 18.8% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $312 in Bangalore and $135 in Madurai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $18 in Bangalore vs $10 in Madurai. Groceries flip the comparison at $124 vs $129, with Bangalore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇮🇳 Madurai

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

Same time as Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

1,700,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Bangalore vs Madurai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madurai wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Bangalore. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Madurai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Bangalore is about 2.6 times higher, 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: $312 in Bangalore versus $135 in Madurai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Madurai runs roughly 17% less than in Bangalore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $103 in Bangalore versus $42 in Madurai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Madurai 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.

It comes down to priorities – Madurai wins on affordability, Bangalore on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.