Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $561 in Bangalore, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
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Bangalore Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$561

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Varkala

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 Varkala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $561 in Bangalore versus $383 in Varkala.

Bangalore $561
Varkala $383

Estimated couple costs with rent: $953 in Bangalore versus $608 in Varkala.

Bangalore $953
Varkala $608

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,345 in Bangalore versus $833 in Varkala.

Bangalore $1,345
Varkala $833

Living in Bangalore is roughly 47% more expensive than in Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 58% lower, Varkala 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.08 ₹291

$2.28 ₹216

35.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.84 ₹1,779

$10.35 ₹978

82.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 ₹457

$3.45 ₹326

40.29%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₹237

$1.57 ₹149

59.87%

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

$0.41 ₹38.62

$0.37 ₹35.19

10.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₹15.32

$0.18 ₹16.55

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ₹239

$1.76 ₹166

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 ₹353

$3.13 ₹295

19.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.0

$0.71 ₹67.4

-14.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₹53.6

$0.45 ₹42.46

26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₹72.9

$0.66 ₹62.2

16.67%

Eggs

$1.13 ₹107

$0.89 ₹84.2

26.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.82 ₹550

$4.87 ₹460

19.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 ₹366

$2.99 ₹282

29.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 ₹273

$2.05 ₹194

40.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 ₹78.8

$0.74 ₹70.1

12.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₹120

$0.98 ₹92.6

29.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.32

$0.54 ₹50.8

-31.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.39

$0.38 ₹35.97

-10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.23

$0.43 ₹40.23

-13.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.98

$0.45 ₹42.20

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.43

$0.32 ₹30.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.96 ₹469

$3.89 ₹367

27.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.07 ₹857

$7.48 ₹706

21.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₹190

$1.69 ₹160

18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₹276

$2.76 ₹261

5.80%

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

$6.56 ₹619

$5.59 ₹528

17.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹51.4

$0.28 ₹26.35

92.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.54 ₹1,184

$8.77 ₹829

42.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.6

$0.83 ₹78.4

25.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.41

$0.25 ₹23.36

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 ₹204

$1.43 ₹135

51.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹106

$1.16 ₹110

-3.45%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$13.8K ₹1.3M

-17.99%

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

$18.7K ₹1.8M

$22.2K ₹2.1M

-15.79%

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

$30.72 ₹2,902

$38.26 ₹3,614

-19.71%

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

$4.31 ₹407

$3.52 ₹332

22.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.28 ₹971

$7.13 ₹673

44.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.33 ₹2,015

$15.61 ₹1,475

36.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.82 ₹550

$7.10 ₹671

-18.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ₹446

$2.85 ₹269

65.61%

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

$115 ₹10.8K

$51.9 ₹4,905

120.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,585 ₹622.0K

$1,542 ₹145.7K

327.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.51 ₹3,166

$24.46 ₹2,311

37.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.04 ₹3,027

$24.88 ₹2,351

28.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.6 ₹5,342

$41.84 ₹3,953

35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.85 ₹3,764

$30.94 ₹2,922

28.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ₹28.7K

$123 ₹11.6K

146.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹16.9K

$75.4 ₹7,127

137.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 ₹76.2K

$274 ₹25.8K

194.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 ₹46.2K

$179 ₹16.9K

173.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,953 ₹184.5K

$1,051 ₹99.3K

85.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,097 ₹103.6K

$599 ₹56.6K

83.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$933 ₹88.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.47

8.67

-2.31%

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

Last update for Bangalore: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$179 32%

Varkala

$75 19.7% 57.9% $104

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$124 22.1%

Varkala

$105 27.5% 15.2% $19

Eating Out

Bangalore

$92 16.3%

Varkala

$65 16.9% 29.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$73 13%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 24.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.1%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 7.9% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$31 5.5%

Varkala

$21 5.6% 30.7% $9.5

Getting Around

Bangalore

$17 3.1%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 30.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $303 in Bangalore and $123 in Varkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Bangalore vs $10 in Varkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $105 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

Same time as Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

50,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varkala wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Bangalore. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varkala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $842 in Bangalore and $574 in Varkala to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $303 in Bangalore versus $123 in Varkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Varkala runs roughly 30% less than in Bangalore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $115 in Bangalore versus $52 in Varkala. 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 Varkala gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Varkala is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bangalore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Varkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Bangalore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.