Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhilai and Kottayam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kottayam: $265 a month against $329 in Bhilai, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

16

Cost of Living Index in Bhilai
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Bhilai Living Index
13

Cost of Living Index in Kottayam
Learn more

Kottayam Living Index

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Bhilai

🇮🇳 India

$329

/mo nomad

Kottayam

🇮🇳 India

$265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bhilai and in Kottayam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $329 in Bhilai versus $265 in Kottayam.

Bhilai $329
Kottayam $265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $562 in Bhilai versus $427 in Kottayam.

Bhilai $562
Kottayam $427

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $794 in Bhilai versus $590 in Kottayam.

Bhilai $794
Kottayam $590

Living in Bhilai is roughly 25% more expensive than in Kottayam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bhilai 76% lower, Kottayam 80% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.56 ₹243

$1.08 ₹102

137.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.75 ₹831

$9.67 ₹918

-9.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 ₹305

$3.19 ₹303

0.63%

Cappuccino

$1.94 ₹184

$0.82 ₹78.2

136.59%

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

$0.32 ₹30.46

$0.33 ₹31.79

-3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.82

$0.12 ₹11.57

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 ₹147

$1.30 ₹123

19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₹280

$1.79 ₹170

64.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.56 ₹53.1

$0.62 ₹58.7

-9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 ₹36.71

$0.45 ₹42.86

-13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ₹61.1

$0.51 ₹47.98

25.49%

Eggs

$0.95 ₹89.8

$0.83 ₹79.3

14.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.25 ₹404

$2.05 ₹194

107.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ₹265

$3.59 ₹341

-22.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₹223

$2.10 ₹200

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.4

$0.56 ₹52.9

-5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 ₹88.0

$0.91 ₹86.0

2.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ₹45.73

$0.50 ₹47.35

-4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.32

$0.35 ₹33.01

8.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₹41.73

$0.41 ₹39.11

7.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 ₹23.58

$0.59 ₹56.4

-57.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.48

$0.27 ₹25.79

7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 ₹485

$4.99 ₹474

2.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 ₹448

$4.02 ₹381

17.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₹160

$1.59 ₹151

6.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₹263

$2.21 ₹210

25.34%

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

$3.73 ₹354

$3.40 ₹322

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₹36.43

$0.31 ₹29.51

22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.67 ₹634

$9.30 ₹883

-28.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.7

$0.81 ₹76.7

28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₹20.91

$0.33 ₹31.46

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 ₹171

$2.08 ₹197

-13.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

-2.11%

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

$18.6K ₹1.8M

$15.0K ₹1.4M

24.15%

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

$32.10 ₹3,048

$21.24 ₹2,017

51.13%

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

$3.24 ₹308

$2.99 ₹284

8.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.78 ₹454

$6.03 ₹573

-20.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$6.76 ₹642

$6.49 ₹616

4.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.21 ₹305

$9.27 ₹881

-65.37%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₹322

$1.68 ₹160

101.79%

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

$81.2 ₹7,709

$10.39 ₹986

681.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,061 ₹100.8K

$514 ₹48.8K

106.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.83 ₹2,263

$18.71 ₹1,777

27.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.50 ₹2,802

$15.56 ₹1,477

89.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.14 ₹2,292

$21.22 ₹2,015

13.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.16 ₹2,294

$12.01 ₹1,140

101.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$74.7 ₹7,097

$126 ₹12.0K

-40.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$57.2 ₹5,428

$53.1 ₹5,038

7.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₹25.0K

-0.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 ₹20.1K

$116 ₹11.1K

82.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$934 ₹88.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$543 ₹51.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$671 ₹63.7K

$290 ₹27.6K

130.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

-2.00%

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

Last update for Bhilai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kottayam: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bhilai

$93 28.4%

Kottayam

$88 33.3% 5.8% $5.4

Eating Out

Bhilai

$69 21%

Kottayam

$40 15.1% 42.2% $29

Accommodation & Living

Bhilai

$57 17.4%

Kottayam

$53 20.1% 7.2% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Bhilai

$46 13.9%

Kottayam

$30 11.5% 33.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bhilai

$40 12.2%

Kottayam

$30 11.4% 24.6% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bhilai

$14 4.1%

Kottayam

$9.9 3.7% 27.2% $3.7

Getting Around

Bhilai

$10 3.1%

Kottayam

$13 4.9% 25.6% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $74.7 in Bhilai and $126 in Kottayam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhilai pays 131% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $9.00 in Bhilai vs $10.00 in Kottayam. Groceries flip the comparison at $93.0 vs $88.0, with Kottayam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bhilai

🇮🇳 Kottayam

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

Same time as Bhilai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

627,734

55,374

💱 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

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Between locations

Bhilai Kottayam 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bhilai
Kottayam

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

Bhilai vs Kottayam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhilai and Kottayam differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($329 vs $265 including rent). Kottayam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 131% higher in Bhilai, 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: $74.7 in Bhilai versus $126 in Kottayam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $81.2 in Bhilai versus $10.39 in Kottayam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Bhilai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Kottayam 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 Kottayam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Bhilai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.