For one person, living is cheaper in Thanjavur: $365 a month against $389 in Bhubaneswar, rent and utilities included – about $290 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
How much you'll spend in Bhubaneswar and in Thanjavur
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bhubaneswar and in Thanjavur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $389 per month in Bhubaneswar vs $365 in Thanjavur, rent included.
Bhubaneswar $389
Thanjavur $365
A couple spends around $610 per month in Bhubaneswar vs $571 in Thanjavur, rent included.
Bhubaneswar $610
Thanjavur $571
A family of three spends $831 per month in Bhubaneswar vs $777 in Thanjavur, rent included.
Bhubaneswar $831
Thanjavur $777
😐
Bhubaneswar costs about 6% more than Thanjavur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.
📊
Both Bhubaneswar and Thanjavur are more affordable than the global median – Bhubaneswar71% lower, Thanjavur73% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.10₹200
$1.93₹184
8.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.27₹975
$6.43₹610
59.72%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$4.27₹405
$4.23₹402
0.95%
Cappuccino
$1.42₹135
$1.85₹176
-23.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41₹38.57
$0.34₹32.02
20.59%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.16₹15.58
$0.15₹13.81
6.67%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.55₹147
$0.76₹72.2
103.95%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11₹295
$3.21₹305
-3.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.59₹56.0
$0.60₹56.7
-1.67%
White Bread(500g)
$0.51₹48.68
$0.53₹50.4
-3.77%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.56₹53.4
$0.61₹58.1
-8.20%
Eggs
$0.83₹78.5
$0.64₹60.8
29.69%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$3.32₹316
$5.86₹557
-43.34%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$2.60₹247
$2.15₹204
20.93%
Apples(1kg)
$2.05₹194
$2.84₹270
-27.82%
Banana(1kg)
$0.70₹66.1
$0.81₹77.3
-13.58%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.29₹122
$1.45₹137
-11.03%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.45₹42.55
$0.43₹40.46
4.65%
Potato(1kg)
$0.30₹28.54
$0.44₹41.92
-31.82%
Onion(1kg)
$0.41₹38.76
$0.40₹37.96
2.50%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.48₹45.38
$0.49₹46.63
-2.04%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33₹30.88
$0.28₹26.57
17.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$4.99₹473
$3.41₹323
46.33%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.73₹734
$7.29₹692
6.04%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92₹182
$1.33₹126
44.36%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42₹230
$2.70₹256
-10.37%
Buffalo Round(or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)(1kg)
$6.98₹663
$6.50₹617
7.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.43₹41.23
$0.24₹22.90
79.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$9.49₹901
$7.39₹702
28.42%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.04₹98.5
$1.07₹101
-2.80%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.22₹20.94
$0.29₹27.97
-24.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$2.07₹197
$2.06₹196
0.49%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.09₹103
$1.10₹105
-0.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$10.6K₹1.0M
$15.5K₹1.5M
-31.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.9K₹2.0M
$20.2K₹1.9M
3.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$38.04₹3,612
$38.68₹3,673
-1.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.20₹304
$3.95₹375
-18.99%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.74₹640
$7.81₹742
-13.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$15.08₹1,432
$13.72₹1,303
9.91%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.87₹842
$6.47₹614
37.09%
Cinema Ticket
$3.20₹304
$2.49₹236
28.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$75.9₹7,205
$88.5₹8,408
-14.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$2,321₹220.4K
$2,118₹201.1K
9.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.07₹2,191
$20.66₹1,962
11.67%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.37₹2,409
$16.59₹1,576
52.92%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$47.09₹4,472
$35.16₹3,339
33.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$32.23₹3,061
$26.18₹2,486
23.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$147₹14.0K
$121₹11.5K
21.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$86.6₹8,222
$72.7₹6,902
19.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$310₹29.4K
$260₹24.7K
19.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$190₹18.0K
$173₹16.4K
9.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,242₹117.9K
$1,044₹99.2K
18.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$519₹49.3K
$556₹52.8K
-6.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bhubaneswar
Thanjavur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$365₹34.6K
$207₹19.7K
76.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
9.17
9.99
-8.21%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Bhubaneswar: October 12, 2026
Last update for Thanjavur: October 11, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Bhubaneswar
$99 25.4%
Thanjavur
$106 28.9% ↑ 7%$6.9
🏠Accommodation & Living
Bhubaneswar
$87 22.3%
Thanjavur
$73 19.9% ↓ 16.1%$14
🍽Eating Out
Bhubaneswar
$63 16.2%
Thanjavur
$63 17.1% ↓ 0.6%$0.4
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Bhubaneswar
$57 14.8%
Thanjavur
$44 12.2% ↓ 22.8%$13
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bhubaneswar
$48 12.4%
Thanjavur
$50 13.8% ↑ 5.1%$2.5
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Bhubaneswar
$21 5.5%
Thanjavur
$19 5.1% ↓ 12.9%$2.8
🚌Getting Around
Bhubaneswar
$13 3.4%
Thanjavur
$11 3% ↓ 18.5%$2.5
🛒Groceries & Markets
Bhubaneswar
$210 25.3%
Thanjavur
$231 29.7% ↑ 9.9%$21
🏠Accommodation & Living
Bhubaneswar
$190 22.8%
Thanjavur
$173 22.3% ↓ 8.9%$17
🍽Eating Out
Bhubaneswar
$173 20.8%
Thanjavur
$154 19.9% ↓ 10.7%$19
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Bhubaneswar
$128 15.4%
Thanjavur
$99 12.7% ↓ 22.8%$29
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bhubaneswar
$51 6.2%
Thanjavur
$54 7% ↑ 6.3%$3.2
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Bhubaneswar
$52 6.2%
Thanjavur
$44 5.6% ↓ 15.4%$8
🚌Getting Around
Bhubaneswar
$28 3.3%
Thanjavur
$22 2.9% ↓ 19.3%$5.3
Cost Breakdown
🏠A central one-bedroom costs $147 in Bhubaneswar versus $121 in Thanjavur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.
💰Salaries run about 76% higher in Bhubaneswar, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.
🛒A mid-range dinner for two costs $10.00 in Bhubaneswar versus $6.00 in Thanjavur. Groceries tell a different story – $99.0 in Bhubaneswar vs $106 in Thanjavur – so Bhubaneswar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.
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
Bhubaneswar vs Thanjavur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bhubaneswar or Thanjavur?
Bhubaneswar costs about 6% more than Thanjavur, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bhubaneswar and in Thanjavur?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $583 per month in Bhubaneswar and $548 in Thanjavur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bhubaneswar or Thanjavur?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Thanjavur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Bhubaneswar or in Thanjavur?
Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Bhubaneswar – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
How do dining costs compare in Bhubaneswar and in Thanjavur?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $10.00 in Bhubaneswar and $6.00 in Thanjavur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Bhubaneswar or in Thanjavur?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $389 in Bhubaneswar and $365 in Thanjavur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Thanjavur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Bhubaneswar compared to Thanjavur?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Bhubaneswar or to Thanjavur?
If budget matters most, go with Thanjavur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bhubaneswar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.
Bhubaneswar vs other spots: cost of living compared