Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chandigarh and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Chandigarh: $488 a month against $799 in Surat, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

24

Cost of Living Index in Chandigarh
Learn more

Chandigarh Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
Learn more

Surat Living Index

Jump to prices

Chandigarh

🇮🇳 India

$488

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chandigarh and in Surat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Chandigarh versus $799 in Surat.

Chandigarh $488
Surat $799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $788 in Chandigarh versus $853 in Surat.

Chandigarh $788
Surat $853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,088 in Chandigarh versus $906 in Surat.

Chandigarh $1,088
Surat $906

Living in Chandigarh costs roughly 39% less than in Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chandigarh 64% lower, Surat 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹304

$3.14 ₹298

1.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.68 ₹1,298

$10.59 ₹1,005

29.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.11 ₹390

$3.22 ₹305

27.64%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ₹256

$1.76 ₹167

52.84%

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

$0.44 ₹41.49

$0.39 ₹37.13

12.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.78

$0.14 ₹13.58

78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₹204

$3.21 ₹305

-33.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₹301

$3.39 ₹322

-6.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 ₹69.4

$0.72 ₹68.1

1.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.17

$0.46 ₹43.78

13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.3

$0.72 ₹68.5

12.50%

Eggs

$0.91 ₹86.3

$0.90 ₹85.5

1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.93 ₹468

$4.63 ₹439

6.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹270

$2.74 ₹260

3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ₹156

$1.67 ₹158

-1.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹70.9

$0.57 ₹54.5

31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₹101

$0.76 ₹71.9

39.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.8

$0.55 ₹52.2

21.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.53

$0.39 ₹36.78

-28.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.38

$0.43 ₹40.99

-20.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₹63.4

$0.46 ₹44.15

45.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.25

$0.30 ₹28.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 ₹472

$4.94 ₹469

0.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 ₹1,085

$7.81 ₹742

46.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹158

$1.86 ₹177

-10.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹266

$3.05 ₹289

-7.87%

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

$6.55 ₹622

$6.18 ₹587

5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.60

$0.20 ₹18.98

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.58 ₹435

$3.21 ₹305

42.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$0.56 ₹53.5

92.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.90

$0.22 ₹20.90

13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 ₹158

$1.08 ₹102

53.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹103

$1.13 ₹108

-3.54%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

-1.43%

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

$25.0K ₹2.4M

$18.3K ₹1.7M

36.36%

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

$38.21 ₹3,627

$36.87 ₹3,500

3.63%

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

$4.08 ₹388

$3.56 ₹338

14.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.52 ₹619

$7.44 ₹706

-12.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.72 ₹2,442

$18.56 ₹1,762

38.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.08 ₹767

$5.45 ₹517

48.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 ₹297

$2.98 ₹283

5.03%

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

$57.7 ₹5,480

$32.79 ₹3,113

76.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,480 ₹235.4K

$937 ₹89.0K

164.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.87 ₹2,551

$22.65 ₹2,151

18.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ₹2,398

$24.76 ₹2,350

2.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.6 ₹5,468

$40.73 ₹3,867

41.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.40 ₹4,215

$32.31 ₹3,068

37.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$171 ₹16.3K

$208 ₹19.8K

-17.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ₹12.1K

$484 ₹46.0K

-73.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₹45.8K

$387 ₹36.7K

24.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.3K

$241 ₹22.9K

27.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 ₹177.4K

$645 ₹61.2K

189.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,025 ₹97.4K

$364 ₹34.5K

182.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 ₹41.5K

$319 ₹30.3K

36.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

-12.76%

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

Last update for Chandigarh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chandigarh

$127 26%

Surat

$484 60.6% 281% $357

Groceries & Markets

Chandigarh

$113 23.2%

Surat

$102 12.8% 10% $11

Eating Out

Chandigarh

$90 18.5%

Surat

$81 10.1% 10.4% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Chandigarh

$69 14.2%

Surat

$54 6.8% 21.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chandigarh

$49 10%

Surat

$48 6% 1.9% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Chandigarh

$32 6.6%

Surat

$25 3.1% 23.4% $7.5

Getting Around

Chandigarh

$7.9 1.6%

Surat

$5.7 0.7% 28.2% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $171 in Chandigarh and $208 in Surat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chandigarh pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $14 in Chandigarh vs $11 in Surat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $102 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Chandigarh

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

Same time as Chandigarh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,667

6,936,534

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chandigarh Surat 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chandigarh
Surat

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

Chandigarh vs Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chandigarh wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Surat. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chandigarh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Chandigarh, 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: $171 in Chandigarh versus $208 in Surat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $58 in Chandigarh versus $33 in Surat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Safety-wise, Chandigarh and Surat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.