Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chennai (Madras) and Hubli

For one person, living is cheaper in Hubli: $384 a month against $416 in Chennai (Madras), rent and utilities included – about $380 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
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Chennai (Madras) Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Hubli
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Hubli Living Index

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Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Hubli

🇮🇳 India

$384

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chennai (Madras) and in Hubli

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

A single person spends $416 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $384 in Hubli, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $416
Hubli $384

A couple spends around $701 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $625 in Hubli, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $701
Hubli $625

A family of three spends $987 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $866 in Hubli, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $987
Hubli $866

Chennai (Madras) costs about 8% more than Hubli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chennai (Madras) and Hubli are more affordable than the global median – Chennai (Madras) 69% lower, Hubli 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₹202

$5.02 ₹477

-57.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.49 ₹1,186

$14.83 ₹1,408

-15.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.31 ₹410

$3.02 ₹287

42.72%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₹177

$1.50 ₹142

24.00%

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

$0.37 ₹34.78

$0.39 ₹37.08

-5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 ₹17.86

$0.10 ₹9.66

90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹154

$1.85 ₹175

-12.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹291

$2.92 ₹277

5.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.56 ₹53.4

$0.61 ₹58.3

-8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 ₹52.8

$0.41 ₹38.47

36.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.1

$0.76 ₹72.6

-2.63%

Eggs

$0.91 ₹86.2

$0.92 ₹87.5

-1.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.06 ₹575

$7.49 ₹711

-19.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ₹296

$4.18 ₹397

-25.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ₹278

$2.26 ₹214

29.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 ₹78.2

$0.56 ₹53.3

46.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ₹138

$1.31 ₹124

10.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.23

$0.23 ₹21.84

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ₹41.94

$0.36 ₹34.50

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.59

$0.38 ₹36.41

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 ₹48.13

$0.58 ₹55.0

-12.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.27

$0.29 ₹27.57

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₹486

$4.99 ₹474

2.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.57 ₹719

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₹178

$1.77 ₹168

5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₹265

$2.11 ₹200

32.23%

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

$6.73 ₹639

$4.61 ₹438

45.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₹31.60

$0.27 ₹25.74

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.48 ₹995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ₹29.25

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₹197

$0.83 ₹78.5

150.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₹108

$1.05 ₹99.5

7.62%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

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

$20.3K ₹1.9M

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

$38.97 ₹3,701

$33.57 ₹3,188

16.09%

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

$3.92 ₹373

$3.25 ₹308

20.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.01 ₹760

$10.35 ₹982

-22.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.53 ₹1,189

$26.76 ₹2,542

-53.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 ₹642

$2.16 ₹205

212.96%

Cinema Ticket

$2.50 ₹238

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

$89.4 ₹8,491

$52.8 ₹5,012

69.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,131 ₹202.4K

$701 ₹66.5K

204.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.32 ₹1,930

$12.41 ₹1,179

63.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.00 ₹1,614

$20.87 ₹1,981

-18.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.93 ₹3,412

$32.12 ₹3,050

11.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.04 ₹2,853

$31.56 ₹2,997

-4.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹17.0K

$112 ₹10.7K

59.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₹9,577

$79.4 ₹7,539

27.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 ₹47.1K

$231 ₹21.9K

114.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ₹29.3K

$183 ₹17.4K

68.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,068 ₹196.4K

$471 ₹44.7K

338.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$782 ₹74.3K

$256 ₹24.3K

205.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 ₹64.0K

$405 ₹38.5K

66.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.99

7.75

28.90%

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

Last update for Chennai (Madras): October 20, 2026

Last update for Hubli: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chennai (Madras)

$117 28.1%

Hubli

$102 * 26.6% 12.5% $15

Accommodation & Living

Chennai (Madras)

$101 24.3%

Hubli

$79 20.7% 21.3% $21

Eating Out

Chennai (Madras)

$69 16.5%

Hubli

$84 21.9% 22.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chennai (Madras)

$51 12.3%

Hubli

$47 12.3% 7.3% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chennai (Madras)

$46 11.2%

Hubli

$44 11.4% 6.1% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chennai (Madras)

$18 4.2%

Hubli

$27 * 7% 52.7% $9.2

Getting Around

Chennai (Madras)

$14 3.5%

Hubli

$1.1 * 0.3% 92.5% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $179 in Chennai (Madras) versus $112 in Hubli. 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 66% higher in Chennai (Madras), 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 $12.00 in Chennai (Madras) versus $15.00 in Hubli. Groceries tell a different story – $117 in Chennai (Madras) vs $102 in Hubli – so Hubli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 Hubli

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

Same time as Chennai (Madras)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,681,087

500,000

💱 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

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Chennai (Madras) Hubli 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Chennai (Madras)
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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

Chennai (Madras) vs Hubli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chennai (Madras) costs about 8% more than Hubli, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $623 per month in Chennai (Madras) and $577 in Hubli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hubli, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $416 in Chennai (Madras) and $384 in Hubli. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $89.4 per month in Chennai (Madras) and $52.8 in Hubli. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $416 in Chennai (Madras) and $384 in Hubli, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hubli costs $384 versus $416 in Chennai (Madras). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Hubli. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chennai (Madras) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.