Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chennai (Madras) and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Chennai (Madras): $435 a month against $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
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Chennai (Madras) Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index

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Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$435

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Mumbai (Bombay) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $435 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $435
Mumbai (Bombay) $813

A couple spends around $725 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $1,352 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $725
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352

A family of three spends $1,016 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $1,891 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $1,016
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891

Chennai (Madras) is about 47% cheaper than Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chennai (Madras) and Mumbai (Bombay) are more affordable than the global median – Chennai (Madras) 68% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₹194

$5.35 ₹508

-61.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.50 ₹1,189

$20.87 ₹1,985

-40.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.14 ₹394

$4.08 ₹388

1.47%

Cappuccino

$1.82 ₹173

$2.78 ₹264

-34.53%

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

$0.34 ₹31.92

$0.40 ₹38.30

-15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹16.20

$0.15 ₹14.44

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 ₹148

$2.64 ₹251

-41.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₹301

$4.25 ₹404

-25.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.59 ₹56.0

$0.74 ₹70.7

-20.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 ₹48.12

$0.54 ₹51.4

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.4

$0.78 ₹74.2

-11.54%

Eggs

$0.88 ₹84.0

$1.00 ₹95.2

-12.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.25 ₹594

$5.61 ₹534

11.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ₹297

$3.58 ₹340

-12.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 ₹265

$2.17 ₹206

28.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 ₹78.5

$0.69 ₹65.9

20.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ₹132

$1.21 ₹115

14.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.43 ₹40.72

$0.49 ₹46.41

-12.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ₹42.27

$0.33 ₹31.76

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.97

$0.37 ₹35.59

13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ₹51.8

$0.44 ₹41.85

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.47

$0.31 ₹29.69

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 ₹486

$5.00 ₹476

2.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.25 ₹690

$8.34 ₹793

-13.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹176

$1.99 ₹190

-6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹263

$3.12 ₹297

-11.54%

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

$6.71 ₹638

$6.01 ₹571

11.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₹31.77

$0.20 ₹18.98

65.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 ₹1,015

$6.90 ₹656

54.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹98.0

$0.31 ₹29.89

232.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.94

$0.31 ₹29.46

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ₹202

$1.61 ₹153

31.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹103

$1.10 ₹105

-0.91%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$15.6K ₹1.5M

-28.63%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$22.4K ₹2.1M

-10.29%

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

$38.28 ₹3,641

$61.9 ₹5,882

-38.11%

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

$3.96 ₹376

$4.52 ₹430

-12.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.75 ₹737

$8.97 ₹853

-13.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.18 ₹1,349

$37.11 ₹3,530

-61.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.64 ₹631

$14.11 ₹1,342

-52.94%

Cinema Ticket

$2.28 ₹217

$5.01 ₹476

-54.49%

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

$87.7 ₹8,344

$119 ₹11.3K

-26.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,110 ₹200.7K

$4,948 ₹470.6K

-57.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.99 ₹1,901

$36.37 ₹3,459

-45.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.11 ₹1,627

$38.71 ₹3,681

-55.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.44 ₹3,371

$54.7 ₹5,205

-35.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.77 ₹2,927

$48.03 ₹4,568

-35.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 ₹18.1K

$640 ₹60.8K

-70.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ₹11.7K

$372 ₹35.3K

-66.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₹54.8K

$2,093 ₹199.0K

-72.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$925 ₹87.9K

-62.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,864 ₹177.3K

$5,706 ₹542.6K

-67.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$798 ₹75.9K

$2,560 ₹243.5K

-68.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$662 ₹63.0K

$757 ₹72.0K

-12.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.99

8.29

20.51%

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

Last update for Chennai (Madras): October 26, 2026

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chennai (Madras)

$123 28.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7% 202% $249

Groceries & Markets

Chennai (Madras)

$115 26.5%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4% 1.7% $2

Eating Out

Chennai (Madras)

$67 15.4%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8% 68.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chennai (Madras)

$50 11.5%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3% 50.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chennai (Madras)

$46 10.7%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8% 72.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Chennai (Madras)

$19 4.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8% 152% $28

Getting Around

Chennai (Madras)

$15 3.4%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2% 34.3% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $190 in Chennai (Madras) versus $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). 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 14% higher in Mumbai (Bombay), 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 $13 in Chennai (Madras) versus $21 in Mumbai (Bombay). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $115 vs $117 – making Chennai (Madras) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

Same time as Chennai (Madras)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,681,087

12,442,373

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chennai (Madras) Mumbai (Bombay) 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chennai (Madras)
Mumbai (Bombay)

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

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

Mumbai (Bombay) costs about 87% more than Chennai (Madras), 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 $652 per month in Chennai (Madras) and $1,220 in Mumbai (Bombay). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chennai (Madras), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $190 there versus $640 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Monthly expenses with rent come to $435 in Chennai (Madras) and $813 in Mumbai (Bombay). That’s a gap of about 87%.

Kindergarten costs $88 per month in Chennai (Madras) and $119 in Mumbai (Bombay). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chennai (Madras), where all-in costs run around $435, than in Mumbai (Bombay) at $813. In Chennai (Madras) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mumbai (Bombay) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chennai (Madras) costs $435 versus $813 in Mumbai (Bombay). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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