Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chennai (Madras) and Visakhapatnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Visakhapatnam: $375 a month against $414 in Chennai (Madras), rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chennai (Madras) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

20

Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
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Chennai (Madras) Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Visakhapatnam
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Visakhapatnam Living Index

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Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$414

/mo nomad

Visakhapatnam

🇮🇳 India

$375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Visakhapatnam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $414 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $375 in Visakhapatnam, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $414
Visakhapatnam $375

A couple spends around $693 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $588 in Visakhapatnam, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $693
Visakhapatnam $588

A family of three spends $973 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $802 in Visakhapatnam, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $973
Visakhapatnam $802

Chennai (Madras) costs about 10% more than Visakhapatnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ₹196

$2.10 ₹199

-1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.41 ₹1,179

$8.27 ₹785

50.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.25 ₹404

$4.56 ₹433

-6.80%

Cappuccino

$1.81 ₹172

$1.68 ₹159

7.74%

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

$0.36 ₹34.57

$0.30 ₹28.34

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₹16.64

$0.09 ₹8.08

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 ₹148

$2.15 ₹204

-27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ₹289

$3.04 ₹289

0.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.56 ₹53.4

$0.73 ₹69.7

-23.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 ₹51.6

$0.52 ₹49.71

3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.2

$0.61 ₹57.7

21.31%

Eggs

$0.82 ₹77.9

$0.82 ₹77.8

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.06 ₹575

$5.67 ₹538

6.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 ₹307

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 ₹275

$2.53 ₹240

14.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 ₹76.2

$0.66 ₹62.4

21.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ₹133

$1.02 ₹96.7

37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.43 ₹40.70

$0.39 ₹37.35

10.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.42

$0.38 ₹36.21

18.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ₹40.45

$0.38 ₹36.19

13.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ₹49.61

$0.55 ₹52.6

-5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.44

$0.32 ₹30.63

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 ₹488

$4.47 ₹425

14.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ₹714

$9.06 ₹860

-17.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₹176

$1.63 ₹155

13.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₹254

$3.22 ₹305

-16.77%

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

$6.78 ₹644

$4.43 ₹421

53.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₹28.41

$0.20 ₹18.99

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.31 ₹979

$13.54 ₹1,286

-23.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.04 ₹98.5

2.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₹30.55

$0.17 ₹16.03

88.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₹204

$2.66 ₹253

-19.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.13 ₹107

-3.54%

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

$15.5K ₹1.5M

$13.3K ₹1.3M

16.16%

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

$19.7K ₹1.9M

$21.7K ₹2.1M

-9.35%

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

$38.87 ₹3,691

$33.19 ₹3,152

17.11%

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

$4.07 ₹387

$3.50 ₹332

16.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.93 ₹753

$5.25 ₹499

51.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.80 ₹1,216

$17.97 ₹1,706

-28.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.83 ₹648

$6.41 ₹609

6.55%

Cinema Ticket

$2.56 ₹243

$2.59 ₹246

-1.16%

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

$86.7 ₹8,229

$49.93 ₹4,742

73.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,119 ₹201.2K

$1,566 ₹148.7K

35.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.39 ₹1,936

$22.87 ₹2,171

-10.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.65 ₹1,581

$21.16 ₹2,009

-21.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.60 ₹3,381

$29.75 ₹2,825

19.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.60 ₹2,906

$30.97 ₹2,941

-1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$181 ₹17.2K

$147 ₹14.0K

23.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₹9,611

$62.5 ₹5,937

61.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₹48.0K

$357 ₹33.9K

41.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 ₹28.5K

$146 ₹13.8K

105.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,083 ₹197.8K

$925 ₹87.8K

125.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$797 ₹75.6K

$470 ₹44.6K

69.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ₹62.1K

$351 ₹33.3K

86.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.99

8.58

16.43%

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

Last update for Chennai (Madras): October 11, 2026

Last update for Visakhapatnam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chennai (Madras)

$116 28%

Visakhapatnam

$115 30.6% 1% $1.2

Accommodation & Living

Chennai (Madras)

$101 24.5%

Visakhapatnam

$63 16.7% 38.2% $39

Eating Out

Chennai (Madras)

$67 16.2%

Visakhapatnam

$69 18.4% 2.9% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chennai (Madras)

$51 12.3%

Visakhapatnam

$42 11.2% 17.5% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chennai (Madras)

$46 11.2%

Visakhapatnam

$47 12.6% 1.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chennai (Madras)

$18 4.3%

Visakhapatnam

$23 6.2% 29.2% $5.2

Getting Around

Chennai (Madras)

$14 3.4%

Visakhapatnam

$16 4.3% 14.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $181 in Chennai (Madras) versus $147 in Visakhapatnam. 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 86% 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 $8.00 in Visakhapatnam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $116 vs $115 – making Visakhapatnam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 Visakhapatnam

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

Same time as Chennai (Madras)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,681,087

2,526,000

💱 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) Visakhapatnam 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Chennai (Madras)
Visakhapatnam

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 Visakhapatnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chennai (Madras) costs about 10% more than Visakhapatnam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $620 per month in Chennai (Madras) and $562 in Visakhapatnam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Visakhapatnam, 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 $414 in Chennai (Madras) and $375 in Visakhapatnam. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Visakhapatnam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $414 in Chennai (Madras) and $375 in Visakhapatnam, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Visakhapatnam costs $375 versus $414 in Chennai (Madras). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Visakhapatnam. 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.