Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ernakulam and Mardan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ernakulam: $393 a month against $502 in Mardan, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Ernakulam
Learn more

Ernakulam Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Mardan
Learn more

Mardan Living Index

Jump to prices

Ernakulam

🇮🇳 India

$393

/mo nomad

Mardan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ernakulam and in Mardan

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

A single person spends $393 per month in Ernakulam vs $502 in Mardan, rent included.

Ernakulam $393
Mardan $502

A couple spends around $651 per month in Ernakulam vs $788 in Mardan, rent included.

Ernakulam $651
Mardan $788

A family of three spends $909 per month in Ernakulam vs $1,074 in Mardan, rent included.

Ernakulam $909
Mardan $1,074

Ernakulam is about 22% cheaper than Mardan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ernakulam and Mardan are more affordable than the global median – Ernakulam 71% lower, Mardan 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 ₹162

$3.53 PKR 978

-51.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.18 ₹779

$23.47 PKR 6,495

-65.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 ₹347

$5.44 PKR 1,504

-32.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 PKR 1,014

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 PKR 1,872

Cappuccino

$1.29 ₹123

$2.55 PKR 705

-49.41%

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

$0.39 ₹37.58

$0.34 PKR 94.7

14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.55

$0.23 PKR 63.9

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹154

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹202

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$0.90 PKR 250

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.41

$0.78 PKR 216

-35.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹59.6

$1.29 PKR 358

-51.16%

Eggs

$0.90 ₹86.1

$1.22 PKR 337

-26.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 ₹526

$2.93 PKR 811

88.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 ₹268

$3.17 PKR 878

-11.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.72 PKR 1,029

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₹214

$0.87 PKR 240

158.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.3

$0.73 PKR 203

-4.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₹101

$1.03 PKR 286

2.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹43.14

$0.35 PKR 96.6

28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.21

$0.27 PKR 74.2

40.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.43

$0.38 PKR 106

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ₹53.6

$0.28 PKR 77.2

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.40

$0.35 PKR 96.0

-17.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.79 PKR 496

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 PKR 642

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 ₹431

$1.84 PKR 508

145.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 ₹512

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₹161

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 ₹239

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

$5.07 ₹483

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 ₹9.20

$0.20 PKR 54.5

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.24 ₹595

$10.72 PKR 2,966

-41.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₹126

$1.27 PKR 352

4.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.72

$0.69 PKR 190

-52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₹128

$1.60 PKR 442

-16.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.05 PKR 292

3.81%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$21.8K PKR 6.0M

-49.01%

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

$27.1K ₹2.6M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

14.89%

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

$32.90 ₹3,133

$104 PKR 28.7K

-68.24%

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

$3.28 ₹312

$6.02 PKR 1,666

-45.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.63 ₹631

$16.99 PKR 4,702

-60.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.20 ₹1,162

$12.89 PKR 3,566

-5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.04 ₹861

$8.04 PKR 2,223

12.44%

Cinema Ticket

$2.16 ₹206

$4.89 PKR 1,353

-55.83%

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

$56.8 ₹5,407

$42.07 PKR 11.6K

34.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,068 ₹196.9K

$1,058 PKR 292.8K

95.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.73 ₹2,069

$25.98 PKR 7,189

-16.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.36 ₹1,653

$34.63 PKR 9,583

-49.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.23 ₹3,450

$96.3 PKR 26.7K

-62.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.47 ₹2,615

$40.12 PKR 11.1K

-31.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ₹21.5K

$134 PKR 37.1K

68.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 ₹11.5K

$86.0 PKR 23.8K

40.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 ₹39.5K

$264 PKR 73.1K

57.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₹31.4K

$182 PKR 50.3K

81.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,084 ₹103.2K

$865 PKR 239.3K

25.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,184 ₹112.7K

$578 PKR 159.9K

104.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 ₹33.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

13.08

-27.37%

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

Last update for Ernakulam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mardan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ernakulam

$121 30.8%

Mardan

$86 17.1% 28.8% $35

Groceries & Markets

Ernakulam

$102 26%

Mardan

$84 16.8% 17.5% $18

Eating Out

Ernakulam

$54 13.9%

Mardan

$77 15.4% 42.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ernakulam

$46 11.8%

Mardan

$89 17.7% 91.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ernakulam

$43 10.9%

Mardan

$127 25.2% 196% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Ernakulam

$17 4.2%

Mardan

$23 4.5% 37.2% $6.2

Getting Around

Ernakulam

$9.6 2.5%

Mardan

$16 3.2% 68.6% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Ernakulam versus $134 in Mardan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Ernakulam versus $23 in Mardan. Groceries tell a different story – $102 in Ernakulam vs $84 in Mardan – so Mardan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Ernakulam

🇵🇰 Mardan

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

03:12 3:12 AM

30 min behind Ernakulam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

612,343

358,604

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ernakulam Mardan 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ernakulam
Mardan

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

Ernakulam vs Mardan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mardan is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $589 per month in Ernakulam and $753 in Mardan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mardan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $226 in Ernakulam.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $393 in Ernakulam and $502 in Mardan. That makes Ernakulam about 22% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Ernakulam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $393 in Ernakulam and $502 in Mardan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Ernakulam has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $393 in Ernakulam to $502 in Mardan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.