Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ernakulam and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Ernakulam: $393 a month against $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Ernakulam
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Ernakulam Living Index
39

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

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Ernakulam

🇮🇳 India

$393

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ernakulam 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 Ernakulam and in Mumbai (Bombay) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $393 per month in Ernakulam vs $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Ernakulam $393
Mumbai (Bombay) $813

A couple spends around $651 per month in Ernakulam vs $1,352 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Ernakulam $651
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352

A family of three spends $909 per month in Ernakulam vs $1,891 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent included.

Ernakulam $909
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891

Ernakulam is about 52% cheaper than Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ernakulam and Mumbai (Bombay) are more affordable than the global median – Ernakulam 71% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.70 ₹162

$5.35 ₹509

-68.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.18 ₹779

$20.87 ₹1,988

-60.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 ₹347

$4.08 ₹388

-10.54%

Cappuccino

$1.29 ₹123

$2.78 ₹264

-53.60%

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

$0.39 ₹37.58

$0.40 ₹38.34

-2.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.55

$0.15 ₹14.46

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹154

$2.64 ₹252

-38.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹202

$4.25 ₹405

-50.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$0.74 ₹70.7

-14.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.41

$0.54 ₹51.5

-7.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹59.6

$0.78 ₹74.3

-19.23%

Eggs

$0.90 ₹86.1

$1.00 ₹95.3

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 ₹526

$5.61 ₹534

-1.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 ₹268

$3.58 ₹341

-21.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₹214

$2.17 ₹206

3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.3

$0.69 ₹66.0

1.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₹101

$1.21 ₹115

-12.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹43.14

$0.49 ₹46.46

-8.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.21

$0.33 ₹31.80

15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.43

$0.37 ₹35.63

35.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ₹53.6

$0.44 ₹41.91

27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.40

$0.31 ₹29.73

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 ₹431

$5.00 ₹476

-9.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 ₹512

$8.34 ₹794

-35.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₹161

$1.99 ₹190

-15.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 ₹239

$3.12 ₹297

-19.87%

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

$5.07 ₹483

$6.01 ₹572

-15.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 ₹9.20

$0.20 ₹19.01

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.24 ₹595

$6.90 ₹657

-9.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₹126

$0.31 ₹29.93

329.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.72

$0.31 ₹29.50

6.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₹128

$1.61 ₹154

-16.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.10 ₹105

-0.91%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$15.6K ₹1.5M

-28.80%

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

$27.1K ₹2.6M

$22.4K ₹2.1M

20.90%

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

$32.90 ₹3,133

$61.9 ₹5,889

-46.81%

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

$3.28 ₹312

$4.52 ₹430

-27.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.63 ₹631

$8.97 ₹854

-26.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.20 ₹1,162

$37.11 ₹3,534

-67.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.04 ₹861

$14.11 ₹1,344

-35.93%

Cinema Ticket

$2.16 ₹206

$5.01 ₹477

-56.89%

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

$56.8 ₹5,407

$119 ₹11.3K

-52.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,068 ₹196.9K

$4,948 ₹471.1K

-58.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.73 ₹2,069

$36.37 ₹3,463

-40.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.36 ₹1,653

$38.71 ₹3,686

-55.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.23 ₹3,450

$54.7 ₹5,211

-33.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.47 ₹2,615

$48.03 ₹4,574

-42.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 ₹21.5K

$640 ₹60.9K

-64.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 ₹11.5K

$372 ₹35.4K

-67.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 ₹39.5K

$2,093 ₹199.3K

-80.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ₹31.4K

$925 ₹88.1K

-64.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,084 ₹103.2K

$5,706 ₹543.3K

-81.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,184 ₹112.7K

$2,560 ₹243.8K

-53.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 ₹33.3K

$757 ₹72.1K

-53.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

8.29

14.60%

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

Last update for Ernakulam: 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

Ernakulam

$121 30.8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7% 208% $251

Groceries & Markets

Ernakulam

$102 26%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4% 14.7% $15

Eating Out

Ernakulam

$54 13.9%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8% 106% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ernakulam

$46 11.8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8% 73% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ernakulam

$43 10.9%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3% 76% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ernakulam

$17 4.2%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8% 185% $31

Getting Around

Ernakulam

$9.6 2.5%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2% 0.6% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Ernakulam 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 in Mumbai (Bombay) are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Ernakulam versus $21 in Mumbai (Bombay). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $117 – making Ernakulam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Ernakulam

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

Same time as Ernakulam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

612,343

12,442,373

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ernakulam Mumbai (Bombay) 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Ernakulam
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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 Mumbai (Bombay): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mumbai (Bombay) is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $589 per month in Ernakulam 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 Ernakulam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $640 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Monthly expenses with rent come to $393 in Ernakulam and $813 in Mumbai (Bombay). That makes Ernakulam about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 10% 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 $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ernakulam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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