Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ghaziabad and Chennai (Madras)

For one person, living is cheaper in Chennai (Madras): $414 a month against $439 in Ghaziabad, rent and utilities included – about $300 less a year. The total is higher in Ghaziabad despite lower rent and utilities.

21

Cost of Living Index in Ghaziabad
Learn more

Ghaziabad Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
Learn more

Chennai (Madras) Living Index

Jump to prices

Ghaziabad

🇮🇳 India

$439

/mo nomad

Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $439 per month in Ghaziabad vs $414 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Ghaziabad $439
Chennai (Madras) $414

A couple spends around $677 per month in Ghaziabad vs $693 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Ghaziabad $677
Chennai (Madras) $693

A family of three spends $915 per month in Ghaziabad vs $973 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Ghaziabad $915
Chennai (Madras) $973

Ghaziabad costs about 6% more than Chennai (Madras), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ghaziabad and Chennai (Madras) are more affordable than the global median – Ghaziabad 67% lower, Chennai (Madras) 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.11 ₹296

$2.06 ₹196

50.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.14 ₹1,532

$12.41 ₹1,179

30.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.56 ₹338

$4.25 ₹404

-16.24%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₹176

$1.81 ₹172

2.21%

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

$0.45 ₹42.64

$0.36 ₹34.57

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₹17.12

$0.18 ₹16.64

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ₹221

$1.56 ₹148

48.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₹352

$3.05 ₹289

21.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹64.3

$0.56 ₹53.4

21.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 ₹46.82

$0.54 ₹51.6

-9.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₹83.0

$0.74 ₹70.2

17.57%

Eggs

$1.07 ₹102

$0.82 ₹77.9

30.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.72 ₹353

$6.06 ₹575

-38.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 ₹304

$3.23 ₹307

-0.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ₹140

$2.89 ₹275

-49.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.4

$0.80 ₹76.2

-13.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.2

$1.40 ₹133

-52.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹43.03

$0.43 ₹40.70

4.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.73

$0.45 ₹42.42

-28.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ₹45.73

$0.43 ₹40.45

11.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 ₹25.56

$0.52 ₹49.61

-48.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.09

$0.28 ₹26.44

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ₹361

$5.14 ₹488

-25.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 ₹1,085

$7.52 ₹714

51.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₹207

$1.85 ₹176

17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ₹436

$2.68 ₹254

71.27%

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

$5.90 ₹560

$6.78 ₹644

-12.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₹47.06

$0.30 ₹28.41

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.99 ₹1,518

$10.31 ₹979

55.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 ₹51.6

$1.07 ₹102

-49.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₹20.90

$0.32 ₹30.55

-31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₹179

$2.14 ₹204

-12.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.09 ₹104

-1.83%

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

$12.4K ₹1.2M

$15.5K ₹1.5M

-19.76%

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

$19.2K ₹1.8M

$19.7K ₹1.9M

-2.54%

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

$50.4 ₹4,782

$38.87 ₹3,691

29.56%

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

$3.22 ₹306

$4.07 ₹387

-20.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.12 ₹866

$7.93 ₹753

15.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.43 ₹1,560

$12.80 ₹1,216

28.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.90 ₹465

$6.83 ₹648

-28.26%

Cinema Ticket

$2.68 ₹254

$2.56 ₹243

4.69%

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

$83.4 ₹7,923

$86.7 ₹8,229

-3.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,557 ₹147.9K

$2,119 ₹201.2K

-26.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.29 ₹2,402

$20.39 ₹1,936

24.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.77 ₹2,257

$16.65 ₹1,581

42.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.56 ₹4,611

$35.60 ₹3,381

36.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.78 ₹2,828

$30.60 ₹2,906

-2.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$137 ₹13.0K

$181 ₹17.2K

-24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.8 ₹8,147

$101 ₹9,611

-15.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₹28.3K

$506 ₹48.0K

-41.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ₹15.6K

$300 ₹28.5K

-45.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,084 ₹103.0K

$2,083 ₹197.8K

-47.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$736 ₹69.9K

$797 ₹75.6K

-7.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$388 ₹36.9K

$654 ₹62.1K

-40.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.21

9.99

-7.81%

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

Last update for Ghaziabad: October 11, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ghaziabad

$113 25.6%

Chennai (Madras)

$116 28% 3% $3.3

Accommodation & Living

Ghaziabad

$86 19.5%

Chennai (Madras)

$101 24.5% 18% $15

Eating Out

Ghaziabad

$79 18.1%

Chennai (Madras)

$67 16.2% 15.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ghaziabad

$63 14.3%

Chennai (Madras)

$51 12.3% 18.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ghaziabad

$57 13.1%

Chennai (Madras)

$46 11.2% 19% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ghaziabad

$22 5%

Chennai (Madras)

$18 4.3% 17.8% $3.9

Getting Around

Ghaziabad

$20 4.5%

Chennai (Madras)

$14 3.4% 27.6% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $137 in Ghaziabad versus $181 in Chennai (Madras). 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 68% higher in Chennai (Madras), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Ghaziabad versus $12.00 in Chennai (Madras). Groceries tell a different story – $113 in Ghaziabad vs $116 in Chennai (Madras) – so Ghaziabad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Ghaziabad

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

Same time as Ghaziabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,729,000

4,681,087

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ghaziabad Chennai (Madras) 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ghaziabad
Chennai (Madras)

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

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

Ghaziabad costs about 6% 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 $659 per month in Ghaziabad and $620 in Chennai (Madras). 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $439 in Ghaziabad and $414 in Chennai (Madras). That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Chennai (Madras). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $439 in Ghaziabad and $414 in Chennai (Madras), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chennai (Madras) costs $414 versus $439 in Ghaziabad. 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, Ghaziabad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.