Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Howrah and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Howrah: $382 a month against $782 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Howrah
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Howrah Living Index
38

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

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Howrah

🇮🇳 India

$382

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $382 in Howrah versus $782 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Howrah $382
Mumbai (Bombay) $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $505 in Howrah versus $1,299 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Howrah $505
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $628 in Howrah versus $1,816 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Howrah $628
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,816

Living in Howrah costs roughly 51% less than in Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Howrah 72% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₹202

$5.38 ₹511

-60.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.29 ₹882

$20.76 ₹1,971

-55.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 ₹400

$4.19 ₹398

0.48%

Cappuccino

$1.43 ₹136

$2.74 ₹260

-47.81%

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

$0.48 ₹46.02

$0.41 ₹38.77

17.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.05

$0.16 ₹15.04

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 ₹151

$2.59 ₹246

-38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ₹307

$4.17 ₹396

-22.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹56.6

$0.75 ₹71.2

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 ₹40.82

$0.53 ₹50.5

-18.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.0

$0.73 ₹69.6

-2.74%

Eggs

$1.08 ₹103

$0.96 ₹91.4

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 ₹512

$5.52 ₹524

-2.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.59 ₹246

$3.58 ₹340

-27.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₹206

$2.14 ₹203

1.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ₹80.7

$0.69 ₹65.5

23.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 ₹134

$1.23 ₹116

14.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 ₹58.6

$0.46 ₹43.77

34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.29

$0.36 ₹34.24

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.93

$0.39 ₹37.12

5.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 ₹32.55

$0.40 ₹38.05

-15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₹24.53

$0.31 ₹29.46

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.88 ₹463

$5.10 ₹485

-4.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 ₹1,009

$8.12 ₹771

30.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₹133

$1.95 ₹185

-28.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₹258

$3.18 ₹302

-14.47%

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

$8.58 ₹815

$6.17 ₹586

39.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₹15.20

$0.20 ₹18.99

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 ₹512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 ₹57.2

$0.31 ₹29.39

93.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹30.90

$0.29 ₹28.01

13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 ₹152

$1.59 ₹151

0.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.10 ₹104

-2.73%

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

$15.6K ₹1.5M

$15.9K ₹1.5M

-1.63%

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

$20.0K ₹1.9M

$22.7K ₹2.2M

-11.91%

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

$44.85 ₹4,259

$61.6 ₹5,846

-27.14%

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

$3.37 ₹320

$4.25 ₹404

-20.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.41 ₹609

$9.01 ₹855

-28.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.87 ₹1,317

$27.24 ₹2,587

-49.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.31 ₹1,264

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₹294

$4.38 ₹416

-29.45%

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

$26.25 ₹2,493

$116 ₹11.0K

-77.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,264 ₹120.1K

$4,968 ₹471.7K

-74.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.57 ₹2,523

$37.16 ₹3,529

-28.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.65 ₹2,436

$39.88 ₹3,787

-35.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.19 ₹3,341

$55.9 ₹5,307

-37.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.40 ₹2,697

$48.19 ₹4,576

-41.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 ₹10.7K

$611 ₹58.0K

-81.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.7 ₹7,379

$354 ₹33.6K

-78.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 ₹173.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$877 ₹83.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,877 ₹558.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,448 ₹232.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$354 ₹33.7K

$758 ₹72.0K

-53.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.04

8.29

9.05%

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

Last update for Howrah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Howrah

$111 29.1%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$116 14.8% 4.1% $4.5

Accommodation & Living

Howrah

$78 20.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$354 45.3% 356% $277

Eating Out

Howrah

$64 16.7%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 14.3% 76.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Howrah

$55 14.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.6% 37% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Howrah

$52 13.6%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$82 10.4% 56.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Howrah

$20 5.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$36 4.6% 79.5% $16

Getting Around

Howrah

$2.9 * 0.8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8 1% 178% $5.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $113 in Howrah and $611 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 114% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $9.00 in Howrah vs $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $111 vs $116 per month, with Howrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Howrah

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

Same time as Howrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,072,161

12,442,373

💱 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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Howrah Mumbai (Bombay) 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

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

Howrah wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Howrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 114% lower in Mumbai (Bombay). That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $113 in Howrah versus $611 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $26.25 in Howrah versus $116 in Mumbai (Bombay). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howrah – a meal for two runs $9.00 versus $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Howrah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Howrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $382 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Howrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Howrah and Mumbai (Bombay) are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Howrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Mumbai (Bombay). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.