Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hyderabad and Karnal

For one person, living is cheaper in Karnal: $340 a month against $491 in Hyderabad, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Hyderabad
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Hyderabad Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Karnal
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Karnal Living Index

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Hyderabad

🇮🇳 India

$491

/mo nomad

Karnal

🇮🇳 India

$340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hyderabad and in Karnal

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

A single person spends $491 per month in Hyderabad vs $340 in Karnal, rent included.

Hyderabad $491
Karnal $340

A couple spends around $809 per month in Hyderabad vs $546 in Karnal, rent included.

Hyderabad $809
Karnal $546

A family of three spends $1,127 per month in Hyderabad vs $752 in Karnal, rent included.

Hyderabad $1,127
Karnal $752

Hyderabad costs about 45% more than Karnal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hyderabad and Karnal are more affordable than the global median – Hyderabad 64% lower, Karnal 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ₹245

$1.60 ₹152

61.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.95 ₹1,515

$10.34 ₹982

54.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ₹484

$1.97 ₹187

158.88%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₹216

$1.62 ₹154

40.12%

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

$0.45 ₹42.44

$0.37 ₹35.22

21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.09

$0.10 ₹9.29

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ₹201

$1.33 ₹127

59.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 ₹407

$2.30 ₹218

86.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 ₹79.0

$0.56 ₹52.9

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 ₹55.5

$0.51 ₹48.83

13.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.1

$0.73 ₹68.9

-4.11%

Eggs

$0.99 ₹94.3

$0.87 ₹82.4

13.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 ₹674

$4.97 ₹472

42.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 ₹321

$3.40 ₹322

-0.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ₹222

$2.21 ₹210

5.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ₹65.0

$0.60 ₹57.3

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 ₹109

$1.19 ₹113

-4.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.44 ₹42.05

$0.35 ₹33.59

25.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 ₹40.36

$0.27 ₹25.40

59.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹37.47

$0.27 ₹25.59

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 ₹48.66

$0.62 ₹58.4

-17.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.82

$0.29 ₹27.57

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₹492

$3.52 ₹334

47.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 ₹795

$9.13 ₹867

-8.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ₹173

$1.22 ₹116

49.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₹259

$1.64 ₹156

65.85%

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

$6.16 ₹584

$6.47 ₹615

-4.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹51.4

$0.16 ₹15.03

237.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.95 ₹1,419

$16.79 ₹1,595

-10.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 ₹87.0

$0.33 ₹31.57

178.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 ₹52.1

$0.12 ₹11.81

358.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₹113

$1.54 ₹147

-22.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹106

$0.98 ₹92.8

14.29%

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

$11.4K ₹1.1M

$7,976 ₹757.3K

42.74%

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

$22.7K ₹2.2M

$12.6K ₹1.2M

79.59%

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

$35.06 ₹3,329

$43.12 ₹4,095

-18.69%

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

$4.30 ₹408

$2.69 ₹255

59.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.89 ₹749

$5.74 ₹545

37.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.12 ₹2,290

$13.19 ₹1,252

82.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ₹706

$4.30 ₹409

72.79%

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 ₹291

$2.69 ₹255

14.13%

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

$145 ₹13.8K

$26.12 ₹2,480

455.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,836 ₹269.2K

$642 ₹61.0K

341.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.57 ₹2,049

$12.39 ₹1,176

74.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.03 ₹1,997

$28.11 ₹2,669

-25.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.00 ₹3,988

$47.10 ₹4,472

-10.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.78 ₹3,303

$22.36 ₹2,123

55.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 ₹21.9K

$66.5 ₹6,316

247.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 ₹12.6K

$45.12 ₹4,284

194.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₹59.3K

$183 ₹17.4K

241.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$339 ₹32.2K

$131 ₹12.4K

159.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,354 ₹128.5K

$1,179 ₹111.9K

14.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$776 ₹73.7K

$372 ₹35.3K

108.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,260 ₹119.6K

$444 ₹42.2K

183.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.55

8.58

-0.35%

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

Last update for Hyderabad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karnal: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hyderabad

$133 27.1%

Karnal

$45 13.3% 66.1% $88

Groceries & Markets

Hyderabad

$121 24.7%

Karnal

$105 31% 13.1% $16

Eating Out

Hyderabad

$85 17.3%

Karnal

$51 15.1% 39.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Hyderabad

$54 10.9%

Karnal

$49 14.6% 7.9% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hyderabad

$47 9.6%

Karnal

$52 15.2% 9.1% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Hyderabad

$30 6.2%

Karnal

$19 5.5% 38.7% $12

Getting Around

Hyderabad

$21 4.2%

Karnal

$18 5.4% 11.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $231 in Hyderabad versus $67 in Karnal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hyderabad are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Hyderabad versus $10 in Karnal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $121 vs $105 – making Karnal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Hyderabad

🇮🇳 Karnal

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

Same time as Hyderabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,809,970

286,974

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Hyderabad Karnal 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hyderabad
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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

Hyderabad vs Karnal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hyderabad costs about 45% more than Karnal, 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 $736 per month in Hyderabad and $509 in Karnal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karnal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $67 there versus $231 in Hyderabad.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Hyderabad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $145 per month in Hyderabad and $26 in Karnal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $491 in Hyderabad and $340 in Karnal, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Karnal – 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 Karnal. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hyderabad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.