Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanpur and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $345 in Kanpur, rent and utilities included – about $620 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Kanpur
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Kanpur Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index

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Kanpur

🇮🇳 India

$345

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kanpur and in Varanasi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $345 in Kanpur versus $293 in Varanasi.

Kanpur $345
Varanasi $293

Estimated couple costs with rent: $556 in Kanpur versus $483 in Varanasi.

Kanpur $556
Varanasi $483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $768 in Kanpur versus $672 in Varanasi.

Kanpur $768
Varanasi $672

Living in Kanpur is roughly 18% more expensive than in Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kanpur 74% lower, Varanasi 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹203

$1.89 ₹179

13.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.39 ₹795

$8.02 ₹760

4.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.09 ₹293

$3.21 ₹304

-3.74%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹150

$1.65 ₹156

-3.64%

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

$0.29 ₹27.92

$0.41 ₹38.77

-29.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ₹9.13

$0.11 ₹10.11

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 ₹127

$1.62 ₹153

-17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₹254

$2.12 ₹201

26.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹64.5

$0.66 ₹62.7

3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₹41.63

$0.29 ₹27.25

51.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₹77.8

$0.54 ₹50.7

51.85%

Eggs

$0.87 ₹82.3

$0.83 ₹78.6

4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.70 ₹351

$3.28 ₹310

12.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.46 ₹233

$2.13 ₹202

15.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 ₹147

$1.43 ₹135

8.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 ₹56.5

$0.65 ₹61.3

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 ₹92.5

$0.89 ₹84.5

10.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.82

$0.35 ₹32.74

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ₹24.68

$0.26 ₹24.69

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.99

$0.24 ₹22.73

70.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 ₹48.10

$0.46 ₹43.31

10.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.19

$0.28 ₹26.59

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.71 ₹446

$3.20 ₹303

47.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 ₹697

$5.83 ₹553

26.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₹151

$1.61 ₹153

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₹235

$1.98 ₹187

25.25%

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

$6.46 ₹612

$4.24 ₹402

52.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ₹41.60

$0.55 ₹52.5

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.21 ₹588

$9.71 ₹920

-36.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 ₹67.6

$0.24 ₹22.72

195.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₹26.78

$0.12 ₹10.98

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹97.6

$1.04 ₹98.8

-0.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹106

$1.05 ₹99.9

6.67%

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

$11.4K ₹1.1M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

1.10%

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

$20.3K ₹1.9M

$22.2K ₹2.1M

-8.77%

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

$41.92 ₹3,971

$12.68 ₹1,202

230.60%

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

$3.14 ₹297

$3.63 ₹344

-13.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.28 ₹501

$6.84 ₹648

-22.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.58 ₹1,286

$12.72 ₹1,205

6.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.15 ₹583

Cinema Ticket

$3.23 ₹306

$2.91 ₹275

11.00%

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

$54.3 ₹5,147

$38.77 ₹3,673

40.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,319 ₹219.6K

$1,088 ₹103.1K

113.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.75 ₹2,440

$23.62 ₹2,238

9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ₹2,707

$25.11 ₹2,379

13.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.37 ₹3,445

$38.81 ₹3,676

-6.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.53 ₹1,471

$25.32 ₹2,398

-38.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$102 ₹9,623

$114 ₹10.8K

-10.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$64.0 ₹6,065

$46.99 ₹4,452

36.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 ₹27.7K

$200 ₹18.9K

46.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ₹17.3K

$140 ₹13.3K

30.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$857 ₹81.2K

$560 ₹53.0K

53.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$587 ₹55.6K

$340 ₹32.2K

72.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 ₹26.5K

$575 ₹54.4K

-51.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.55

8.53

0.23%

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

Last update for Kanpur: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kanpur

$94 27.2%

Varanasi

$82 28% 12.7% $12

Accommodation & Living

Kanpur

$64 18.6%

Varanasi

$47 16% 26.6% $17

Eating Out

Kanpur

$59 17.1%

Varanasi

$59 20.1% 0.2% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanpur

$50 14.6%

Varanasi

$23 7.9% 54% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Kanpur

$48 13.9%

Varanasi

$51 17.3% 6.2% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Kanpur

$20 5.8%

Varanasi

$19 6.3% 7.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Kanpur

$10 2.9%

Varanasi

$13 4.4% 26.4% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $102 in Kanpur and $114 in Varanasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varanasi pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8 in Kanpur vs $8 in Varanasi. Groceries flip the comparison at $94 vs $82, with Varanasi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kanpur

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

Same time as Kanpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,031

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Kanpur vs Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Kanpur. 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: $102 in Kanpur versus $114 in Varanasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $54 in Kanpur versus $39 in Varanasi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kanpur runs roughly 36% less than in Varanasi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Varanasi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.