Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karnataka and Hyderabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Karnataka: $298 a month against $491 in Hyderabad, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Karnataka
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Karnataka Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Hyderabad
Learn more

Hyderabad Living Index

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Karnataka

🇮🇳 India

$298

/mo nomad

Hyderabad

🇮🇳 India

$491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karnataka and in Hyderabad

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

A single person spends $298 per month in Karnataka vs $491 in Hyderabad, rent included.

Karnataka $298
Hyderabad $491

A couple spends around $527 per month in Karnataka vs $806 in Hyderabad, rent included.

Karnataka $527
Hyderabad $806

A family of three spends $755 per month in Karnataka vs $1,121 in Hyderabad, rent included.

Karnataka $755
Hyderabad $1,121

Karnataka is about 39% cheaper than Hyderabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Karnataka and Hyderabad are more affordable than the global median – Karnataka 78% lower, Hyderabad 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.03 ₹97.5

$2.65 ₹251

-61.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.80 ₹1,026

$15.86 ₹1,506

-31.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.64 ₹345

$5.29 ₹502

-31.19%

Cappuccino

$0.95 ₹90.6

$2.31 ₹219

-58.87%

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

$0.45 ₹43.13

$0.46 ₹43.39

-2.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ₹19.65

$0.15 ₹14.46

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 ₹176

$2.04 ₹194

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹202

$4.27 ₹405

-50.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.52 ₹49.23

$0.83 ₹78.5

-37.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₹42.87

$0.57 ₹54.5

-21.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ₹75.0

$0.72 ₹68.5

9.72%

Eggs

$0.82 ₹77.5

$1.02 ₹96.9

-19.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.49 ₹521

$6.95 ₹660

-21.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ₹318

$3.31 ₹314

1.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 ₹165

$2.28 ₹216

-23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.93

$0.71 ₹67.0

-36.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 ₹81.8

$1.12 ₹106

-23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.39

$0.47 ₹44.19

-31.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.96

$0.39 ₹36.70

-12.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.92

$0.39 ₹36.70

2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 ₹23.64

$0.52 ₹49.52

-51.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.48

$0.30 ₹28.03

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 ₹240

$5.16 ₹490

-50.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.43 ₹420

$8.54 ₹811

-48.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₹168

$1.75 ₹166

1.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ₹220

$2.62 ₹249

-11.45%

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

$4.66 ₹442

$6.46 ₹614

-27.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.47

$0.50 ₹47.11

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.37 ₹985

$14.88 ₹1,413

-30.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 ₹47.10

$0.96 ₹91.3

-47.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.42

$0.53 ₹50.3

-43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ₹202

$1.13 ₹108

87.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₹90.5

$1.17 ₹111

-18.80%

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

$6,250 ₹593.5K

$15.3K ₹1.5M

-59.14%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$22.8K ₹2.2M

-45.30%

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

$17.84 ₹1,694

$35.47 ₹3,368

-49.70%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$4.20 ₹399

-14.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.18 ₹302

$7.92 ₹752

-59.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.24 ₹1,257

$24.75 ₹2,350

-46.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.38 ₹511

$7.27 ₹691

-26.00%

Cinema Ticket

$2.67 ₹254

$3.08 ₹293

-13.31%

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

$42.75 ₹4,060

$103 ₹9,768

-58.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,140 ₹108.3K

$2,753 ₹261.4K

-58.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.26 ₹1,734

$22.36 ₹2,123

-18.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.53 ₹1,759

$21.36 ₹2,028

-13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.3 ₹4,969

$43.24 ₹4,106

21.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.77 ₹1,972

$35.07 ₹3,331

-40.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$73.0 ₹6,932

$229 ₹21.7K

-68.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$51.4 ₹4,878

$132 ₹12.5K

-61.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 ₹21.9K

$614 ₹58.3K

-62.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 ₹19.1K

$332 ₹31.5K

-39.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$368 ₹35.0K

$1,349 ₹128.1K

-72.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$232 ₹22.0K

$766 ₹72.7K

-69.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 ₹49.8K

$1,209 ₹114.8K

-56.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.9

8.46

-6.62%

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

Last update for Karnataka: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hyderabad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Karnataka

$94 31.6%

Hyderabad

$119 24.3% 26.9% $25

Accommodation & Living

Karnataka

$51 17.2%

Hyderabad

$132 26.9% 157% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Karnataka

$49 16.6%

Hyderabad

$55 11.2% 11.1% $5.5

Eating Out

Karnataka

$47 15.7%

Hyderabad

$86 17.5% 83.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karnataka

$25 8.3%

Hyderabad

$48 9.7% 93.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Karnataka

$19 6.2%

Hyderabad

$31 6.3% 66.4% $12

Getting Around

Karnataka

$13 4.5%

Hyderabad

$20 4.2% 53.4% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $73.0 in Karnataka versus $229 in Hyderabad. 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 131% higher in Hyderabad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Karnataka versus $16.00 in Hyderabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $94.0 vs $119 – making Karnataka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Karnataka

🇮🇳 Hyderabad

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

Same time as Karnataka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,139

6,809,970

💱 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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Karnataka Hyderabad 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Karnataka
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Karnataka vs Hyderabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hyderabad costs about 65% more than Karnataka, 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 $447 per month in Karnataka and $737 in Hyderabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karnataka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Karnataka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $42.75 per month in Karnataka and $103 in Hyderabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $298 in Karnataka and $491 in Hyderabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Karnataka costs $298 versus $491 in Hyderabad. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Karnataka. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hyderabad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.