Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Amritsar

For one person, living costs are similar in Kolkata (Calcutta) and in Amritsar: $436 and $426 a month, rent and utilities included.

Kolkata (Calcutta), India
Amritsar, India
Kolkata (Calcutta)
🇮🇳 India
$436
/mo nomad
Amritsar
🇮🇳 India
$426
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kolkata (Calcutta) and in Amritsar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $436 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $426 in Amritsar.

  • Kolkata (Calcutta) $436
  • Amritsar $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $692 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $682 in Amritsar.

  • Kolkata (Calcutta) $692
  • Amritsar $682

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $948 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $938 in Amritsar.

  • Kolkata (Calcutta) $948
  • Amritsar $938

Monthly costs are close between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Amritsar; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kolkata (Calcutta) 68% lower, Amritsar 68% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.16 ₹204
$2.14 ₹202
0.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.07 ₹1,329
$8.59 ₹811
63.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.15 ₹392
$3.44 ₹325
20.64%
Cappuccino
$1.69 ₹159
$1.91 ₹180
-11.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ₹41.85
$0.41 ₹38.61
7.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 ₹12.73
$0.20 ₹18.85
-35.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.85 ₹174
$1.57 ₹148
17.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 ₹283
$3.14 ₹297
-4.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.72 ₹67.6
$0.70 ₹66.0
2.86%
White Bread (500g)
$0.46 ₹43.15
$0.52 ₹48.82
-11.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 ₹68.4
$0.84 ₹79.1
-14.29%
Eggs
$1.06 ₹99.8
$0.89 ₹84.0
19.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.09 ₹576
$4.30 ₹406
41.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.05 ₹288
$2.87 ₹271
6.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.51 ₹237
$1.67 ₹158
50.30%
Banana (1kg)
$0.82 ₹77.3
$0.76 ₹71.8
7.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.42 ₹134
$0.59 ₹55.6
140.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.66 ₹62.2
$0.45 ₹42.13
46.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.29 ₹27.07
$0.28 ₹26.03
3.57%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 ₹44.53
$0.34 ₹32.25
38.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.30 ₹27.92
$0.30 ₹28.76
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.26 ₹24.24
$0.31 ₹28.90
-16.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.96 ₹469
$5.06 ₹478
-1.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.53 ₹994
$11.43 ₹1,080
-7.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₹165
$1.72 ₹163
1.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 ₹265
$2.66 ₹251
5.64%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$7.06 ₹667
$5.47 ₹517
29.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.16 ₹14.77
$0.36 ₹33.69
-55.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$3.21 ₹304
$20.90 ₹1,974
-84.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.59 ₹56.1
$0.99 ₹93.3
-40.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 ₹29.20
$0.22 ₹20.80
40.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.69 ₹159
$1.62 ₹153
4.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 ₹106
$1.13 ₹107
-0.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$13.4K ₹1.3M
$11.5K ₹1.1M
17.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K ₹2.1M
$25.6K ₹2.4M
-11.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.1 ₹4,830
$37.84 ₹3,575
35.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.70 ₹444
$3.10 ₹293
51.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.51 ₹710
$6.89 ₹651
9.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$14.88 ₹1,406
$29.51 ₹2,788
-49.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.41 ₹1,173
$5.22 ₹493
137.74%
Cinema Ticket
$3.10 ₹293
$3.12 ₹295
-0.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$42.62 ₹4,026
$38.75 ₹3,661
9.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,792 ₹358.3K
$1,606 ₹151.7K
136.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.85 ₹2,348
$27.84 ₹2,630
-10.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.78 ₹2,435
$24.92 ₹2,354
3.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$33.96 ₹3,208
$53.7 ₹5,069
-36.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.91 ₹2,637
$43.63 ₹4,122
-36.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$174 ₹16.4K
$121 ₹11.5K
42.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$107 ₹10.1K
$76.9 ₹7,263
39.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$416 ₹39.3K
$288 ₹27.2K
44.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ₹22.8K
$214 ₹20.2K
12.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,072 ₹101.3K
$1,141 ₹107.8K
-6.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$623 ₹58.9K
$808 ₹76.4K
-22.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Amritsar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$365 ₹34.5K
$387 ₹36.6K
-5.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9
8
12.50%

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

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): November 1, 2026

Last update for Amritsar: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$120
Amritsar
$107 11.1% $13
Accommodation & Living
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$107
Amritsar
$77 28.3% $30
Eating Out
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$68
Amritsar
$67 0.9% $0.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$63
Amritsar
$48 24.5% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$51
Amritsar
$68 33.4% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$21
Amritsar
$36 69.5% $15
Getting Around
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$6
Amritsar
$24 308% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $174 in Kolkata (Calcutta) and $121 in Amritsar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amritsar pays 6% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $14 in Kolkata (Calcutta) vs $9 in Amritsar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $120 vs $107 per month, with Amritsar cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)
🇮🇳 Amritsar
🕒 Local time
20:53 8:53 PM
20:53 8:53 PM
Same time as Kolkata (Calcutta)
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,486,679
1,132,761
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kolkata (Calcutta) Amritsar 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kolkata (Calcutta)
  • Amritsar

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
Kolkata (Calcutta) vs Amritsar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Are salaries higher in Kolkata (Calcutta) or in Amritsar?
On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Kolkata (Calcutta). That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Kolkata (Calcutta) compared to Amritsar?
Rent for a central apartment: $174 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $121 in Amritsar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Kolkata (Calcutta) compared to Amritsar?
A monthly transit pass in Kolkata (Calcutta) runs roughly 85% less than in Amritsar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Are groceries more expensive in Kolkata (Calcutta) or in Amritsar?
Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Kolkata (Calcutta). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $800/month in Kolkata (Calcutta) or in Amritsar?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Amritsar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Kolkata (Calcutta) or Amritsar?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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