Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Birgunj

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgunj: $354 a month against $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kolkata (Calcutta) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Birgunj
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Birgunj Living Index

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Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$434

/mo nomad

Birgunj

🇳🇵 Nepal

$354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Birgunj actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $354 in Birgunj.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $434
Birgunj $354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $691 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $576 in Birgunj.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $691
Birgunj $576

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $948 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $797 in Birgunj.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $948
Birgunj $797

Living in Kolkata (Calcutta) is roughly 22% more expensive than in Birgunj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kolkata (Calcutta) 68% lower, Birgunj 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 ₹198

$1.29 NPR 197

61.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.98 ₹1,326

$19.97 NPR 3,031

-29.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.15 ₹394

$7.17 NPR 1,088

-42.12%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ₹158

$1.53 NPR 232

8.50%

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

$0.45 ₹42.66

$0.56 NPR 84.4

-19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.11

$0.15 NPR 22.24

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 ₹185

$2.25 NPR 341

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ₹285

$3.37 NPR 512

-10.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹63.4

$0.63 NPR 95.9

6.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.50

$0.24 NPR 36.13

108.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.2

$0.60 NPR 91.7

23.33%

Eggs

$1.08 ₹102

$1.58 NPR 240

-31.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₹493

$7.28 NPR 1,105

-28.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 ₹285

$2.30 NPR 350

30.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.15 NPR 934

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ₹229

$2.00 NPR 304

21.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 ₹76.9

$0.95 NPR 144

-14.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₹129

$1.36 NPR 206

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ₹62.5

$0.56 NPR 84.3

17.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.64

$0.41 NPR 62.6

-26.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.80

$0.51 NPR 77.4

-7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 ₹28.99

$0.12 NPR 17.64

158.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.80

$0.22 NPR 33.92

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 ₹484

$1.62 NPR 246

214.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 ₹983

$8.06 NPR 1,223

28.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₹167

$2.22 NPR 337

-20.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₹267

$3.07 NPR 466

-8.14%

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

$7.01 ₹665

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₹16.65

$0.13 NPR 19.79

38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.12 ₹296

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₹76.7

$1.84 NPR 280

-55.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ₹29.18

$1.21 NPR 183

-74.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹152

$3.18 NPR 483

-49.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.09 NPR 166

0.92%

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

$13.1K ₹1.2M

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

-63.84%

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

$23.3K ₹2.2M

$36.2K NPR 5.5M

-35.72%

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

$52.5 ₹4,984

$31.67 NPR 4,808

65.84%

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

$5.16 ₹490

$3.32 NPR 504

55.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.36 ₹698

$9.24 NPR 1,403

-20.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.76 ₹1,495

$13.32 NPR 2,022

18.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.45 ₹1,087

Cinema Ticket

$3.19 ₹303

$1.93 NPR 293

65.28%

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

$43.26 ₹4,105

$67.5 NPR 10.3K

-35.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,997 ₹189.5K

$5,584 NPR 847.7K

-64.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.19 ₹2,580

$24.27 NPR 3,684

12.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.01 ₹2,468

$27.21 NPR 4,130

-4.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.95 ₹3,411

$26.11 NPR 3,964

37.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.01 ₹2,753

$16.21 NPR 2,460

78.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$167 ₹15.9K

$33.93 NPR 5,150

392.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 ₹9,796

$39.29 NPR 5,965

162.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 ₹37.2K

$123 NPR 18.7K

217.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ₹22.9K

$77.4 NPR 11.8K

211.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,097 ₹104.1K

$654 NPR 99.3K

67.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$612 ₹58.0K

$495 NPR 75.2K

23.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$379 ₹36.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.08

9.98

-9.02%

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

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 26, 2026

Last update for Birgunj: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$117 27%

Birgunj

$132 37.2% 12.9% $15

Accommodation & Living

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$103 23.8%

Birgunj

$39 11.1% 61.9% $64

Eating Out

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$67 15.5%

Birgunj

$71 20% 5.8% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15%

Birgunj

$44 12.5% 32% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$53 12.3%

Birgunj

$42 11.9% 20.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$22 5.1%

Birgunj

$17 4.9% 22.4% $5

Getting Around

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6.2 1.4%

Birgunj

$8.4 * 2.4% 36.1% $2.2

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 $167 in Kolkata (Calcutta) and $34 in Birgunj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14 in Kolkata (Calcutta) vs $20 in Birgunj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $117 vs $132 per month, with Kolkata (Calcutta) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇳🇵 Birgunj

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

15 min ahead of Kolkata (Calcutta)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,486,679

135,904

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 94.89 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kolkata (Calcutta) Birgunj 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kolkata (Calcutta)
Birgunj

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 Birgunj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgunj wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Birgunj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $651 in Kolkata (Calcutta) and $531 in Birgunj to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $167 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $34 in Birgunj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $43 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $68 in Birgunj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta) – a meal for two runs $14 versus $20 in Birgunj. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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.