Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chandigarh

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $428 a month against $471 in Chandigarh, rent and utilities included – about $520 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Chandigarh
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Chandigarh Living Index

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Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$428

/mo nomad

Chandigarh

🇮🇳 India

$471

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $471 in Chandigarh.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $428
Chandigarh $471

Estimated couple costs with rent: $676 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $760 in Chandigarh.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $676
Chandigarh $760

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $924 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $1,049 in Chandigarh.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $924
Chandigarh $1,049

Living in Kolkata (Calcutta) costs roughly 9% less than in Chandigarh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kolkata (Calcutta) 68% lower, Chandigarh 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.10 ₹200

$3.10 ₹294

-32.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.69 ₹1,395

$13.56 ₹1,288

8.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 ₹406

$4.08 ₹387

4.90%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₹156

$2.72 ₹259

-39.71%

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

$0.45 ₹42.81

$0.43 ₹41.05

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹12.23

$0.23 ₹21.71

-43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ₹184

$2.03 ₹193

-4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₹305

$3.11 ₹295

3.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹67.6

$0.71 ₹67.4

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 ₹44.41

$0.54 ₹51.5

-12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.9

$0.88 ₹83.5

-20.45%

Eggs

$1.04 ₹98.6

$0.92 ₹87.7

13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₹494

$5.07 ₹481

2.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.06 ₹291

$2.84 ₹270

7.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ₹227

$1.64 ₹156

45.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 ₹78.8

$0.71 ₹67.3

16.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ₹140

$1.07 ₹102

37.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 ₹58.8

$0.68 ₹64.6

-8.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.62

$0.28 ₹26.53

7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₹42.10

$0.30 ₹28.89

46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 ₹32.68

$0.66 ₹62.7

-48.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.62

$0.32 ₹30.81

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₹486

$4.91 ₹466

4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.30 ₹979

$11.48 ₹1,090

-10.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₹174

$1.71 ₹162

7.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹267

$2.78 ₹264

1.08%

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

$6.57 ₹624

$6.61 ₹627

-0.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₹15.06

$0.30 ₹28.16

-46.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.13 ₹297

$3.59 ₹341

-12.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₹62.3

$1.08 ₹102

-38.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₹30.52

$0.23 ₹21.80

39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$1.64 ₹155

-1.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$1.13 ₹107

-1.77%

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

$15.9K ₹1.5M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

28.31%

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

$22.5K ₹2.1M

$24.6K ₹2.3M

-8.19%

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

$52.9 ₹5,021

$37.66 ₹3,576

40.39%

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

$4.97 ₹472

$4.04 ₹384

23.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.30 ₹693

$6.49 ₹616

12.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.66 ₹1,487

$20.70 ₹1,965

-24.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.55 ₹1,097

$8.11 ₹770

42.42%

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 ₹325

$3.11 ₹295

9.97%

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

$47.35 ₹4,497

$58.6 ₹5,561

-19.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,072 ₹196.7K

$2,454 ₹233.1K

-15.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.13 ₹2,576

$27.27 ₹2,589

-0.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.58 ₹2,524

$24.64 ₹2,340

7.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.20 ₹3,343

$57.7 ₹5,477

-38.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.34 ₹2,691

$44.07 ₹4,185

-35.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ₹14.5K

$166 ₹15.8K

-8.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.3 ₹9,143

$117 ₹11.1K

-17.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₹37.3K

$465 ₹44.2K

-15.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 ₹20.1K

$285 ₹27.1K

-25.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,115 ₹105.9K

$3,052 ₹289.8K

-63.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$597 ₹56.7K

$1,786 ₹169.6K

-66.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$392 ₹37.2K

$432 ₹41.1K

-9.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.04

13.00%

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

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 10, 2026

Last update for Chandigarh: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$117 27.4%

Chandigarh

$114 24.3% 2.7% $3.1

Accommodation & Living

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$96 22.5%

Chandigarh

$117 24.8% 21.4% $21

Eating Out

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$68 15.8%

Chandigarh

$89 18.8% 30.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15.2%

Chandigarh

$48 10.2% 26% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$53 12.3%

Chandigarh

$69 14.7% 31.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$23 5.3%

Chandigarh

$27 5.7% 19.6% $4.4

Getting Around

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6 1.4%

Chandigarh

$7 1.5% 16.1% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Kolkata (Calcutta) and $166 in Chandigarh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chandigarh pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Kolkata (Calcutta) vs $14.00 in Chandigarh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $118 vs $114 per month, with Chandigarh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 Chandigarh

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

Same time as Kolkata (Calcutta)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,486,679

1,028,667

💱 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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Kolkata (Calcutta) Chandigarh 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Kolkata (Calcutta)
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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

Kolkata (Calcutta) vs Chandigarh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolkata (Calcutta) wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Chandigarh. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kolkata (Calcutta) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Chandigarh. 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: $152 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $166 in Chandigarh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kolkata (Calcutta) runs roughly 15% less than in Chandigarh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $47.35 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $58.6 in Chandigarh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Kolkata (Calcutta) 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.

Safety-wise, Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chandigarh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kolkata (Calcutta) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Chandigarh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.