Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Mashhad

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $428 a month against $478 in Mashhad, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$428

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $428 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $478 in Mashhad.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $428
Mashhad $478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $676 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $769 in Mashhad.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $676
Mashhad $769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $924 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $1,060 in Mashhad.

Kolkata (Calcutta) $924
Mashhad $1,060

Living in Kolkata (Calcutta) costs roughly 11% less than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.10 ₹200

$2.94 $2.94

-28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.69 ₹1,395

$18.79 $18.79

-21.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 ₹406

$4.97 $4.97

-13.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.57 $0.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 $0.91

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₹156

$1.08 $1.08

51.85%

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

$0.45 ₹42.81

$0.43 $0.43

4.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹12.23

$0.26 $0.26

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ₹184

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₹305

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹67.6

$0.65 $0.65

9.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 ₹44.41

$0.21 $0.21

123.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.9

$1.93 $1.93

-63.73%

Eggs

$1.04 ₹98.6

$1.16 $1.16

-10.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₹494

$2.10 $2.10

147.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.06 ₹291

$2.75 $2.75

11.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.32 $10.32

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ₹227

$0.89 $0.89

168.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 ₹78.8

$1.55 $1.55

-46.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ₹140

$0.85 $0.85

72.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 ₹58.8

$0.58 $0.58

6.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.62

$0.49 $0.49

-38.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₹42.10

$0.44 $0.44

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 ₹32.68

$0.52 $0.52

-34.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.62

$0.29 $0.29

-3.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.93 $0.93

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 $0.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₹486

$3.05 $3.05

67.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.30 ₹979

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₹174

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹267

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

$6.57 ₹624

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₹15.06

$0.02 $0.02

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.13 ₹297

$3.68 $3.68

-14.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₹62.3

$0.18 $0.18

266.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₹30.52

$0.48 $0.48

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$2.02 $2.02

-20.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$0.83 $0.83

33.73%

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

$15.9K ₹1.5M

$60.8K $60.8K

-73.83%

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

$22.5K ₹2.1M

$66.2K $66.2K

-65.94%

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

$52.9 ₹5,021

$13.84 $13.84

282.01%

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

$4.97 ₹472

$2.64 $2.64

88.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.30 ₹693

$27.25 $27.25

-73.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.66 ₹1,487

$19.18 $19.18

-18.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.55 ₹1,097

$15.12 $15.12

-23.61%

Cinema Ticket

$3.42 ₹325

$2.05 $2.05

66.83%

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

$47.35 ₹4,497

$41.26 $41.26

14.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,072 ₹196.7K

$628 $628

230.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.13 ₹2,576

$20.15 $20.15

34.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.58 ₹2,524

$38.41 $38.41

-30.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.20 ₹3,343

$94.7 $94.7

-62.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.34 ₹2,691

$68.8 $68.8

-58.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ₹14.5K

$215 $215

-29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.3 ₹9,143

$151 $151

-36.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₹37.3K

$401 $401

-1.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 ₹20.1K

$269 $269

-21.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,115 ₹105.9K

$1,140 $1,140

-2.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$597 ₹56.7K

$685 $685

-12.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$392 ₹37.2K

$250 $250

56.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.04

21.5

-57.95%

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

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

Last update for Mashhad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$117 27.4%

Mashhad

$100 20.9% 15% $18

Accommodation & Living

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$96 22.5%

Mashhad

$151 31.6% 56.9% $55

Eating Out

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$68 15.8%

Mashhad

$54 11.3% 20.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15.2%

Mashhad

$44 9.1% 32.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$53 12.3%

Mashhad

$100 20.9% 89.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$23 5.3%

Mashhad

$23 4.9% 3.5% $0.8

Getting Around

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6 1.4%

Mashhad

$6.3 1.3% 5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Kolkata (Calcutta) and $215 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kolkata (Calcutta) pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15.00 in Kolkata (Calcutta) vs $19.00 in Mashhad. Groceries flip the comparison at $118 vs $100, with Mashhad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

2 h behind Kolkata (Calcutta)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,486,679

3,001,184

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kolkata (Calcutta) Mashhad 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kolkata (Calcutta)
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolkata (Calcutta) wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Mashhad. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kolkata (Calcutta) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Kolkata (Calcutta), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $152 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $215 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $428 per month in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $478 in Mashhad – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kolkata (Calcutta) runs roughly 18% less than in Mashhad. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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 Mashhad 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 12% less than in Mashhad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.