Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Shiraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $434 a month against $542 in Shiraz, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kolkata (Calcutta), India
Shiraz, Iran
Kolkata (Calcutta)
🇮🇳 India
$434
/mo nomad
Shiraz
🇮🇷 Iran
$542
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $542 in Shiraz.

  • Kolkata (Calcutta) $434
  • Shiraz $542

Estimated couple costs with rent: $691 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $813 in Shiraz.

  • Kolkata (Calcutta) $691
  • Shiraz $813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $948 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $1,084 in Shiraz.

  • Kolkata (Calcutta) $948
  • Shiraz $1,084

Living in Kolkata (Calcutta) costs roughly 20% less than in Shiraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kolkata (Calcutta) 68% lower, Shiraz 60% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.08 ₹198
$4.63 $4.63
-55.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.98 ₹1,327
$13.20 $13.20
5.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.15 ₹394
$4.07 $4.07
1.97%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.98 $0.98
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.80 $1.80
-
Cappuccino
$1.66 ₹158
$1.21 $1.21
37.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 ₹42.69
$0.62 $0.62
-27.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 ₹11.11
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 ₹185
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 ₹286
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.67 ₹63.4
$0.70 $0.70
-4.29%
White Bread (500g)
$0.50 ₹47.53
$0.41 $0.41
21.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 ₹70.2
$1.88 $1.88
-60.64%
Eggs
$1.08 ₹102
$1.18 $1.18
-8.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.20 ₹494
$2.27 $2.27
129.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.00 ₹285
$2.98 $2.98
0.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.58 $9.58
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.42 ₹230
$1.11 $1.11
118.02%
Banana (1kg)
$0.81 ₹77.0
$1.55 $1.55
-47.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.36 ₹129
$0.89 $0.89
52.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.66 ₹62.5
$0.60 $0.60
10.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.30 ₹28.66
$0.57 $0.57
-47.37%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 ₹44.83
$0.52 $0.52
-9.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.31 ₹29.00
$0.47 $0.47
-34.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.28 ₹26.82
$0.21 $0.21
33.33%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.89 $0.89
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.60 $0.60
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.73 $1.73
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.10 ₹484
$3.04 $3.04
67.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.36 ₹983
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 ₹167
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 ₹267
-
-
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$7.01 ₹666
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.18 ₹16.66
$0.11 $0.11
63.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$3.12 ₹296
$2.95 $2.95
5.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.81 ₹76.7
$0.41 $0.41
97.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 ₹29.20
$0.20 $0.20
55.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.61 ₹152
$3.43 $3.43
-53.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ₹105
-
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$13.1K ₹1.2M
$64.9K $64.9K
-79.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K ₹2.2M
$53.3K $53.3K
-56.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.5 ₹4,987
$23.44 $23.44
124.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.16 ₹490
$1.98 $1.98
160.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.36 ₹699
$16.86 $16.86
-56.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.76 ₹1,496
$18.75 $18.75
-15.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.45 ₹1,088
$13.68 $13.68
-16.30%
Cinema Ticket
$3.19 ₹303
$2.02 $2.02
57.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$43.26 ₹4,107
$102 $102
-57.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,997 ₹189.6K
$2,401 $2,401
-16.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.19 ₹2,581
$22.72 $22.72
19.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.01 ₹2,470
$18.07 $18.07
43.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$35.95 ₹3,413
$93.8 $93.8
-61.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$29.01 ₹2,754
$55.6 $55.6
-47.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$167 ₹15.9K
$293 $293
-42.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$103 ₹9,802
$218 $218
-52.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$392 ₹37.2K
$526 $526
-25.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ₹22.9K
$325 $325
-25.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,097 ₹104.2K
$1,127 $1,127
-2.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$612 ₹58.1K
$517 $517
18.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Shiraz
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$379 ₹36.0K
$243 $243
56.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.08
24.3
-62.63%

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

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

Last update for Shiraz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$117
Shiraz
$102 12.3% $14
Accommodation & Living
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$103
Shiraz
$218 111% $114
Eating Out
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$67
Shiraz
$66 * 1.2% $0.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$65
Shiraz
$42 35% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$53
Shiraz
$86 60.9% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$22
Shiraz
$23 2.9% $0.6
Getting Around
Kolkata (Calcutta)
$6.2
Shiraz
$4.8 22.4% $1.4

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 $293 in Shiraz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kolkata (Calcutta) pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $14 in Kolkata (Calcutta) vs $13 in Shiraz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $117 vs $102 per month, with Shiraz cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)
🇮🇷 Shiraz
🕒 Local time
05:36 5:36 AM
03:36 3:36 AM
2 h behind Kolkata (Calcutta)
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,486,679
1,565,572
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kolkata (Calcutta) Shiraz 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kolkata (Calcutta)
  • Shiraz

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 Shiraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kolkata (Calcutta) or Shiraz?
Kolkata (Calcutta) wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Shiraz. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kolkata (Calcutta) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Kolkata (Calcutta) or in Shiraz?
Average pay runs 56% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Kolkata (Calcutta) compared to Shiraz?
Rent for a central apartment: $167 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $293 in Shiraz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Kolkata (Calcutta) compared to Shiraz?
All in, you’ll spend $434 per month in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $542 in Shiraz – Kolkata (Calcutta) is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Kolkata (Calcutta) compared to Shiraz?
A monthly transit pass in Shiraz runs roughly 5% less than in Kolkata (Calcutta). The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $800/month in Kolkata (Calcutta) or in Shiraz?
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.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Kolkata (Calcutta) or Shiraz?
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.

Kolkata (Calcutta) vs other spots: cost of living compared

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