Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kollam and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $284 a month against $562 in Bangalore, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Kollam
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Kollam Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
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Bangalore Living Index

Jump to prices

Kollam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kollam and in Bangalore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $284 in Kollam versus $562 in Bangalore.

Kollam $284
Bangalore $562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $446 in Kollam versus $949 in Bangalore.

Kollam $446
Bangalore $949

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $609 in Kollam versus $1,336 in Bangalore.

Kollam $609
Bangalore $1,336

Living in Kollam costs roughly 49% less than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kollam 79% lower, Bangalore 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.03 ₹97.5

$3.20 ₹304

-67.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.14 ₹583

$18.12 ₹1,720

-66.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.23 ₹307

$4.66 ₹442

-30.69%

Cappuccino

$1.37 ₹130

$2.33 ₹222

-41.20%

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

$0.34 ₹31.99

$0.44 ₹41.73

-22.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.54

$0.14 ₹13.29

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₹126

$2.38 ₹226

-44.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹177

$3.63 ₹345

-48.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹57.4

$0.65 ₹62.0

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 ₹45.65

$0.58 ₹55.0

-17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.51 ₹47.98

$0.77 ₹73.2

-33.77%

Eggs

$0.78 ₹74.1

$1.09 ₹103

-28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.59 ₹341

$6.35 ₹603

-43.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹203

$3.81 ₹362

-44.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₹149

$2.80 ₹266

-43.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 ₹56.2

$0.76 ₹72.2

-22.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.1

$1.26 ₹119

-44.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.63

$0.42 ₹39.81

-2.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.95

$0.36 ₹34.10

-2.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹33.54

$0.40 ₹37.58

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₹57.8

$0.39 ₹37.44

56.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.68

$0.30 ₹28.07

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.17 ₹491

$4.65 ₹442

11.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.70 ₹256

$9.06 ₹860

-70.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₹195

$1.89 ₹180

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₹258

$2.99 ₹284

-9.03%

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

$3.35 ₹318

$6.52 ₹619

-48.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ₹15.88

$0.54 ₹51.4

-68.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.20 ₹684

$12.52 ₹1,189

-42.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₹76.8

$1.07 ₹101

-24.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.56

$0.30 ₹28.59

10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 ₹195

$2.06 ₹195

-0.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.10 ₹104

0.91%

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

$9,035 ₹857.8K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

-18.90%

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

$16.6K ₹1.6M

$19.2K ₹1.8M

-13.46%

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

$32.12 ₹3,050

$31.15 ₹2,958

3.11%

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

$2.97 ₹282

$4.11 ₹390

-27.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.04 ₹479

$10.56 ₹1,002

-52.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.44 ₹1,276

$21.90 ₹2,080

-38.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.44 ₹991

$5.86 ₹557

78.16%

Cinema Ticket

$1.54 ₹146

$4.64 ₹440

-66.81%

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

$21.19 ₹2,012

$103 ₹9,733

-79.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,630 ₹249.7K

$2,902 ₹275.6K

-9.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.30 ₹1,548

$32.91 ₹3,125

-50.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ₹2,216

$30.69 ₹2,914

-23.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.49 ₹2,420

$56.0 ₹5,320

-54.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.42 ₹2,319

$40.75 ₹3,870

-40.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 ₹7,801

$312 ₹29.6K

-73.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.79 ₹4,538

$182 ₹17.3K

-73.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$182 ₹17.3K

$842 ₹80.0K

-78.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ₹10.9K

$488 ₹46.4K

-76.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$834 ₹79.2K

$1,878 ₹178.3K

-55.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$449 ₹42.6K

$1,045 ₹99.2K

-57.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$525 ₹49.9K

$928 ₹88.1K

-43.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.13

8.47

7.79%

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

Last update for Kollam: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kollam

$82 28.9%

Bangalore

$124 22.1% 51% $42

Accommodation & Living

Kollam

$48 16.8%

Bangalore

$182 32.4% 281% $134

Eating Out

Kollam

$47 16.4%

Bangalore

$89 15.8% 91% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Kollam

$40 14.2%

Bangalore

$72 12.9% 79.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kollam

$40 14.1%

Bangalore

$46 8.2% 14.2% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kollam

$17 5.8%

Bangalore

$31 5.6% 88.7% $15

Getting Around

Kollam

$10 3.6%

Bangalore

$17 3.1% 66.9% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $82 in Kollam and $312 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 77% 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: $6 in Kollam vs $18 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $82 vs $124 per month, with Kollam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kollam

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Kollam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,107

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kollam Bangalore 470 km

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Kollam
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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

Kollam vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kollam wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Bangalore. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kollam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Kollam. 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: $82 in Kollam versus $312 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kollam runs roughly 42% less than in Bangalore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $21 in Kollam versus $103 in Bangalore. 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 Kollam 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.

Expats usually find Kollam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Bangalore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.