Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ludhiana and Randburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Ludhiana: $473 a month against $1,058 in Randburg, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ludhiana
🇮🇳 India
$473
/mo nomad
Randburg
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,058
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ludhiana and in Randburg

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

A single person spends $473 per month in Ludhiana vs $1,058 in Randburg, rent included.

  • Ludhiana $473
  • Randburg $1,058

A couple spends around $814 per month in Ludhiana vs $1,714 in Randburg, rent included.

  • Ludhiana $814
  • Randburg $1,714

A family of three spends $1,156 per month in Ludhiana vs $2,370 in Randburg, rent included.

  • Ludhiana $1,156
  • Randburg $2,370

Ludhiana is about 55% cheaper than Randburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ludhiana and Randburg are more affordable than the global median – Ludhiana 65% lower, Randburg 22% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 ₹316
$10.48 R 173
-68.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.62 ₹1,009
$43.30 R 713
-75.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.61 ₹343
$5.35 R 88.2
-32.52%
Cappuccino
$1.99 ₹189
$2.50 R 41.19
-20.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ₹38.42
$1.18 R 19.43
-66.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 ₹21.69
$0.89 R 14.59
-74.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 ₹161
$2.54 R 41.84
-33.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 ₹338
$3.11 R 51.3
14.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.74 ₹69.8
$1.33 R 21.87
-44.36%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 ₹48.89
$1.14 R 18.79
-55.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.84 ₹79.5
$1.77 R 29.09
-52.54%
Eggs
$0.83 ₹78.4
$2.73 R 45.04
-69.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.80 ₹361
$8.60 R 142
-55.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.07 ₹291
$5.46 R 90.0
-43.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$7.42 R 122
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 ₹192
$2.11 R 34.83
-4.27%
Banana (1kg)
$0.63 ₹59.4
$1.67 R 27.54
-62.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.80 ₹75.8
$1.75 R 28.84
-54.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.38 ₹36.45
$1.63 R 26.84
-76.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.28 ₹26.63
$1.66 R 27.30
-83.13%
Onion (1kg)
$0.29 ₹27.14
$1.64 R 26.97
-82.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 ₹41.27
$1.22 R 20.15
-64.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₹31.15
$1.27 R 20.92
-74.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.48 ₹331
$3.27 R 53.9
6.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.47 ₹1,184
$5.22 R 85.9
138.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ₹169
$1.52 R 25.07
17.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 ₹294
$2.20 R 36.27
40.91%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$8.04 ₹764
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.54 ₹51.3
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.43 ₹1,466
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.59 ₹151
$0.31 R 5.18
412.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.41 ₹38.64
$0.89 R 14.63
-53.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.06 ₹196
$14.30 R 236
-85.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ₹104
$1.49 R 24.49
-26.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.9K ₹1.6M
$36.0K R 593.8K
-53.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ₹2.1M
$32.5K R 536.0K
-31.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.1 ₹5,040
$150 R 2,479
-64.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.05 ₹290
$38.56 R 635
-92.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$5.73 ₹545
$37.13 R 612
-84.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.19 ₹1,442
$20.40 R 336
-25.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.66 ₹443
$4.63 R 76.3
0.65%
Cinema Ticket
$3.69 ₹351
$7.04 R 116
-47.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$71.8 ₹6,814
$262 R 4,320
-72.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,428 ₹135.6K
$5,581 R 91.9K
-74.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.52 ₹2,044
$52.7 R 868
-59.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.84 ₹3,783
$46.09 R 759
-13.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.1 ₹6,566
$111 R 1,825
-37.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$36.19 ₹3,437
$84.9 R 1,399
-57.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$172 ₹16.4K
$313 R 5,159
-45.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$101 ₹9,603
$298 R 4,914
-66.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$419 ₹39.8K
$617 R 10.2K
-32.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$388 ₹36.8K
$718 R 11.8K
-45.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$599 ₹56.9K
$603 R 9,935
-0.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$489 ₹46.4K
$785 R 12.9K
-37.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ludhiana
Randburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$424 ₹40.3K
$1,879 R 31.0K
-77.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.17
11.34
-19.14%

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

Last update for Ludhiana: October 11, 2026

Last update for Randburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ludhiana
$112
Randburg
$205 82.8% $93
Accommodation & Living
Ludhiana
$101
Randburg
$298 195% $197
Eating Out
Ludhiana
$79
Randburg
$157 97.8% $78
Clothing & Footwear
Ludhiana
$75
Randburg
$132 76.6% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ludhiana
$62
Randburg
$226 266% $164
Sport & Entertainment
Ludhiana
$23
Randburg
$34 52.7% $12
Getting Around
Ludhiana
$21
Randburg
$4.8 * 77.6% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $172 in Ludhiana versus $313 in Randburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 343% higher in Randburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Ludhiana versus $43.00 in Randburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $205 – making Ludhiana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Ludhiana
🇿🇦 Randburg
🕒 Local time
08:33 8:33 AM
05:03 5:03 AM
3 h 30 min behind Ludhiana
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,232,000
335,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ludhiana Randburg 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ludhiana
  • Randburg

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
Ludhiana vs Randburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ludhiana and in Randburg compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $473 in Ludhiana, $1,058 in Randburg – roughly 124% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Ludhiana compared to Randburg?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $710 per month in Ludhiana and $1,587 in Randburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ludhiana and Randburg?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ludhiana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ludhiana or Randburg?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $473 in Ludhiana and $1,058 in Randburg. That's a gap of about 124%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ludhiana and Randburg?
Kindergarten costs $71.8 per month in Ludhiana and $262 in Randburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $1,200 go in Ludhiana compared to Randburg?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $473 in Ludhiana and $1,058 in Randburg, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Ludhiana or Randburg?
Families tend to lean toward Ludhiana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Ludhiana and Randburg?
If budget matters most, go with Ludhiana. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Randburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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