Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madurai and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Madurai: $416 a month against $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Madurai
Learn more

Madurai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
Learn more

Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index

Jump to prices

Madurai

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madurai and in Mumbai (Bombay)

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $416 in Madurai versus $813 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Madurai $416
Mumbai (Bombay) $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $703 in Madurai versus $1,352 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Madurai $703
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $989 in Madurai versus $1,891 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Madurai $989
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891

Living in Madurai costs roughly 49% less than in Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Madurai 69% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 ₹162

$5.35 ₹508

-68.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.45 ₹992

$20.87 ₹1,982

-49.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 ₹402

$4.08 ₹387

3.68%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ₹216

$2.78 ₹264

-17.99%

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

$0.58 ₹55.1

$0.40 ₹38.24

45.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.87

$0.15 ₹14.42

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

$2.64 ₹251

-18.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₹353

$4.25 ₹404

-12.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 ₹52.5

$0.74 ₹70.5

-25.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 ₹53.4

$0.54 ₹51.3

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 ₹65.0

$0.78 ₹74.1

-12.82%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹79.5

$1.00 ₹95.1

-16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.12 ₹581

$5.61 ₹533

9.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.96 ₹281

$3.58 ₹340

-17.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ₹283

$2.17 ₹206

37.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.3

$0.69 ₹65.8

7.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ₹159

$1.21 ₹114

38.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.66

$0.49 ₹46.33

2.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$0.33 ₹31.71

87.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.9

$0.37 ₹35.53

89.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₹63.9

$0.44 ₹41.79

52.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.13

$0.31 ₹29.64

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₹490

$5.00 ₹475

3.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 ₹1,010

$8.34 ₹792

27.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₹202

$1.99 ₹189

7.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 ₹421

$3.12 ₹296

42.31%

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

$9.72 ₹923

$6.01 ₹570

61.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.41 ₹988

$6.90 ₹655

50.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ₹111

$0.31 ₹29.84

277.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.24

$0.31 ₹29.41

6.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₹122

$1.61 ₹153

-19.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.10 ₹105

0.91%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$15.6K ₹1.5M

-28.22%

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

$23.7K ₹2.2M

$22.4K ₹2.1M

5.74%

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

$23.27 ₹2,210

$61.9 ₹5,873

-62.38%

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

$4.76 ₹452

$4.52 ₹429

5.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.55 ₹717

$8.97 ₹852

-15.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.81 ₹1,501

$37.11 ₹3,524

-57.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.46 ₹614

$14.11 ₹1,340

-54.22%

Cinema Ticket

$2.67 ₹254

$5.01 ₹476

-46.71%

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

$42.17 ₹4,004

$119 ₹11.3K

-64.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,576 ₹149.6K

$4,948 ₹469.8K

-68.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.37 ₹2,409

$36.37 ₹3,453

-30.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.52 ₹2,423

$38.71 ₹3,675

-34.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 ₹5,048

$54.7 ₹5,196

-2.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.85 ₹3,119

$48.03 ₹4,561

-31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$135 ₹12.8K

$640 ₹60.7K

-78.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.7 ₹7,571

$372 ₹35.3K

-78.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 ₹41.1K

$2,093 ₹198.7K

-79.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.0K

$925 ₹87.8K

-71.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$987 ₹93.8K

$5,706 ₹541.8K

-82.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$440 ₹41.8K

$2,560 ₹243.1K

-82.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$363 ₹34.4K

$757 ₹71.9K

-52.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.59

8.29

15.68%

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

Last update for Madurai: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madurai

$129 31%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4% 9.3% $12

Accommodation & Living

Madurai

$80 19.2%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7% 366% $292

Eating Out

Madurai

$75 18%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8% 49.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Madurai

$62 14.8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8% 29.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madurai

$36 8.6%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3% 112% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Madurai

$21 5.1%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8% 123% $26

Getting Around

Madurai

$14 3.4%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2% 31.8% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $135 in Madurai and $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $10 in Madurai vs $21 in Mumbai (Bombay). Groceries flip the comparison at $129 vs $117, with Mumbai (Bombay) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Madurai

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Madurai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,700,000

12,442,373

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madurai Mumbai (Bombay) 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Madurai
Mumbai (Bombay)

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

Madurai vs Mumbai (Bombay): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $416 in Madurai and $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), so Madurai is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Madurai. 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: $135 in Madurai versus $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Mumbai (Bombay) pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Madurai – a meal for two runs $10 versus $21 in Mumbai (Bombay). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Madurai 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.

It comes down to priorities – Madurai wins on affordability, Mumbai (Bombay) on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.