Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madurai and Vijayawada

For one person, living is cheaper in Vijayawada: $395 a month against $416 in Madurai, rent and utilities included – about $250 less a year. The total is higher in Madurai despite lower rent and utilities.

20

Cost of Living Index in Madurai
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Madurai Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Vijayawada
Learn more

Vijayawada Living Index

Jump to prices

Madurai

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Vijayawada

🇮🇳 India

$395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Madurai and in Vijayawada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $416 in Madurai versus $395 in Vijayawada.

Madurai $416
Vijayawada $395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $703 in Madurai versus $639 in Vijayawada.

Madurai $703
Vijayawada $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $989 in Madurai versus $883 in Vijayawada.

Madurai $989
Vijayawada $883

Living in Madurai is roughly 5% more expensive than in Vijayawada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Madurai 69% lower, Vijayawada 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 ₹162

$1.55 ₹147

10.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.45 ₹992

$8.75 ₹831

19.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 ₹402

$4.52 ₹430

-6.42%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ₹216

$3.63 ₹345

-37.19%

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

$0.58 ₹55.1

$0.41 ₹38.80

41.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.87

$0.16 ₹15.10

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ₹203

$1.92 ₹182

11.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₹353

$2.28 ₹217

63.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 ₹52.5

$0.76 ₹72.5

-27.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 ₹53.4

$0.54 ₹51.1

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 ₹65.0

$0.62 ₹59.1

9.68%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹79.5

$0.77 ₹73.0

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.12 ₹581

$6.35 ₹603

-3.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.96 ₹281

$2.57 ₹244

15.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ₹283

$1.82 ₹172

63.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.3

$0.72 ₹68.7

2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ₹159

$0.80 ₹76.1

110.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.66

$0.43 ₹40.91

16.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$0.37 ₹35.42

67.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.9

$0.46 ₹43.51

52.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₹63.9

$0.64 ₹61.1

4.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.13

$0.31 ₹29.65

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₹490

$5.07 ₹481

1.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 ₹1,010

$7.29 ₹692

45.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₹202

$1.86 ₹176

14.52%

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

$3.39 ₹322

186.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.95

$0.31 ₹29.76

-35.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.41 ₹988

$6.69 ₹635

55.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ₹111

$1.62 ₹154

-27.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.24

$0.43 ₹40.70

-23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₹122

$2.08 ₹197

-37.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.08 ₹102

2.78%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

-1.73%

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

$23.7K ₹2.2M

$20.5K ₹2.0M

15.27%

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

$23.27 ₹2,210

$32.67 ₹3,102

-28.77%

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

$4.76 ₹452

$3.26 ₹309

46.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.55 ₹717

$7.76 ₹737

-2.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.81 ₹1,501

$16.02 ₹1,521

-1.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.46 ₹614

$11.08 ₹1,052

-41.70%

Cinema Ticket

$2.67 ₹254

$3.13 ₹297

-14.70%

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

$42.17 ₹4,004

$69.2 ₹6,568

-39.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,576 ₹149.6K

$1,951 ₹185.3K

-19.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.37 ₹2,409

$17.87 ₹1,697

41.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.52 ₹2,423

$18.78 ₹1,783

35.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.2 ₹5,048

$38.78 ₹3,682

37.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.85 ₹3,119

$35.32 ₹3,354

-6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$135 ₹12.8K

$120 ₹11.4K

12.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.7 ₹7,571

$74.3 ₹7,058

7.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 ₹41.1K

$273 ₹25.9K

58.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.0K

$206 ₹19.5K

28.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$987 ₹93.8K

$680 ₹64.5K

45.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$440 ₹41.8K

$418 ₹39.6K

5.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$363 ₹34.4K

$305 ₹29.0K

18.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.59

10.2

-5.98%

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

Last update for Madurai: October 24, 2026

Last update for Vijayawada: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madurai

$129 31%

Vijayawada

$108 27.2% 16.6% $21

Accommodation & Living

Madurai

$80 19.2%

Vijayawada

$74 18.8% 6.8% $5.4

Eating Out

Madurai

$75 18%

Vijayawada

$86 21.7% 14.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Madurai

$62 14.8%

Vijayawada

$50 12.6% 19.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madurai

$36 8.6%

Vijayawada

$44 11.1% 22.8% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Madurai

$21 5.1%

Vijayawada

$22 5.6% 5.3% $1.1

Getting Around

Madurai

$14 3.4%

Vijayawada

$12 3% 16.5% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $135 in Madurai and $120 in Vijayawada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madurai pays 19% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $10 in Madurai vs $9 in Vijayawada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $129 vs $108 per month, with Vijayawada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Madurai

🇮🇳 Vijayawada

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Madurai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,700,000

1,048,240

💱 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

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Madurai Vijayawada 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Madurai
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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 Vijayawada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $416 in Madurai and $395 in Vijayawada, so Vijayawada is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Madurai, 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: $135 in Madurai versus $120 in Vijayawada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Madurai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Vijayawada – a meal for two runs $9 versus $10 in Madurai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Vijayawada gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Expats usually find Vijayawada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Madurai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.