Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malappuram and Kottayam

For one person, living costs are similar in Malappuram and in Kottayam: $289 and $284 a month, rent and utilities included.

14

Cost of Living Index in Malappuram
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Malappuram Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Kottayam
Learn more

Kottayam Living Index

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Malappuram

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Kottayam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malappuram and in Kottayam

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

A single person spends $289 per month in Malappuram vs $284 in Kottayam, rent included.

Malappuram $289
Kottayam $284

A couple spends around $451 per month in Malappuram vs $465 in Kottayam, rent included.

Malappuram $451
Kottayam $465

A family of three spends $613 per month in Malappuram vs $646 in Kottayam, rent included.

Malappuram $613
Kottayam $646

Malappuram and Kottayam have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Malappuram and Kottayam are more affordable than the global median – Malappuram 79% lower, Kottayam 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.17 ₹112

$1.07 ₹102

9.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.44 ₹708

$9.67 ₹921

-23.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.15 ₹300

$3.21 ₹305

-1.87%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₹171

$0.82 ₹78.5

119.51%

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

$0.35 ₹33.53

$0.31 ₹29.07

12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.99

$0.13 ₹11.95

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ₹124

$1.29 ₹123

1.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₹195

$1.82 ₹174

12.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.52 ₹49.87

$0.58 ₹54.9

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹44.08

$0.49 ₹46.83

-6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.57

$0.53 ₹50.9

-15.09%

Eggs

$0.80 ₹76.1

$0.85 ₹81.4

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.81 ₹553

$2.05 ₹195

183.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.51 ₹239

$3.71 ₹353

-32.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₹160

$2.03 ₹194

-17.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 ₹54.5

$0.56 ₹53.3

1.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 ₹79.7

$0.88 ₹83.7

-4.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.29 ₹27.48

$0.50 ₹47.87

-42.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.81

$0.37 ₹35.49

5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.89

$0.38 ₹36.29

-7.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₹73.9

$0.63 ₹60.2

23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.82

$0.27 ₹25.76

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 ₹430

$5.00 ₹476

-9.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$1.75 ₹166

$4.02 ₹382

-56.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₹148

$1.62 ₹154

-4.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 ₹476

$2.20 ₹210

127.27%

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

$3.27 ₹312

$3.38 ₹322

-3.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₹17.07

$0.29 ₹27.67

-37.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.36 ₹415

$7.84 ₹746

-44.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 ₹37.79

$0.83 ₹78.6

-51.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₹22.90

$0.30 ₹29.01

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 ₹47.98

$2.12 ₹202

-76.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.08 ₹102

2.78%

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

$10.4K ₹994.3K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

-6.09%

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

$15.7K ₹1.5M

$14.6K ₹1.4M

7.24%

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

$21.58 ₹2,055

$20.71 ₹1,972

4.20%

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

$2.60 ₹248

$2.96 ₹282

-12.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.05 ₹671

$6.06 ₹577

16.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.02 ₹668

$6.18 ₹589

13.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.25 ₹405

$9.38 ₹893

-54.69%

Cinema Ticket

$1.77 ₹169

$1.75 ₹167

1.14%

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

$28.36 ₹2,700

$10.45 ₹995

171.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$831 ₹79.1K

$516 ₹49.2K

60.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.17 ₹1,540

$18.67 ₹1,778

-13.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.78 ₹1,788

$15.82 ₹1,507

18.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.04 ₹2,194

$21.28 ₹2,026

8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.78 ₹1,313

$12.19 ₹1,161

13.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$103 ₹9,820

$115 ₹11.0K

-10.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$63.3 ₹6,031

$74.5 ₹7,096

-15.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₹16.7K

$265 ₹25.2K

-33.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$128 ₹12.2K

$175 ₹16.7K

-26.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,340 ₹603.7K

$941 ₹89.6K

573.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$371 ₹35.3K

$550 ₹52.4K

-32.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$218 ₹20.7K

$292 ₹27.8K

-25.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.11%

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

Last update for Malappuram: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kottayam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malappuram

$91 31.7%

Kottayam

$89 31.2% 3% $2.8

Accommodation & Living

Malappuram

$63 21.9%

Kottayam

$75 26.2% 17.7% $11

Eating Out

Malappuram

$53 18.4%

Kottayam

$40 14% 24.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Malappuram

$32 11.2%

Kottayam

$31 10.8% 5.3% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malappuram

$31 10.8%

Kottayam

$30 10.5% 4.8% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Malappuram

$11 3.7%

Kottayam

$9.7 3.4% 8.4% $0.9

Getting Around

Malappuram

$6.7 2.3%

Kottayam

$11 4% 70.2% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $103 in Malappuram versus $115 in Kottayam. 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 34% higher in Kottayam. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $7 in Malappuram versus $10 in Kottayam. Groceries tell a different story – $91 in Malappuram vs $89 in Kottayam – so Kottayam wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Malappuram

🇮🇳 Kottayam

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

Same time as Malappuram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,330

55,374

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Malappuram Kottayam 170 km

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Malappuram
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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

Malappuram vs Kottayam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $433 per month in Malappuram and $427 in Kottayam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malappuram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $103 there versus $115 in Kottayam.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Malappuram, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $28 per month in Malappuram and $10.45 in Kottayam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $289 in Malappuram and $284 in Kottayam, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.