Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Howrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Howrah: $382 a month against $782 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
Learn more

Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Howrah
Learn more

Howrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$782

/mo nomad

Howrah

🇮🇳 India

$382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $382 in Howrah.

Mumbai (Bombay) $782
Howrah $382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,299 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $505 in Howrah.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,299
Howrah $505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,816 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $628 in Howrah.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,816
Howrah $628

Living in Mumbai (Bombay) is roughly 105% more expensive than in Howrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mumbai (Bombay) 42% lower, Howrah 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.38 ₹511

$2.13 ₹202

152.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,971

$9.29 ₹882

123.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.19 ₹398

$4.21 ₹400

-0.48%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ₹260

$1.43 ₹136

91.61%

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

$0.41 ₹38.77

$0.48 ₹46.02

-14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₹15.04

$0.12 ₹11.05

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ₹246

$1.59 ₹151

62.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 ₹396

$3.23 ₹307

29.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 ₹71.2

$0.60 ₹56.6

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.5

$0.43 ₹40.82

23.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ₹69.6

$0.71 ₹67.0

2.82%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$1.08 ₹103

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 ₹524

$5.40 ₹512

2.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₹340

$2.59 ₹246

38.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ₹203

$2.17 ₹206

-1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.5

$0.85 ₹80.7

-18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ₹116

$1.41 ₹134

-12.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.77

$0.62 ₹58.6

-25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.24

$0.30 ₹28.29

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹37.12

$0.41 ₹38.93

-4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ₹38.05

$0.34 ₹32.55

17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.46

$0.26 ₹24.53

19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 ₹485

$4.88 ₹463

4.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 ₹771

$10.62 ₹1,009

-23.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₹185

$1.40 ₹133

39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹302

$2.72 ₹258

16.91%

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

$6.17 ₹586

$8.58 ₹815

-28.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.99

$0.16 ₹15.20

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 ₹512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 ₹29.39

$0.60 ₹57.2

-48.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ₹28.01

$0.33 ₹30.90

-12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 ₹151

$1.60 ₹152

-0.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹104

$1.07 ₹102

2.80%

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

$15.9K ₹1.5M

$15.6K ₹1.5M

1.66%

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

$22.7K ₹2.2M

$20.0K ₹1.9M

13.52%

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

$61.6 ₹5,846

$44.85 ₹4,259

37.26%

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

$4.25 ₹404

$3.37 ₹320

26.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 ₹855

$6.41 ₹609

40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.24 ₹2,587

$13.87 ₹1,317

96.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.31 ₹1,264

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 ₹416

$3.09 ₹294

41.75%

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

$116 ₹11.0K

$26.25 ₹2,493

340.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,968 ₹471.7K

$1,264 ₹120.1K

292.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.16 ₹3,529

$26.57 ₹2,523

39.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.88 ₹3,787

$25.65 ₹2,436

55.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.9 ₹5,307

$35.19 ₹3,341

58.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.19 ₹4,576

$28.40 ₹2,697

69.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ₹58.0K

$113 ₹10.7K

439.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ₹33.6K

$77.7 ₹7,379

355.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 ₹173.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$877 ₹83.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,877 ₹558.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,448 ₹232.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 ₹72.0K

$354 ₹33.7K

113.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.29

9.04

-8.30%

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

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 12, 2026

Last update for Howrah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mumbai (Bombay)

$354 45.3%

Howrah

$78 20.3% 78.1% $277

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$116 14.8%

Howrah

$111 29.1% 3.9% $4.5

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 14.3%

Howrah

$64 16.7% 43.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$82 10.4%

Howrah

$52 13.6% 36.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.6%

Howrah

$55 14.3% 27% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$36 4.6%

Howrah

$20 5.3% 44.3% $16

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8 1%

Howrah

$2.9 * 0.8% 64% $5.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $611 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $113 in Howrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 114% 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: $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $9.00 in Howrah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $116 vs $111 per month, with Howrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 Howrah

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

Same time as Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

1,072,161

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mumbai (Bombay) Howrah 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
Howrah

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

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

Howrah wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Howrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 114% higher in Mumbai (Bombay), 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: $611 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $113 in Howrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $116 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $26.25 in Howrah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howrah – a meal for two runs $9.00 versus $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Howrah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Howrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $382 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Howrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mumbai (Bombay) and Howrah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Howrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Mumbai (Bombay). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.