Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Kottayam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kottayam: $284 a month against $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Kottayam
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Kottayam Living Index

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Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Kottayam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mumbai (Bombay) 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 Mumbai (Bombay) and in Kottayam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $813 per month in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $284 in Kottayam, rent included.

Mumbai (Bombay) $813
Kottayam $284

A couple spends around $1,352 per month in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $465 in Kottayam, rent included.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352
Kottayam $465

A family of three spends $1,891 per month in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $646 in Kottayam, rent included.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891
Kottayam $646

Mumbai (Bombay) costs about 186% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mumbai (Bombay) and Kottayam are more affordable than the global median – Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower, Kottayam 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 ₹508

$1.07 ₹101

400.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.87 ₹1,982

$9.67 ₹918

115.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₹387

$3.21 ₹304

27.10%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ₹264

$0.82 ₹78.3

239.02%

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

$0.40 ₹38.24

$0.31 ₹28.99

29.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.42

$0.13 ₹11.91

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 ₹251

$1.29 ₹122

104.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 ₹404

$1.82 ₹173

133.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$0.58 ₹54.8

27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 ₹51.3

$0.49 ₹46.70

10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₹74.1

$0.53 ₹50.7

47.17%

Eggs

$1.00 ₹95.1

$0.85 ₹81.2

17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.61 ₹533

$2.05 ₹195

173.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₹340

$3.71 ₹352

-3.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₹206

$2.03 ₹193

6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.8

$0.56 ₹53.1

23.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 ₹114

$0.88 ₹83.5

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.33

$0.50 ₹47.73

-2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.71

$0.37 ₹35.39

-10.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.53

$0.38 ₹36.19

-2.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.79

$0.63 ₹60.0

-30.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.64

$0.27 ₹25.68

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.00 ₹475

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹792

$4.02 ₹381

107.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₹189

$1.62 ₹153

22.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₹296

$2.20 ₹209

41.82%

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

$6.01 ₹570

$3.38 ₹321

77.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.95

$0.29 ₹27.60

-31.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.90 ₹655

$7.84 ₹744

-11.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 ₹29.84

$0.83 ₹78.4

-62.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ₹29.41

$0.30 ₹28.93

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$2.12 ₹201

-24.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.08 ₹102

1.85%

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

$15.6K ₹1.5M

$11.1K ₹1.1M

40.24%

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

$22.4K ₹2.1M

$14.6K ₹1.4M

53.28%

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

$61.9 ₹5,873

$20.71 ₹1,967

198.65%

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

$4.52 ₹429

$2.96 ₹281

52.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.97 ₹852

$6.06 ₹576

48.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 ₹3,524

$6.18 ₹587

500.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 ₹1,340

$9.38 ₹891

50.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₹476

$1.75 ₹166

186.29%

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

$119 ₹11.3K

$10.45 ₹992

1038.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,948 ₹469.8K

$516 ₹49.0K

858.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.37 ₹3,453

$18.67 ₹1,773

94.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.71 ₹3,675

$15.82 ₹1,502

144.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 ₹5,196

$21.28 ₹2,020

157.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.03 ₹4,561

$12.19 ₹1,157

294.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₹60.7K

$115 ₹10.9K

454.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 ₹35.3K

$74.5 ₹7,076

398.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 ₹198.7K

$265 ₹25.1K

690.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 ₹87.8K

$175 ₹16.6K

428.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,706 ₹541.8K

$941 ₹89.4K

506.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,560 ₹243.1K

$550 ₹52.2K

365.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ₹71.9K

$292 ₹27.7K

159.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.29

-7.89%

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

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

Last update for Kottayam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7%

Kottayam

$75 26.2% 79.9% $297

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4%

Kottayam

$89 31.2% 24.3% $28

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8%

Kottayam

$40 14% 64.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8%

Kottayam

$31 10.8% 61.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3%

Kottayam

$30 10.5% 60.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8%

Kottayam

$9.7 3.4% 79.5% $37

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2%

Kottayam

$11 4% 18.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $640 in Mumbai (Bombay) 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 in Mumbai (Bombay) are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $21 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $10 in Kottayam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $117 vs $89 – making Kottayam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 Kottayam

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

Same time as Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

55,374

💱 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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Mumbai (Bombay) Kottayam 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
Kottayam

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 Kottayam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mumbai (Bombay) costs about 186% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,220 per month in Mumbai (Bombay) 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 Kottayam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $115 there versus $640 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Monthly expenses with rent come to $813 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $284 in Kottayam. That makes Kottayam about 65% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Mumbai (Bombay). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kottayam, where all-in costs run around $284, than in Mumbai (Bombay) at $813. In Kottayam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mumbai (Bombay) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kottayam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kottayam. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mumbai (Bombay) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.