Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Madurai

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.

39

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Madurai
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Madurai Living Index

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Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Madurai

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Mumbai (Bombay) $813
Madurai $416

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

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352
Madurai $703

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

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891
Madurai $989

Living in Mumbai (Bombay) is roughly 95% more expensive than in Madurai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 ₹508

$1.71 ₹162

212.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.87 ₹1,982

$10.45 ₹992

99.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₹387

$4.23 ₹402

-3.55%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ₹264

$2.28 ₹216

21.93%

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

$0.40 ₹38.23

$0.58 ₹55.1

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.42

$0.25 ₹23.87

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 ₹251

$2.14 ₹203

23.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 ₹404

$3.72 ₹353

14.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 ₹70.5

$0.55 ₹52.5

34.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 ₹51.3

$0.56 ₹53.4

-3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₹74.1

$0.68 ₹65.0

14.71%

Eggs

$1.00 ₹95.1

$0.84 ₹79.5

19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.61 ₹533

$6.12 ₹581

-8.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₹340

$2.96 ₹281

20.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₹206

$2.98 ₹283

-27.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.8

$0.74 ₹70.3

-6.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 ₹114

$1.68 ₹159

-27.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.33

$0.50 ₹47.65

-2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.70

$0.62 ₹59.2

-46.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.53

$0.70 ₹66.8

-47.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.78

$0.67 ₹63.9

-34.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.64

$0.29 ₹27.13

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.00 ₹475

$5.16 ₹490

-3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹792

$10.63 ₹1,010

-21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₹189

$2.13 ₹202

-6.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₹296

$4.44 ₹421

-29.73%

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

$6.01 ₹570

$9.72 ₹923

-38.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.90 ₹655

$10.41 ₹988

-33.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 ₹29.84

$1.17 ₹111

-73.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ₹29.41

$0.33 ₹31.24

-6.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$1.29 ₹122

24.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.11 ₹106

-0.90%

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

$15.6K ₹1.5M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

39.32%

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

$22.4K ₹2.1M

$23.7K ₹2.2M

-5.43%

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

$61.9 ₹5,872

$23.27 ₹2,210

165.79%

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

$4.52 ₹429

$4.76 ₹452

-5.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.97 ₹852

$7.55 ₹717

18.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 ₹3,524

$15.81 ₹1,501

134.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 ₹1,340

$6.46 ₹614

118.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₹475

$2.67 ₹253

87.64%

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

$119 ₹11.3K

$42.17 ₹4,004

182.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,948 ₹469.8K

$1,576 ₹149.6K

214.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.37 ₹3,453

$25.37 ₹2,409

43.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.71 ₹3,675

$25.52 ₹2,423

51.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 ₹5,196

$53.2 ₹5,047

2.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.03 ₹4,560

$32.85 ₹3,119

46.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₹60.7K

$135 ₹12.8K

375.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 ₹35.3K

$79.7 ₹7,570

366.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 ₹198.7K

$433 ₹41.1K

383.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 ₹87.8K

$264 ₹25.0K

250.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,706 ₹541.7K

$987 ₹93.7K

477.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,560 ₹243.0K

$440 ₹41.8K

481.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ₹71.9K

$363 ₹34.4K

108.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.29

9.59

-13.56%

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

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

Last update for Madurai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7%

Madurai

$80 19.2% 78.5% $292

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4%

Madurai

$129 31% 10.3% $12

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8%

Madurai

$75 18% 33.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8%

Madurai

$62 14.8% 23% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3%

Madurai

$36 8.6% 52.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8%

Madurai

$21 5.1% 55.1% $26

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2%

Madurai

$14 3.4% 46.7% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $135 in Madurai. 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: $21 in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $10 in Madurai. Groceries flip the comparison at $117 vs $129, with Mumbai (Bombay) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 Madurai

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

Same time as Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

1,700,000

💱 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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Between locations

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

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
Madurai

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 Madurai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay in Mumbai (Bombay) is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $640 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $135 in Madurai. 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.