Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Ratlam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratlam: $316 a month against $811 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Ratlam
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Ratlam Living Index

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Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$811

/mo nomad

Ratlam

🇮🇳 India

$316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $316 in Ratlam.

Mumbai (Bombay) $811
Ratlam $316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,402 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $464 in Ratlam.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,402
Ratlam $464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,992 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $612 in Ratlam.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,992
Ratlam $612

Living in Mumbai (Bombay) is roughly 157% more expensive than in Ratlam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower, Ratlam 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 ₹485

$2.17 ₹205

135.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.54 ₹2,515

$6.47 ₹613

310.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₹371

$2.57 ₹244

52.53%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ₹271

$1.53 ₹145

86.93%

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

$0.40 ₹38.24

$0.35 ₹33.19

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.72

$0.16 ₹15.02

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 ₹257

$2.04 ₹193

32.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₹409

$3.24 ₹307

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 ₹70.2

$0.60 ₹57.1

23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.07

$0.43 ₹40.73

20.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ₹71.5

$0.69 ₹65.1

8.70%

Eggs

$1.02 ₹96.4

$0.92 ₹87.3

10.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.73 ₹543

$4.90 ₹464

16.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ₹345

$2.17 ₹206

67.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ₹225

$2.06 ₹195

15.05%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.6

$0.41 ₹38.64

68.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 ₹118

$1.03 ₹97.2

21.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.95

$0.40 ₹37.80

17.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.44

$0.16 ₹14.89

112.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.49

$0.22 ₹20.88

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹40.57

$0.22 ₹20.85

95.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.80

$0.33 ₹31.69

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₹469

$2.62 ₹248

88.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 ₹798

$7.72 ₹731

9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₹188

$1.64 ₹155

21.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹301

$2.48 ₹235

28.23%

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

$6.04 ₹572

$5.73 ₹543

5.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.63 ₹533

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 ₹34.76

$0.72 ₹67.9

-48.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.49

$0.16 ₹14.73

106.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ₹130

$1.29 ₹122

6.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₹106

$1.11 ₹105

0.90%

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

$15.7K ₹1.5M

$21.0K ₹2.0M

-25.16%

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

$22.8K ₹2.2M

$22.7K ₹2.1M

0.71%

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

$69.6 ₹6,591

$25.89 ₹2,453

168.71%

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

$4.35 ₹412

$4.33 ₹410

0.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.11 ₹863

$5.21 ₹493

74.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.44 ₹3,546

$5.16 ₹489

625.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.26 ₹1,351

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 ₹417

$3.15 ₹299

39.68%

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

$118 ₹11.2K

$65.6 ₹6,216

80.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,043 ₹572.5K

$989 ₹93.7K

511.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.60 ₹3,278

$7.44 ₹705

365.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.28 ₹3,816

$8.44 ₹799

377.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.2 ₹4,948

$16.07 ₹1,523

225.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.71 ₹4,425

$26.54 ₹2,514

76.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 ₹57.7K

$126 ₹11.9K

384.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ₹34.5K

$83.6 ₹7,916

336.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 ₹205.5K

$157 ₹14.9K

1278.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 ₹94.3K

$131 ₹12.4K

657.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,687 ₹538.7K

$2,295 ₹217.4K

147.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,662 ₹252.1K

$677 ₹64.1K

293.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$717 ₹68.0K

$385 ₹36.4K

86.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.26

8.73

-5.38%

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

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): November 2, 2026

Last update for Ratlam: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mumbai (Bombay)

$364 45%

Ratlam

$84 26.5% 77.1% $281

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$119 14.7%

Ratlam

$96 30.2% 19.6% $23

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$111 13.8%

Ratlam

$62 19.7% 44.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$83 10.2%

Ratlam

$35 11.2% 57.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$78 9.7%

Ratlam

$26 8.3% 66.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$46 5.7%

Ratlam

$11 3.6% 75.2% $35

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8.5 1.1%

Ratlam

$1.5 * 0.5% 82.6% $7

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 $609 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $126 in Ratlam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 87% 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: $27 in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $6 in Ratlam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $119 vs $96 per month, with Ratlam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 Ratlam

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

Same time as Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

100,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mumbai (Bombay) Ratlam 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
Ratlam

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 Ratlam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $811 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $316 in Ratlam, so Ratlam is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% 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: $609 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $126 in Ratlam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $118 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $66 in Ratlam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ratlam – a meal for two runs $6 versus $27 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 Ratlam 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 – Ratlam wins on affordability, Mumbai (Bombay) on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.