Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Salem: $353 a month against $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Salem
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Salem Living Index

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Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Salem

🇮🇳 India

$353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $813 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $353 in Salem.

Mumbai (Bombay) $813
Salem $353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $561 in Salem.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352
Salem $561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,891 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $768 in Salem.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891
Salem $768

Living in Mumbai (Bombay) is roughly 130% more expensive than in Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower, Salem 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 ₹509

$2.13 ₹203

151.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.87 ₹1,988

$7.27 ₹692

187.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₹388

$3.72 ₹354

9.68%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ₹264

$1.26 ₹120

120.63%

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

$0.40 ₹38.34

$0.44 ₹41.93

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.46

$0.17 ₹16.37

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 ₹252

$2.16 ₹205

22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 ₹405

$4.76 ₹453

-10.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 ₹70.7

$0.54 ₹51.3

37.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 ₹51.5

$0.44 ₹42.30

22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₹74.3

$0.55 ₹52.6

41.82%

Eggs

$1.00 ₹95.3

$0.73 ₹70.0

36.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.61 ₹534

$4.96 ₹472

13.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₹341

$2.54 ₹242

40.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₹206

$2.03 ₹194

6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹66.0

$0.69 ₹66.2

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 ₹115

$1.42 ₹135

-14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.46

$0.38 ₹35.76

28.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.80

$0.38 ₹36.19

-13.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.63

$0.47 ₹44.54

-21.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.91

$0.25 ₹23.95

76.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.73

$0.29 ₹27.58

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.00 ₹476

$5.02 ₹478

-0.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹794

$3.02 ₹288

176.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₹190

$1.38 ₹132

44.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₹297

$2.11 ₹201

47.87%

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

$6.01 ₹572

$3.70 ₹352

62.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹19.01

$0.22 ₹20.99

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.90 ₹657

$9.63 ₹917

-28.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 ₹29.93

$1.02 ₹97.5

-69.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ₹29.50

$0.11 ₹10.91

181.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹154

$1.02 ₹97.4

57.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.08 ₹103

1.85%

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

$15.6K ₹1.5M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

36.99%

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

$22.4K ₹2.1M

$18.9K ₹1.8M

18.44%

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

$61.9 ₹5,889

$53.4 ₹5,088

15.76%

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

$4.52 ₹430

$2.80 ₹266

61.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.97 ₹854

$9.95 ₹948

-9.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 ₹3,534

$17.46 ₹1,663

112.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 ₹1,344

$9.44 ₹899

49.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₹477

$2.12 ₹202

136.32%

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

$119 ₹11.3K

$53.7 ₹5,117

121.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,948 ₹471.1K

$1,661 ₹158.2K

197.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.37 ₹3,463

$19.38 ₹1,845

87.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.71 ₹3,686

$14.28 ₹1,360

171.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 ₹5,211

$30.73 ₹2,926

78.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.03 ₹4,574

$26.95 ₹2,566

78.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₹60.9K

$102 ₹9,759

524.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 ₹35.4K

$58.0 ₹5,527

540.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 ₹199.3K

$264 ₹25.1K

692.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 ₹88.1K

$170 ₹16.2K

444.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,706 ₹543.3K

$1,297 ₹123.5K

339.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,560 ₹243.8K

$431 ₹41.1K

493.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ₹72.1K

$345 ₹32.9K

119.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.29

10.4

-20.29%

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

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

Last update for Salem: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7%

Salem

$58 16.4% 84.4% $314

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4%

Salem

$88 25% 24.7% $29

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8%

Salem

$66 18.7% 41.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8%

Salem

$41 11.6% 48.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3%

Salem

$66 18.7% 12.2% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8%

Salem

$22 6.1% 53.9% $25

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2%

Salem

$12 3.4% 26.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $102 in Salem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays about 2.2 times 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 in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $7 in Salem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $117 vs $88 per month, with Salem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 Salem

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

Same time as Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

831,038

💱 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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Between locations

Mumbai (Bombay) Salem 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
Salem

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 Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $813 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $353 in Salem, so Salem is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mumbai (Bombay) is about 2.2 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 $102 in Salem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Mumbai (Bombay). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Salem – a meal for two runs $7 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 Salem 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 – Salem wins on affordability, Mumbai (Bombay) on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.