Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index

Jump to prices

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $813 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $383 in Varkala.

Mumbai (Bombay) $813
Varkala $383

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $611 in Varkala.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352
Varkala $611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,891 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $839 in Varkala.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891
Varkala $839

Living in Mumbai (Bombay) is roughly 112% more expensive than in Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower, Varkala 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 ₹508

$2.30 ₹219

132.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.87 ₹1,985

$10.55 ₹1,003

97.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₹388

$3.55 ₹338

14.93%

Cappuccino

$2.78 ₹264

$1.51 ₹143

84.11%

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

$0.40 ₹38.30

$0.40 ₹38.47

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.44

$0.17 ₹15.96

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 ₹251

$1.78 ₹169

48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 ₹404

$3.07 ₹292

38.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 ₹70.7

$0.71 ₹67.8

4.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 ₹51.4

$0.45 ₹42.48

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₹74.2

$0.67 ₹64.0

16.42%

Eggs

$1.00 ₹95.2

$0.94 ₹89.6

6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.61 ₹534

$5.02 ₹477

11.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₹340

$3.04 ₹289

17.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₹206

$2.03 ₹193

6.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.9

$0.75 ₹71.0

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 ₹115

$0.94 ₹89.7

28.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.41

$0.54 ₹51.7

-9.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.76

$0.36 ₹33.86

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.59

$0.46 ₹43.33

-19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.85

$0.45 ₹43.05

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.69

$0.31 ₹29.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.00 ₹476

$3.98 ₹379

25.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹793

$7.30 ₹694

14.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₹190

$1.71 ₹162

16.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₹297

$2.86 ₹272

9.09%

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

$6.01 ₹571

$5.52 ₹525

8.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.98

$0.28 ₹26.44

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.90 ₹656

$8.50 ₹808

-18.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 ₹29.89

$0.84 ₹79.9

-63.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ₹29.46

$0.25 ₹23.76

24.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$1.49 ₹141

8.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$1.17 ₹111

-5.98%

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

$15.6K ₹1.5M

$13.8K ₹1.3M

12.83%

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

$22.4K ₹2.1M

$21.9K ₹2.1M

2.38%

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

$61.9 ₹5,882

$38.84 ₹3,694

59.24%

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

$4.52 ₹430

$3.53 ₹335

28.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.97 ₹853

$7.21 ₹686

24.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 ₹3,530

$16.07 ₹1,528

130.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 ₹1,342

$7.04 ₹670

100.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₹476

$2.86 ₹272

75.17%

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

$119 ₹11.3K

$50.6 ₹4,810

135.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,948 ₹470.6K

$1,531 ₹145.6K

223.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.37 ₹3,459

$24.03 ₹2,286

51.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.71 ₹3,681

$24.85 ₹2,364

55.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 ₹5,205

$42.77 ₹4,068

27.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.03 ₹4,568

$30.58 ₹2,909

57.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₹60.8K

$122 ₹11.6K

422.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 ₹35.3K

$75.1 ₹7,138

395.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 ₹199.0K

$275 ₹26.1K

661.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 ₹87.9K

$182 ₹17.3K

409.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,706 ₹542.6K

$1,076 ₹102.3K

430.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,560 ₹243.5K

$611 ₹58.1K

319.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ₹72.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.29

8.67

-4.38%

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

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

Last update for Varkala: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7%

Varkala

$75 19.6% 79.8% $297

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4%

Varkala

$106 27.6% 9.6% $11

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8%

Varkala

$64 16.8% 42.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8%

Varkala

$55 14.3% 31.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3%

Varkala

$50 12.9% 34.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8%

Varkala

$22 5.7% 53.8% $25

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 22.4% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $122 in Varkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21 in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $11 in Varkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $117 vs $106 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

16:40 4:40 PM

Same time as Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

50,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mumbai (Bombay) Varkala 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mumbai (Bombay) and Varkala differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($813 vs $383 including rent). Varkala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,220 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $575 in Varkala to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $640 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $122 in Varkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Mumbai (Bombay). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Varkala – a meal for two runs $11 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 Varkala 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.