Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Patna and Kolkata (Calcutta)

For one person, living is cheaper in Patna: $368 a month against $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Patna
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Patna Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index

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Patna

🇮🇳 India

$368

/mo nomad

Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Patna and in Kolkata (Calcutta)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Patna and in Kolkata (Calcutta) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $368 in Patna versus $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Patna $368
Kolkata (Calcutta) $434

Estimated couple costs with rent: $605 in Patna versus $691 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Patna $605
Kolkata (Calcutta) $691

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $842 in Patna versus $948 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Patna $842
Kolkata (Calcutta) $948

Living in Patna costs roughly 15% less than in Kolkata (Calcutta), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Patna 73% lower, Kolkata (Calcutta) 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₹194

$2.08 ₹198

-1.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.33 ₹889

$13.98 ₹1,331

-33.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.06 ₹291

$4.15 ₹396

-26.27%

Cappuccino

$1.65 ₹157

$1.66 ₹158

-0.60%

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

$0.35 ₹33.79

$0.45 ₹42.81

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹16.25

$0.12 ₹11.15

41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 ₹181

$1.95 ₹185

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 ₹572

$3.01 ₹286

99.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹57.4

$0.67 ₹63.6

-10.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 ₹41.03

$0.50 ₹47.66

-14.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.2

$0.74 ₹70.4

-28.38%

Eggs

$0.95 ₹90.6

$1.08 ₹103

-12.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.73 ₹641

$5.20 ₹495

29.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.17 ₹206

$3.00 ₹286

-27.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 ₹129

$2.42 ₹230

-44.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ₹64.8

$0.81 ₹77.2

-16.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 ₹100.0

$1.36 ₹130

-22.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.78

$0.66 ₹62.7

-31.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.33 ₹31.27

$0.30 ₹28.74

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.78

$0.47 ₹44.96

4.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹41.81

$0.31 ₹29.09

41.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.64

$0.28 ₹26.90

3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 ₹486

$5.10 ₹485

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 ₹602

$10.36 ₹986

-39.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₹151

$1.76 ₹168

-9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₹198

$2.82 ₹268

-26.24%

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

$6.63 ₹631

$7.01 ₹668

-5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₹31.50

$0.18 ₹16.71

83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.82 ₹459

$3.12 ₹297

54.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₹122

$0.81 ₹76.9

58.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.16 ₹15.17

$0.31 ₹29.28

-48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ₹202

$1.61 ₹153

31.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹104

$1.10 ₹105

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$13.1K ₹1.3M

-15.17%

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

$27.0K ₹2.6M

$23.3K ₹2.2M

16.23%

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

$44.79 ₹4,264

$52.5 ₹5,001

-14.72%

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

$2.94 ₹279

$5.16 ₹492

-43.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.46 ₹615

$7.36 ₹701

-12.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.52 ₹2,049

$15.76 ₹1,500

36.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.17 ₹1,159

$11.45 ₹1,091

6.29%

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 ₹322

$3.19 ₹304

5.96%

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

$54.5 ₹5,191

$43.26 ₹4,119

26.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,713 ₹163.1K

$1,997 ₹190.2K

-14.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.86 ₹2,272

$27.19 ₹2,589

-12.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.25 ₹2,785

$26.01 ₹2,477

12.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.98 ₹3,616

$35.95 ₹3,423

5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.04 ₹3,241

$29.01 ₹2,762

17.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$82.0 ₹7,804

$167 ₹15.9K

-50.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.1 ₹5,343

$103 ₹9,830

-45.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ₹26.6K

$392 ₹37.3K

-28.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ₹17.6K

$241 ₹22.9K

-23.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,195 ₹113.8K

$1,097 ₹104.5K

8.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$564 ₹53.7K

$612 ₹58.2K

-7.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$342 ₹32.5K

$379 ₹36.1K

-9.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

9.08

4.19%

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

Last update for Patna: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Patna

$97 26.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$117 27% 21.1% $20

Eating Out

Patna

$69 18.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$67 15.5% 2.6% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Patna

$56 15.3%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$53 12.3% 5.6% $3.1

Accommodation & Living

Patna

$56 15.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$103 23.8% 84% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Patna

$54 14.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15% 20% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Patna

$28 7.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$22 5.1% 21.7% $6.1

Getting Around

Patna

$8.2 2.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6.2 1.4% 24.8% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $82 in Patna and $167 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kolkata (Calcutta) pays 11% 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: $9 in Patna vs $14 in Kolkata (Calcutta) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96 vs $117 per month, with Patna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Patna

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

Same time as Patna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

4,486,679

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Patna vs Kolkata (Calcutta): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Patna wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Patna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Patna. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $82 in Patna versus $167 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $368 per month in Patna versus $434 in Kolkata (Calcutta) – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kolkata (Calcutta) runs roughly 35% less than in Patna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Patna 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 – Patna wins on affordability, Kolkata (Calcutta) on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.