Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sikkim and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Sikkim: $361 a month against $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Sikkim
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Sikkim Living Index
39

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

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Sikkim

🇮🇳 India

$361

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $361 in Sikkim versus $813 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Sikkim $361
Mumbai (Bombay) $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $584 in Sikkim versus $1,352 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Sikkim $584
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $808 in Sikkim versus $1,891 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Sikkim $808
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891

Living in Sikkim costs roughly 56% less than in Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sikkim 73% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₹194

$5.35 ₹508

-61.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.53 ₹1,001

$20.87 ₹1,985

-49.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.58 ₹341

$4.08 ₹388

-12.25%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ₹158

$2.78 ₹264

-40.29%

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

$0.38 ₹36.07

$0.40 ₹38.30

-5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.97

$0.15 ₹14.44

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$2.64 ₹251

-29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₹277

$4.25 ₹404

-31.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.6

$0.74 ₹70.7

-5.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.08

$0.54 ₹51.4

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.40 ₹38.03

$0.78 ₹74.2

-48.72%

Eggs

$1.47 ₹140

$1.00 ₹95.2

47.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.55 ₹432

$5.61 ₹534

-18.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.71 ₹258

$3.58 ₹340

-24.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ₹230

$2.17 ₹206

11.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 ₹63.0

$0.69 ₹65.9

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 ₹85.9

$1.21 ₹115

-25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.99

$0.49 ₹46.41

-6.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.38

$0.33 ₹31.76

48.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 ₹50.9

$0.37 ₹35.59

45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.08

$0.44 ₹41.85

-2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₹31.84

$0.31 ₹29.69

6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ₹218

$5.00 ₹476

-54.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.24 ₹403

$8.34 ₹793

-49.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₹116

$1.99 ₹190

-38.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₹253

$3.12 ₹297

-14.42%

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

$2.74 ₹261

$6.01 ₹571

-54.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.98

$0.20 ₹18.98

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.02 ₹763

$6.90 ₹656

16.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₹72.4

$0.31 ₹29.89

145.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.82

$0.31 ₹29.46

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ₹154

$1.61 ₹153

0.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₹102

$1.10 ₹105

-1.82%

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

$10.5K ₹998.7K

$15.6K ₹1.5M

-32.65%

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

$21.0K ₹2.0M

$22.4K ₹2.1M

-6.40%

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

$30.15 ₹2,867

$61.9 ₹5,882

-51.25%

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

$3.41 ₹324

$4.52 ₹430

-24.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.52 ₹620

$8.97 ₹853

-27.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.39 ₹1,369

$37.11 ₹3,530

-61.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.74 ₹641

$14.11 ₹1,342

-52.23%

Cinema Ticket

$2.98 ₹284

$5.01 ₹476

-40.52%

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

$46.08 ₹4,382

$119 ₹11.3K

-61.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,403 ₹133.5K

$4,948 ₹470.6K

-71.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.78 ₹2,071

$36.37 ₹3,459

-40.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.52 ₹2,237

$38.71 ₹3,681

-39.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.03 ₹3,617

$54.7 ₹5,205

-30.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.61 ₹2,721

$48.03 ₹4,568

-40.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$121 ₹11.5K

$640 ₹60.8K

-81.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.1 ₹7,423

$372 ₹35.3K

-79.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 ₹25.9K

$2,093 ₹199.0K

-87.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ₹17.8K

$925 ₹87.9K

-79.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$819 ₹77.8K

$5,706 ₹542.6K

-85.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$593 ₹56.4K

$2,560 ₹243.5K

-76.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 ₹44.5K

$757 ₹72.0K

-38.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.86

8.29

6.88%

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

Last update for Sikkim: October 25, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sikkim

$97 26.9%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4% 20.7% $20

Accommodation & Living

Sikkim

$78 21.6%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7% 376% $294

Eating Out

Sikkim

$64 17.8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8% 74.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Sikkim

$50 14%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8% 58.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sikkim

$40 11.1%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3% 88% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sikkim

$20 5.6%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8% 132% $27

Getting Around

Sikkim

$11 3.1%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2% 13.4% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $121 in Sikkim and $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 62% 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: $11 in Sikkim vs $21 in Mumbai (Bombay) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $97 vs $117 per month, with Sikkim cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Sikkim

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

Same time as Sikkim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

610,577

12,442,373

💱 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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Sikkim Mumbai (Bombay) 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sikkim vs Mumbai (Bombay): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sikkim and Mumbai (Bombay) differ by about 125% in total monthly costs ($361 vs $813 including rent). Sikkim is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Sikkim. 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: $121 in Sikkim versus $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Mumbai (Bombay). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sikkim – 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 $1,000 a month, though Sikkim 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 – Sikkim wins on affordability, Mumbai (Bombay) on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.