Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat and Chandigarh

For one person, living is cheaper in Chandigarh: $488 a month against $799 in Surat, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Chandigarh
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Chandigarh Living Index

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Surat

🇮🇳 India

$799

/mo nomad

Chandigarh

🇮🇳 India

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surat and in Chandigarh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $799 in Surat versus $488 in Chandigarh.

Surat $799
Chandigarh $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $853 in Surat versus $788 in Chandigarh.

Surat $853
Chandigarh $788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $906 in Surat versus $1,088 in Chandigarh.

Surat $906
Chandigarh $1,088

Living in Surat is roughly 64% more expensive than in Chandigarh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surat 41% lower, Chandigarh 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 ₹298

$3.20 ₹304

-1.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.59 ₹1,005

$13.68 ₹1,298

-22.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.22 ₹305

$4.11 ₹390

-21.65%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₹167

$2.69 ₹256

-34.57%

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

$0.39 ₹37.13

$0.44 ₹41.49

-11.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.58

$0.25 ₹23.78

-44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 ₹305

$2.15 ₹204

49.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 ₹322

$3.17 ₹301

6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 ₹68.1

$0.73 ₹69.4

-1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹43.78

$0.52 ₹49.17

-11.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ₹68.5

$0.81 ₹77.3

-11.11%

Eggs

$0.90 ₹85.5

$0.91 ₹86.3

-1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 ₹439

$4.93 ₹468

-6.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ₹260

$2.84 ₹270

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₹158

$1.64 ₹156

1.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 ₹54.5

$0.75 ₹70.9

-24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 ₹71.9

$1.06 ₹101

-28.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ₹52.2

$0.67 ₹63.8

-17.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.78

$0.28 ₹26.53

39.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ₹40.99

$0.34 ₹32.38

26.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₹44.15

$0.67 ₹63.4

-31.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.04

$0.30 ₹28.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₹469

$4.97 ₹472

-0.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 ₹742

$11.43 ₹1,085

-31.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₹177

$1.67 ₹158

11.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ₹289

$2.81 ₹266

8.54%

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

$6.18 ₹587

$6.55 ₹622

-5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.98

$0.25 ₹23.60

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.21 ₹305

$4.58 ₹435

-29.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 ₹53.5

$1.08 ₹102

-48.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₹20.90

$0.25 ₹23.90

-12.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$1.66 ₹158

-34.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₹108

$1.09 ₹103

3.67%

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

$11.4K ₹1.1M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

1.45%

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

$18.3K ₹1.7M

$25.0K ₹2.4M

-26.66%

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

$36.87 ₹3,500

$38.21 ₹3,627

-3.51%

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

$3.56 ₹338

$4.08 ₹388

-12.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.44 ₹706

$6.52 ₹619

14.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.56 ₹1,762

$25.72 ₹2,442

-27.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.45 ₹517

$8.08 ₹767

-32.55%

Cinema Ticket

$2.98 ₹283

$3.13 ₹297

-4.79%

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

$32.79 ₹3,113

$57.7 ₹5,480

-43.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$937 ₹89.0K

$2,480 ₹235.4K

-62.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 ₹2,151

$26.87 ₹2,551

-15.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.76 ₹2,350

$25.26 ₹2,398

-1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.73 ₹3,867

$57.6 ₹5,468

-29.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.31 ₹3,068

$44.40 ₹4,215

-27.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 ₹19.8K

$171 ₹16.3K

21.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$484 ₹46.0K

$127 ₹12.1K

281.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 ₹36.7K

$482 ₹45.8K

-19.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ₹22.9K

$309 ₹29.3K

-21.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$645 ₹61.2K

$1,868 ₹177.4K

-65.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$364 ₹34.5K

$1,025 ₹97.4K

-64.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$319 ₹30.3K

$437 ₹41.5K

-26.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

14.63%

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

Last update for Surat: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chandigarh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surat

$484 60.6%

Chandigarh

$127 26% 73.8% $357

Groceries & Markets

Surat

$102 12.8%

Chandigarh

$113 23.2% 11.2% $11

Eating Out

Surat

$81 10.1%

Chandigarh

$90 18.5% 11.6% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Surat

$54 6.8%

Chandigarh

$69 14.2% 28% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat

$48 6%

Chandigarh

$49 10% 2% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Surat

$25 3.1%

Chandigarh

$32 6.6% 30.5% $7.5

Getting Around

Surat

$5.7 0.7%

Chandigarh

$7.9 1.6% 39.3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $208 in Surat and $171 in Chandigarh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chandigarh pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11 in Surat vs $14 in Chandigarh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $113 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Surat

🇮🇳 Chandigarh

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

Same time as Surat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,936,534

1,028,667

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Surat Chandigarh 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Surat
Chandigarh

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

Surat vs Chandigarh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chandigarh wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Surat. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chandigarh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Surat. 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: $208 in Surat versus $171 in Chandigarh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Surat runs roughly 30% less than in Chandigarh. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $33 in Surat versus $58 in Chandigarh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Safety-wise, Surat and Chandigarh are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.