Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat and Kolkata (Calcutta)

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $428 a month against $812 in Surat, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index
21

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

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Surat

🇮🇳 India

$812

/mo nomad

Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surat 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 Surat and in Kolkata (Calcutta) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $812 in Surat versus $428 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Surat $812
Kolkata (Calcutta) $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $842 in Surat versus $676 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Surat $842
Kolkata (Calcutta) $676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $873 in Surat versus $924 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Surat $873
Kolkata (Calcutta) $924

Living in Surat is roughly 90% more expensive than in Kolkata (Calcutta), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surat 40% lower, Kolkata (Calcutta) 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 ₹307

$2.10 ₹200

53.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.58 ₹1,005

$14.69 ₹1,395

-27.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 ₹295

$4.28 ₹406

-27.34%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₹169

$1.64 ₹156

8.54%

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

$0.35 ₹33.52

$0.45 ₹42.81

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₹14.97

$0.13 ₹12.23

23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 ₹296

$1.94 ₹184

60.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ₹320

$3.21 ₹305

4.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.9

$0.71 ₹67.6

-1.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 ₹44.17

$0.47 ₹44.41

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ₹67.9

$0.70 ₹66.9

2.86%

Eggs

$0.91 ₹86.2

$1.04 ₹98.6

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.60 ₹437

$5.20 ₹494

-11.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ₹264

$3.06 ₹291

-9.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ₹158

$2.39 ₹227

-30.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 ₹58.1

$0.83 ₹78.8

-26.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 ₹71.9

$1.47 ₹140

-48.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ₹51.4

$0.62 ₹58.8

-12.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.75

$0.30 ₹28.62

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹38.02

$0.44 ₹42.10

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹42.96

$0.34 ₹32.68

32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₹30.86

$0.28 ₹26.62

17.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 ₹484

$5.12 ₹486

-0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 ₹741

$10.30 ₹979

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ₹178

$1.83 ₹174

2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₹293

$2.81 ₹267

9.96%

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

$6.28 ₹596

$6.57 ₹624

-4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₹21.86

$0.16 ₹15.06

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.16 ₹490

$3.13 ₹297

64.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 ₹56.0

$0.66 ₹62.3

-10.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₹18.96

$0.32 ₹30.52

-37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$1.61 ₹153

-32.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹103

$1.11 ₹105

-1.80%

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

$12.0K ₹1.1M

$15.9K ₹1.5M

-24.26%

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

$18.4K ₹1.7M

$22.5K ₹2.1M

-18.41%

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

$35.99 ₹3,418

$52.9 ₹5,021

-31.93%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$4.97 ₹472

-27.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.21 ₹685

$7.30 ₹693

-1.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.30 ₹1,738

$15.66 ₹1,487

16.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.26 ₹499

$11.55 ₹1,097

-54.46%

Cinema Ticket

$2.92 ₹277

$3.42 ₹325

-14.62%

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

$33.17 ₹3,150

$47.35 ₹4,497

-29.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$902 ₹85.6K

$2,072 ₹196.7K

-56.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.44 ₹2,131

$27.13 ₹2,576

-17.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.15 ₹2,294

$26.58 ₹2,524

-9.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.46 ₹3,937

$35.20 ₹3,343

17.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.05 ₹3,044

$28.34 ₹2,691

13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 ₹20.7K

$152 ₹14.5K

43.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$496 ₹47.1K

$96.3 ₹9,143

415.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₹35.4K

$393 ₹37.3K

-5.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 ₹19.5K

$212 ₹20.1K

-3.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 ₹63.5K

$1,115 ₹105.9K

-40.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$305 ₹29.0K

$597 ₹56.7K

-48.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$319 ₹30.2K

$392 ₹37.2K

-18.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

9.04

1.44%

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

Last update for Surat: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surat

$496 61.1%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$96 22.5% 80.6% $400

Groceries & Markets

Surat

$102 12.6%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$117 27.4% 14.8% $15

Eating Out

Surat

$81 10%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$68 15.8% 16.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Surat

$54 6.7%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$53 12.3% 2.4% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat

$47 5.8%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15.2% 39.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Surat

$24 3%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$23 5.3% 6.8% $1.6

Getting Around

Surat

$7.7 0.9%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6 1.4% 21.4% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Surat and $152 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kolkata (Calcutta) pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11.00 in Surat vs $15.00 in Kolkata (Calcutta) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $118 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Surat

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

Same time as Surat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,936,534

4,486,679

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Surat Kolkata (Calcutta) 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 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

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

Kolkata (Calcutta) wins on cost – living expenses run 90% lower than in Surat. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kolkata (Calcutta) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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: $218 in Surat versus $152 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $812 per month in Surat versus $428 in Kolkata (Calcutta) – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kolkata (Calcutta) runs roughly 65% less than in Surat. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Kolkata (Calcutta) 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.

Safety-wise, Surat and Kolkata (Calcutta) are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kolkata (Calcutta) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Surat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.