Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram: $391 a month against $782 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Thiruvananthapuram
🇮🇳 India
$391
/mo nomad
Mumbai (Bombay)
🇮🇳 India
$782
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thiruvananthapuram 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 Thiruvananthapuram and in Mumbai (Bombay) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $391 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $782 in Mumbai (Bombay).

  • Thiruvananthapuram $391
  • Mumbai (Bombay) $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $615 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $1,299 in Mumbai (Bombay).

  • Thiruvananthapuram $615
  • Mumbai (Bombay) $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $840 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $1,816 in Mumbai (Bombay).

  • Thiruvananthapuram $840
  • Mumbai (Bombay) $1,816

Living in Thiruvananthapuram costs roughly 50% less than in Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Thiruvananthapuram 71% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.53 ₹240
$5.38 ₹511
-52.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.30 ₹978
$20.76 ₹1,971
-50.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.56 ₹338
$4.19 ₹398
-15.04%
Cappuccino
$1.83 ₹174
$2.74 ₹260
-33.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ₹37.90
$0.41 ₹38.77
-2.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.19 ₹18.28
$0.16 ₹15.04
18.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.04 ₹194
$2.59 ₹246
-21.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 ₹254
$4.17 ₹396
-35.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.56 ₹53.5
$0.75 ₹71.2
-25.33%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 ₹50.3
$0.53 ₹50.5
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.56 ₹53.3
$0.73 ₹69.6
-23.29%
Eggs
$0.88 ₹83.1
$0.96 ₹91.4
-8.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.43 ₹516
$5.52 ₹524
-1.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.69 ₹255
$3.58 ₹340
-24.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.21 ₹210
$2.14 ₹203
3.27%
Banana (1kg)
$0.81 ₹77.3
$0.69 ₹65.5
17.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.15 ₹109
$1.23 ₹116
-6.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.45 ₹43.04
$0.46 ₹43.77
-2.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.44 ₹41.89
$0.36 ₹34.24
22.22%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 ₹46.16
$0.39 ₹37.12
25.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 ₹53.8
$0.40 ₹38.05
42.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₹28.81
$0.31 ₹29.46
-3.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.47 ₹424
$5.10 ₹485
-12.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.36 ₹509
$8.12 ₹771
-33.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 ₹167
$1.95 ₹185
-10.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 ₹292
$3.18 ₹302
-3.46%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$4.76 ₹452
$6.17 ₹586
-22.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ₹18.96
$0.20 ₹18.99
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$2.91 ₹276
$5.39 ₹512
-46.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 ₹160
$0.31 ₹29.39
441.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.25 ₹23.54
$0.29 ₹28.01
-13.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.58 ₹245
$1.59 ₹151
62.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ₹105
$1.10 ₹104
0.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$13.7K ₹1.3M
$15.9K ₹1.5M
-13.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K ₹2.9M
$22.7K ₹2.2M
35.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$35.03 ₹3,327
$61.6 ₹5,846
-43.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.42 ₹325
$4.25 ₹404
-19.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.76 ₹737
$9.01 ₹855
-13.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$14.02 ₹1,332
$27.24 ₹2,587
-48.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.77 ₹737
$13.31 ₹1,264
-41.62%
Cinema Ticket
$2.11 ₹201
$4.38 ₹416
-51.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.77 ₹3,587
$116 ₹11.0K
-67.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,091 ₹198.5K
$4,968 ₹471.7K
-57.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.80 ₹2,071
$37.16 ₹3,529
-41.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.95 ₹1,705
$39.88 ₹3,787
-54.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.91 ₹3,505
$55.9 ₹5,307
-33.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.57 ₹2,618
$48.19 ₹4,576
-42.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$175 ₹16.6K
$611 ₹58.0K
-71.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$98.9 ₹9,390
$354 ₹33.6K
-72.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$361 ₹34.3K
$1,829 ₹173.7K
-80.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$214 ₹20.3K
$877 ₹83.3K
-75.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$851 ₹80.8K
$5,877 ₹558.0K
-85.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$453 ₹43.0K
$2,448 ₹232.4K
-81.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thiruvananthapuram
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$241 ₹22.9K
$758 ₹72.0K
-68.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.31
8.29
24.37%

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

Last update for Thiruvananthapuram: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Thiruvananthapuram
$103
Mumbai (Bombay)
$116 12.2% $13
Accommodation & Living
Thiruvananthapuram
$99
Mumbai (Bombay)
$354 258% $255
Eating Out
Thiruvananthapuram
$71
Mumbai (Bombay)
$112 58.2% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Thiruvananthapuram
$47
Mumbai (Bombay)
$82 73.7% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thiruvananthapuram
$46
Mumbai (Bombay)
$75 61.9% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Thiruvananthapuram
$18
Mumbai (Bombay)
$36 97.2% $18
Getting Around
Thiruvananthapuram
$6.6
Mumbai (Bombay)
$8 20.4% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $175 in Thiruvananthapuram and $611 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 215% 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: $10.00 in Thiruvananthapuram vs $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $103 vs $116 per month, with Thiruvananthapuram cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Thiruvananthapuram
🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)
🕒 Local time
19:14 7:14 PM
19:14 7:14 PM
Same time as Thiruvananthapuram
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
744,983
12,442,373
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Thiruvananthapuram Mumbai (Bombay) 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thiruvananthapuram
  • Mumbai (Bombay)

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Thiruvananthapuram vs Mumbai (Bombay): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Thiruvananthapuram and in Mumbai (Bombay)?
Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai (Bombay) differ by about 100% in total monthly costs ($391 vs $782 including rent). Thiruvananthapuram is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 215% lower in Mumbai (Bombay). That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Thiruvananthapuram and in Mumbai (Bombay)?
Rent for a central apartment: $175 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $611 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Mumbai (Bombay). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Thiruvananthapuram – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How far does $800 go in Thiruvananthapuram compared to Mumbai (Bombay)?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Thiruvananthapuram gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai (Bombay)?
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.
Is Thiruvananthapuram or Mumbai (Bombay) safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai (Bombay) are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Thiruvananthapuram or Mumbai (Bombay)?
Expats usually find Thiruvananthapuram gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Mumbai (Bombay). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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