Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Kanpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $290 a month against $346 in Kanpur, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Kanpur
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Kanpur Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$290

/mo nomad

Kanpur

🇮🇳 India

$346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varanasi and in Kanpur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $290 in Varanasi versus $346 in Kanpur.

Varanasi $290
Kanpur $346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $475 in Varanasi versus $557 in Kanpur.

Varanasi $475
Kanpur $557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $661 in Varanasi versus $767 in Kanpur.

Varanasi $661
Kanpur $767

Living in Varanasi costs roughly 16% less than in Kanpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Varanasi 79% lower, Kanpur 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 ₹174

$2.12 ₹202

-13.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.76 ₹739

$8.61 ₹820

-9.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.19 ₹303

$3.22 ₹306

-0.93%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

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

$0.42 ₹39.71

$0.32 ₹30.59

31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ₹9.99

$0.10 ₹9.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 ₹147

$1.27 ₹121

21.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₹196

$2.70 ₹257

-23.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.3

$0.74 ₹70.7

-17.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.62

$0.48 ₹45.60

-35.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.7

$0.76 ₹72.4

-30.26%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹80.2

$0.84 ₹80.0

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.14 ₹299

$3.56 ₹339

-11.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹203

$2.48 ₹237

-14.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 ₹130

$1.59 ₹152

-14.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 ₹63.0

$0.60 ₹56.7

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ₹91.0

$0.99 ₹94.0

-3.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.04

$0.50 ₹47.14

-36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.67

$0.26 ₹24.78

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.77

$0.39 ₹36.71

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹43.03

$0.47 ₹45.21

-4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.79

$0.28 ₹26.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ₹305

$4.72 ₹450

-32.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 ₹546

$7.14 ₹680

-19.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹151

$1.56 ₹149

1.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₹181

$2.37 ₹225

-19.83%

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

$4.12 ₹392

$6.43 ₹612

-35.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹51.9

$0.43 ₹40.95

25.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.74 ₹927

$6.40 ₹609

52.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.26 ₹24.91

$0.71 ₹67.6

-63.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.11 ₹10.03

$0.28 ₹26.88

-60.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.06 ₹101

0.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.10 ₹105

0.91%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

0.75%

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

$21.8K ₹2.1M

$19.6K ₹1.9M

11.52%

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

$12.55 ₹1,195

$43.68 ₹4,160

-71.27%

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

$3.62 ₹344

$3.22 ₹307

12.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.04 ₹670

$5.46 ₹520

28.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.58 ₹1,197

$13.56 ₹1,291

-7.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.22 ₹592

Cinema Ticket

$3.02 ₹288

$3.11 ₹297

-2.89%

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

$38.76 ₹3,691

$54.1 ₹5,151

-28.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$990 ₹94.3K

$6,113 ₹582.0K

-83.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.78 ₹2,169

$25.13 ₹2,393

-9.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.17 ₹2,397

$28.41 ₹2,705

-11.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.77 ₹3,597

$36.97 ₹3,521

2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.59 ₹2,437

$15.70 ₹1,495

62.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₹10.6K

$103 ₹9,779

8.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.39 ₹4,513

$63.3 ₹6,028

-25.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₹18.5K

$292 ₹27.8K

-33.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 ₹13.1K

$180 ₹17.1K

-23.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$571 ₹54.4K

$932 ₹88.8K

-38.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$345 ₹32.8K

$594 ₹56.5K

-41.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$571 ₹54.4K

$302 ₹28.8K

88.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

8.55

-0.23%

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

Last update for Varanasi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kanpur: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$81 27.8%

Kanpur

$93 27% 15.8% $13

Eating Out

Varanasi

$57 19.7%

Kanpur

$59 17.1% 3.6% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$50 17.3%

Kanpur

$48 13.8% 4.6% $2.3

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16.4%

Kanpur

$63 18.3% 33.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 8%

Kanpur

$52 15.1% 126% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$19 6.4%

Kanpur

$20 5.7% 6.3% $1.2

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.4%

Kanpur

$10 3% 19.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $111 in Varanasi and $103 in Kanpur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varanasi pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8 in Varanasi vs $9 in Kanpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $81 vs $93 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇮🇳 Kanpur

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

Same time as Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

2,767,031

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Varanasi vs Kanpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 89% higher in Varanasi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $111 in Varanasi versus $103 in Kanpur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $39 in Varanasi versus $54 in Kanpur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Kanpur. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Varanasi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.