Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $289 a month against $782 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
38

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

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $289 in Varanasi versus $782 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Varanasi $289
Mumbai (Bombay) $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $476 in Varanasi versus $1,299 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Varanasi $476
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $663 in Varanasi versus $1,816 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Varanasi $663
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,816

Living in Varanasi costs roughly 63% less than in Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Varanasi 79% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.82 ₹173

$5.38 ₹511

-66.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.99 ₹759

$20.76 ₹1,971

-61.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.10 ₹295

$4.19 ₹398

-26.01%

Cappuccino

$1.57 ₹149

$2.74 ₹260

-42.70%

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

$0.41 ₹39.31

$0.41 ₹38.77

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.47

$0.16 ₹15.04

-31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ₹152

$2.59 ₹246

-38.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₹194

$4.17 ₹396

-51.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹58.5

$0.75 ₹71.2

-17.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.90

$0.53 ₹50.5

-41.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.5

$0.73 ₹69.6

-27.40%

Eggs

$0.81 ₹77.3

$0.96 ₹91.4

-15.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.20 ₹304

$5.52 ₹524

-42.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.19 ₹208

$3.58 ₹340

-38.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ₹133

$2.14 ₹203

-34.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 ₹57.3

$0.69 ₹65.5

-13.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ₹82.7

$1.23 ₹116

-29.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.20

$0.46 ₹43.77

-30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ₹21.68

$0.36 ₹34.24

-36.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.25 ₹23.77

$0.39 ₹37.12

-35.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹42.08

$0.40 ₹38.05

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.68

$0.31 ₹29.46

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 ₹303

$5.10 ₹485

-37.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₹553

$8.12 ₹771

-28.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹150

$1.95 ₹185

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₹178

$3.18 ₹302

-41.19%

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

$4.19 ₹398

$6.17 ₹586

-32.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ₹50.7

$0.20 ₹18.99

165.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.63 ₹914

$5.39 ₹512

78.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.26 ₹24.88

$0.31 ₹29.39

-16.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.10 ₹9.62

$0.29 ₹28.01

-65.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹96.9

$1.59 ₹151

-35.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹100

$1.10 ₹104

-4.55%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$15.9K ₹1.5M

-21.03%

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

$21.8K ₹2.1M

$22.7K ₹2.2M

-4.15%

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

$12.47 ₹1,185

$61.6 ₹5,846

-79.74%

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

$3.66 ₹348

$4.25 ₹404

-13.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.98 ₹663

$9.01 ₹855

-22.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.63 ₹1,199

$27.24 ₹2,587

-53.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.31 ₹1,264

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 ₹271

$4.38 ₹416

-34.70%

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

$38.92 ₹3,696

$116 ₹11.0K

-66.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,003 ₹95.2K

$4,968 ₹471.7K

-79.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.70 ₹2,156

$37.16 ₹3,529

-38.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.30 ₹2,403

$39.88 ₹3,787

-36.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.80 ₹3,589

$55.9 ₹5,307

-32.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.24 ₹2,397

$48.19 ₹4,576

-47.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₹10.5K

$611 ₹58.0K

-81.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.37 ₹4,499

$354 ₹33.6K

-86.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$196 ₹18.6K

$1,829 ₹173.7K

-89.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 ₹13.3K

$877 ₹83.3K

-83.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$569 ₹54.0K

$5,877 ₹558.0K

-90.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$333 ₹31.6K

$2,448 ₹232.4K

-86.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$578 ₹54.9K

$758 ₹72.0K

-23.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

8.29

2.90%

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

Last update for Varanasi: October 11, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$81 27.9%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$116 14.8% 43.5% $35

Eating Out

Varanasi

$57 19.7%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 14.3% 97.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$50 17.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$82 10.4% 63.1% $32

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16.4%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$354 45.3% 648% $307

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.6% 224% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$18 6.4%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$36 4.6% 96.2% $18

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8 1% 36.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $111 in Varanasi and $611 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 31% 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: $8.00 in Varanasi vs $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $81.0 vs $116 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

Same time as Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

12,442,373

💱 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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Between locations

Varanasi Mumbai (Bombay) 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Varanasi
Mumbai (Bombay)

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

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

Varanasi and Mumbai (Bombay) differ by about 171% in total monthly costs ($289 vs $782 including rent). Varanasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $111 in Varanasi versus $611 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Mumbai (Bombay). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Varanasi – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

Expats usually find Varanasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 171% less than in Mumbai (Bombay). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.