Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index
39

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

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Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $383 in Varkala versus $813 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Varkala $383
Mumbai (Bombay) $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $611 in Varkala versus $1,352 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Varkala $611
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $839 in Varkala versus $1,891 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Varkala $839
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891

Living in Varkala costs roughly 53% less than in Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Varkala 72% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.30 ₹219

$5.35 ₹508

-57.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.55 ₹1,003

$20.87 ₹1,985

-49.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.55 ₹338

$4.08 ₹388

-12.99%

Cappuccino

$1.51 ₹143

$2.78 ₹264

-45.68%

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

$0.40 ₹38.47

$0.40 ₹38.30

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.96

$0.15 ₹14.44

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₹169

$2.64 ₹251

-32.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹292

$4.25 ₹404

-27.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹67.8

$0.74 ₹70.7

-4.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₹42.48

$0.54 ₹51.4

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ₹64.0

$0.78 ₹74.2

-14.10%

Eggs

$0.94 ₹89.6

$1.00 ₹95.2

-6.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.02 ₹477

$5.61 ₹534

-10.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ₹289

$3.58 ₹340

-15.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ₹193

$2.17 ₹206

-6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹71.0

$0.69 ₹65.9

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ₹89.7

$1.21 ₹115

-22.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ₹51.7

$0.49 ₹46.41

10.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹33.86

$0.33 ₹31.76

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.33

$0.37 ₹35.59

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹43.05

$0.44 ₹41.85

2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.93

$0.31 ₹29.69

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 ₹379

$5.00 ₹476

-20.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 ₹694

$8.34 ₹793

-12.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₹162

$1.99 ₹190

-14.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₹272

$3.12 ₹297

-8.33%

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

$5.52 ₹525

$6.01 ₹571

-8.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.44

$0.20 ₹18.98

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.50 ₹808

$6.90 ₹656

23.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₹79.9

$0.31 ₹29.89

170.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.76

$0.31 ₹29.46

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ₹141

$1.61 ₹153

-7.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₹111

$1.10 ₹105

6.36%

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

$13.8K ₹1.3M

$15.6K ₹1.5M

-11.37%

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

$21.9K ₹2.1M

$22.4K ₹2.1M

-2.33%

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

$38.84 ₹3,694

$61.9 ₹5,882

-37.20%

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

$3.53 ₹335

$4.52 ₹430

-21.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.21 ₹686

$8.97 ₹853

-19.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.07 ₹1,528

$37.11 ₹3,530

-56.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.04 ₹670

$14.11 ₹1,342

-50.11%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 ₹272

$5.01 ₹476

-42.91%

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

$50.6 ₹4,810

$119 ₹11.3K

-57.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,531 ₹145.6K

$4,948 ₹470.6K

-69.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.03 ₹2,286

$36.37 ₹3,459

-33.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.85 ₹2,364

$38.71 ₹3,681

-35.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.77 ₹4,068

$54.7 ₹5,205

-21.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.58 ₹2,909

$48.03 ₹4,568

-36.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ₹11.6K

$640 ₹60.8K

-80.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.1 ₹7,138

$372 ₹35.3K

-79.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₹26.1K

$2,093 ₹199.0K

-86.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ₹17.3K

$925 ₹87.9K

-80.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,076 ₹102.3K

$5,706 ₹542.6K

-81.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$611 ₹58.1K

$2,560 ₹243.5K

-76.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ₹72.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

8.29

4.58%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$106 27.6%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$117 14.4% 10.6% $11

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.6%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$372 45.7% 395% $297

Eating Out

Varkala

$64 16.8%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 13.8% 74.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 9.8% 45.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$50 12.9%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.3% 52% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$22 5.7%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$47 5.8% 116% $25

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$9.6 1.2% 18.3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $122 in Varkala and $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11 in Varkala vs $21 in Mumbai (Bombay) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $106 vs $117 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

Same time as Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

12,442,373

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Varkala Mumbai (Bombay) 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkala
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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

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

Varkala and Mumbai (Bombay) differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($383 vs $813 including rent). Varkala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $575 in Varkala and $1,220 in Mumbai (Bombay) to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $122 in Varkala versus $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Mumbai (Bombay). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Varkala – a meal for two runs $11 versus $21 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 Varkala 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.