City vs City Cost of Living
Compare two Indian cities side-by-side on rent, groceries, utilities and overall cost of living.
Formula last reviewed 4 August 2026 · How we verify our calculators
Bangalore cost of living vs Mumbai
- Equivalent budget in Bangalore
- ₹90,000
- 1BHK rent difference
- -33.3%
- Cheaper overall
- Bangalore
| Monthly cost | Mumbai | Bangalore |
|---|---|---|
| 1BHK rent (city centre) | ₹45,000 | ₹30,000 |
| 2BHK rent (city centre) | ₹65,000 | ₹45,000 |
| Groceries (single) | ₹12,000 | ₹10,500 |
| Utilities | ₹4,500 | ₹4,200 |
| Transport | ₹3,500 | ₹3,200 |
| Internet & mobile | ₹1,200 | ₹1,100 |
Updates live as you type
Frequently asked questions
Each city has a Cost of Living Index relative to Mumbai (100). The percentage difference between two indices tells you how much pricier or cheaper one city is overall, and the table breaks it down by category.
It scales your current monthly budget by the ratio of the two indices, showing roughly how much you would need in City B to live the same way you do in City A.
Rent is usually the largest and most variable expense, and it often diverges from the overall index, so it deserves its own line for a fair comparison.
No — they are indicative 2025-26 ranges for planning. Real costs vary by neighbourhood and lifestyle, so verify locally before deciding.
Cheaper overall, but not on the one expense that matters most
Mumbai (index 100) versus Bangalore (index 90) on a ₹1,00,000 monthly budget puts the overall cost-of-living gap at −10% — Bangalore runs about a tenth cheaper across the board, and the same lifestyle costs roughly ₹90,000 there instead. But look at rent specifically: a 1BHK city-centre flat runs ₹45,000 in Mumbai against ₹30,000 in Bangalore — a −33% gap, three times larger than the overall difference. A city can be cheaper on average while diverging sharply on its single biggest expense, which is exactly why this calculator breaks rent out into its own line rather than folding it into one blended percentage.
What the index behind this comparison actually measures
Every city carries a Cost of Living Index set relative to Mumbai (100), and the headline percentage is simply the gap between two cities' indices. The category table underneath shows where that gap actually comes from — rent, groceries, utilities, transport, internet — since two cities can land on an identical overall index while differing sharply in how that cost is distributed across categories.
The practical question this answers
"If I spend ₹X a month here, what would the same lifestyle cost there?" is the question the equivalent-budget figure answers directly, scaling your current spend by the ratio of the two indices — useful for sanity-checking a salary offer against what it would actually take to maintain your current standard of living in a different city.
These are indicative ranges compiled for 2025-26, not a licensed dataset — rent especially varies sharply by neighbourhood and swings with the market, so treat this as a starting structure and confirm current local rates before committing to a move. For the salary you'd need after relocating, pair this with the salary equivalent calculator; for one-time moving costs, see the relocation cost estimator.