Cost of living in Chennai
compared to
Cost of living in Chennai vs. India overall average
Chennai is 16.5% more expensive than India overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.5% more in Chennai
- Groceries
-
pay 18.5% more in Chennai
- Transportation
-
pay 16.8% more in Chennai
- Housing
-
pay 37.3% more in Chennai
- Childcare
-
pay 19.6% more in Chennai
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.6% more in Chennai
- Clothing
-
pay 9.5% more in Chennai
The cost of housing, childcare, groceries, transportation, clothing, and restaurants in Chennai are more expensive than in India.
Chennai Cost of Living Breakdown
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.25
₹201.99
|
$1.13
-
$3.38
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$3.95
₹353.49
|
$3.16
-
$5.64
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
₹42.04
|
$0.34
-
$0.56
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.18
₹16.10
|
$0.11
-
$0.28
|
Chennai - Cost of restaurants
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.49
₹43.81
|
$0.34
-
$0.68
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.32
₹297.83
|
$1.13
-
$5.64
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$2.21
₹197.77
|
$1.58
-
$2.99
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$0.87
₹77.67
|
$0.68
-
$1.15
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.61
₹143.85
|
$1.02
-
$2.56
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
₹121.72
|
$0.77
-
$1.79
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.40
₹35.54
|
$0.26
-
$0.61
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.62
₹55.20
|
$0.26
-
$1.28
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.20
₹18.02
|
$0.10
-
$0.31
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.23
₹20.37
|
$0.13
-
$0.28
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.22
₹20.05
|
$0.15
-
$0.36
|
Chennai - Cost of groceries
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.35
₹389.41
|
$4.27
-
$4.69
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$11.27
₹1,009.96
|
$3.38
-
$16.91
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$16,912.06
₹1,514,937.44
|
$13,529.65
-
$22,549.41
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.61
₹323.19
|
$2.48
-
$6.76
|
Chennai - Cost of transportation
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$8.99
₹805.32
|
$5.64
-
$13.53
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$193.40
₹17,324.67
|
$135.30
-
$394.61
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$121.20
₹10,857.05
|
$84.56
-
$169.12
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$37.31
₹3,342.56
|
$21.55
-
$68.97
|
Chennai - Cost of housing
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$71.36
₹6,392.19
|
$28.19
-
$169.12
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,725.52
₹154,567.53
|
$1,014.72
-
$3,382.41
|
Chennai - Cost of childcare
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.97
₹176.74
|
$1.13
-
$4.51
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.98
₹177.49
|
$0.56
-
$3.38
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.61
₹323.19
|
$2.25
-
$4.51
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$15.97
₹1,430.77
|
$9.40
-
$28.19
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$2.82
₹252.49
|
$2.14
-
$4.74
|
Chennai - Cost of entertainment and sports
|
Cost
|
Range | |
|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$24.75
₹2,217.11
|
$9.02
-
$39.46
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$20.94
₹1,875.64
|
$6.76
-
$40.03
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$50.07
₹4,485.57
|
$28.19
-
$73.29
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$35.41
₹3,172.02
|
$22.55
-
$56.37
|
Chennai - Cost of clothing
Tip: Try viewing our aggregate cost of living in India
to see the average cost of cities throughout India, like
Kollam,
Gujarat,
Virudhunagar,
Ludhiana,
Patiala,
and more.
For a detailed breakdown of Santa Cruz vs. the national average, see the cost of living in India compared to Chennai.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more