Cost of living comparison
compared to
Salem vs. India Cost of Living Summary
Salem is 5.7% cheaper than India overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.3% more in Salem
- Groceries
-
pay 9.4% more in Salem
- Transportation
-
pay 3.1% more in Salem
- Housing
-
pay 21.2% less in Salem
- Childcare
-
pay 32.1% less in Salem
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.9% less in Salem
- Clothing
-
pay 7.2% less in Salem
The cost of restaurants, groceries, and transportation in Salem are more expensive than in India. Expenses including childcare, housing, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Salem.
Salem vs. India Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Salem instead of India, you would:
pay 13.3% more for restaurants
|
India
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.31
₹207.62
|
$1.69
₹152.15
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$3.75
₹337.79
|
$4.51
₹405.73
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.39
₹35.41
|
$0.47
₹42.26
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.16
₹14.45
|
$0.23
₹20.29
|
|
India vs. Salem - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.4% more for groceries
|
India
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.46
₹41.27
|
$0.44
₹39.56
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$2.49
₹224.05
|
$3.34
₹300.39
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$2.50
₹224.93
|
$2.24
₹201.37
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$0.92
₹82.85
|
$0.78
₹70.60
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.32
₹118.34
|
$1.23
₹110.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.88
₹78.84
|
$0.90
₹80.52
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.32
₹28.42
|
$0.32
₹29.14
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.46
₹40.93
|
$0.67
₹60.39
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.22
₹19.84
|
$0.19
₹17.48
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.17
₹15.01
|
$0.21
₹18.46
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.19
₹17.51
|
$0.28
₹24.84
|
|
India vs. Salem - Cost of groceries
pay 3.1% more for transportation
|
India
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.38
₹394.03
|
$4.37
₹392.71
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$9.48
₹852.94
|
$10.15
₹912.90
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$13,332.05
₹1,199,331.13
|
$16,349.51
₹1,470,777.07
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$2.95
₹265.75
|
$2.46
₹221.12
|
|
India vs. Salem - Cost of transportation
pay 21.2% less for housing
|
India
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$7.18
₹645.93
|
$7.51
₹675.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$129.45
₹11,645.17
|
$95.84
₹8,621.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$85.74
₹7,712.98
|
$62.02
₹5,578.81
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$27.98
₹2,517.29
|
$18.05
₹1,623.69
|
|
India vs. Salem - Cost of housing
pay 32.1% less for childcare
|
India
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$54.51
₹4,903.51
|
$31.01
₹2,789.40
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$1,593.07
₹143,310.38
|
$1,255.25
₹112,920.46
|
|
India vs. Salem - Cost of childcare
pay 4.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
India
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.84
₹165.15
|
$2.26
₹202.87
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.58
₹141.98
|
$1.25
₹112.59
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.49
₹313.83
|
$2.85
₹256.63
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$15.59
₹1,402.11
|
$18.79
₹1,690.55
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.17
₹285.10
|
$2.26
₹202.87
|
|
India vs. Salem - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.2% less for clothing
|
India
|
Salem
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$22.98
₹2,067.16
|
$24.10
₹2,168.13
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$23.83
₹2,144.05
|
$23.00
₹2,069.23
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$40.59
₹3,651.76
|
$39.08
₹3,515.52
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$29.72
₹2,673.25
|
$21.85
₹1,965.26
|
|
India vs. Salem - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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