✦ Compare
Bangalore vs
Chennai
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Bangalore, IN vs Chennai, IN at a glance — Chennai, IN is 8% cheaper than Bangalore, IN overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $220/mo versus $350/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 30%.
To keep the same standard of living in Chennai, IN, you'd need
$69,139 / year
Chennai, IN is 8% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Chennai, IN vs Bangalore, IN)
- Housing-20%
- Food & groceries-11%
- Transport-6%
- Utilities+4%
- Healthcare-5%
- Goods & services-4%
◎ How Bangalore, IN and Chennai, IN compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Bangalore, IN | Chennai, IN | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 40 | 37 |
| Housing | 30 | 24 |
| Food | 38 | 34 |
| Transport | 32 | 30 |
| Utilities | 50 | 52 |
| Healthcare | 40 | 38 |
| Goods & services | 52 | 50 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $350/mo | $220/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $220/mo | $140/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $900/mo | $600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $1,800 | $1,400 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,489 | $2,700 |
| Inexpensive meal | $4 | $3 |
| Monthly transit pass | $30 | $18 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 30% | 30% |
| VAT / sales tax | 18% | 18% |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 25% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $500/mo | $500/mo |
| Minimum wage | $150/mo | $150/mo |
| GDP per capita | $2,702 | $2,702 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | High |
| Coworking spaces | 60 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+5.5 | UTC+5.5 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 55 | 60 |
| Healthcare index | 62 | 64 |
| Pollution index | 68 | 70 |
| Internet speed | 50 Mbps | 50 Mbps |
| Walkability | 45 | 45 |
| Public transport | 45 | 45 |
| Family-friendly | 55 | 58 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Use caution |
| Health insurance | $30/mo | $25/mo |
| Life expectancy | 72 yr | 72 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Low | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +21 °C | +25 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +31 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 240 | 240 |
| Rainfall / year | 970 mm | 1,400 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 3 h | 3 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: India vs India. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Bangalore
India's tech capital — a startup and IT engine at a cool upland altitude that gives it India's mildest big-city climate. English is everywhere and costs are very low by global standards; the trade-offs are notorious traffic, patchy infrastructure and rising rents in the tech districts.
- Currency
- Indian rupee (₹ INR)
- Languages
- Hindi, English
- Time zone
- UTC+5.5
- Internet
- 50 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 21°C · ☀ 24°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/D/M · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Indiranagar · Koramangala · HSR Layout · Whitefield
Good to know before you move to Chennai
A hot, coastal South-Indian metropolis and a major auto-manufacturing and IT hub with a deep-rooted Tamil culture. Costs are among the lowest of any big global city and the beaches are long; the trade-offs are intense heat, humidity and monsoon flooding.
- Currency
- Indian rupee (₹ INR)
- Languages
- Hindi, English
- Time zone
- UTC+5.5
- Internet
- 50 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 25°C · ☀ 31°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/D/M · 230V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Adyar · T. Nagar · Velachery · Anna Nagar
Plan your move to Bangalore
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Chennai
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Bangalore to Chennai: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Bangalore to Chennai, your cost of living will be roughly 8% cheaper. Chennai’s cost-of-living index is 37 versus 40 for Bangalore (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Bangalore cheaper than Chennai?
Chennai is about 8% cheaper than Bangalore overall — its cost-of-living index is 37 versus 40 for Bangalore.
How much do you need to earn in Chennai to live like in Bangalore?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Bangalore is worth about $69,139 in Chennai. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Bangalore or Chennai?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (30%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Bangalore
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.