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Cost of Living in Chennai

Summary about cost of living in Chennai:

Restaurants [ Edit ] Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 100.00 Rs 80.00-150.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 600.00 Rs 500.00-1,000.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 250.00 Rs 180.00-400.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 150.00 Rs 100.00-200.00
Imported Beer (11.2 oz small bottle) 200.00 Rs 150.00-300.00
Cappuccino (regular) 101.93 Rs 60.00-150.00
Coke/Pepsi (11.2 oz small bottle) 31.51 Rs 20.00-50.00
Water (11.2 oz small bottle) 13.75 Rs 10.00-20.00
Markets [ Edit ]
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 165.86 Rs 132.49-189.27
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 28.51 Rs 22.68-40.82
Rice (white), (1 lb) 23.90 Rs 20.41-27.22
Eggs (regular) (12) 60.67 Rs 50.00-80.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 194.98 Rs 113.40-453.59
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1 lb) 106.84 Rs 81.65-149.69
Buffalo Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 136.83 Rs 90.72-226.80
Apples (1 lb) 79.31 Rs 54.43-108.86
Banana (1 lb) 28.63 Rs 18.14-45.36
Oranges (1 lb) 34.56 Rs 22.68-54.43
Tomato (1 lb) 16.33 Rs 9.07-27.22
Potato (1 lb) 14.92 Rs 9.07-22.68
Onion (1 lb) 18.36 Rs 9.07-27.22
Lettuce (1 head) 37.63 Rs 25.00-70.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 27.34 Rs 20.00-35.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 600.00 Rs 250.00-1,000.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 129.45 Rs 80.00-160.00
Imported Beer (11.2 oz small bottle) 220.49 Rs 150.00-350.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 165.00 Rs 110.00-250.00
Transportation [ Edit ]
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 20.00 Rs 10.00-30.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 1,000.00 Rs 650.00-1,300.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 80.00 Rs 50.00-100.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 19.31 Rs 16.09-32.19
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 60.00 Rs 50.00-100.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 282.62 Rs 264.98-302.83
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 850,000.00 Rs 650,000.00-1,000,000.00
Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 1,503,426.70 Rs 1,000,000.00-2,000,000.00
Utilities (Monthly) [ Edit ]
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 2,245.09 Rs 1,000.00-4,000.00
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 0.88 Rs 0.50-1.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 1,011.19 Rs 500.00-1,500.00
Sports And Leisure [ Edit ]
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 1,330.89 Rs 600.00-2,500.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 470.83 Rs 250.00-1,000.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 180.00 Rs 150.00-250.00
Childcare [ Edit ]
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 4,493.94 Rs 2,083.33-8,333.33
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 127,843.14 Rs 75,000.00-250,000.00
Clothing And Shoes [ Edit ]
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 2,168.27 Rs 1,099.00-3,500.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 2,008.07 Rs 1,000.00-3,000.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 3,009.74 Rs 2,000.00-5,000.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 2,411.82 Rs 1,500.00-3,500.00
Rent Per Month [ Edit ]
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 13,191.92 Rs 9,000.00-20,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 7,887.25 Rs 5,000.00-10,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 30,545.45 Rs 20,000.00-45,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 17,419.19 Rs 13,000.00-25,000.00
Buy Apartment Price [ Edit ]
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 14,751.71 Rs 7,499.94-21,999.82
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 4,734.01 Rs 2,999.98-6,967.67
Salaries And Financing [ Edit ]
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 32,494.14 Rs
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 9.81 8.50-12.00

Prices in Chennai

These data are based on 5097 entries in the past 12 months from 437 different contributors.
Last update: July 2018
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35 Comments so far

#Raj Kumar chatterjee on Jul 12, 2018 :
Hi,
I am raj from west Bengal.we are 4members drying 15 days medium category hotel pls advice me cost of food and hotel rent.

Pls information
Thanks
Raj
#malik on Feb 27, 2018 :
one person costs 200 per month ? that is not possible , people live there on 30$ per month ,
#Sajib Khan on Feb 13, 2018 :
Hi,
I am from Bangladesh. I would like to come Chennai for my parents treatment. Will you suggest me please what would be better for me, taking Apartments for 15 days or staying in medium category hotels? I have to save my money. What would be my estimated living and food cost if stay in hotel and take food from restaurant ( obviously cost minimization is important) or rented an apartment for 15 days and cook by ourselves? We are three members.

Please provide me the information.

Thanks in Advance.
Regards,

Sajib
#SouthAfrican on Dec 31, 2017 :
Hi
I'm 26/years black guy from south African and I'm a millionaire through Forex Trading.

Which city can i visit in India for 1 month without experiencing Racism? And City with beatify Indian Escorts.

Thankz
#nagarajan on Dec 14, 2017 :
Chennai is not a good city to settle because of water crisis, power cuts and the abnormal climate conditions. I am a chennaite and living in Mumbai. Mumbai climate and water really the best. No power cuts even in Mumbai. I hv my own 2 flats in Chennai. Retired and went and stayed for 1 year in Chennai and returned back and taken up a consultant job once again in Mumbai. The reason is I don't prefer Chennai for living due to heat and lousy water taste and colour. Since, all my relatives are in Chennai my wife is not allowing me to settle in Mumbai. I am really getting frightened to go back again. What to do no other go. It is my fate. Lousy City with poor living condition and worst political team ruling the state. If any one has any idea how to be happy in Chennai without facing the issues mentioned above, Please suggest.
#Anonymous on Sep 25, 2017 :
personally I feel Chennai is multicultural and diversified city. so comments from every point view is different. but my point of view many peoples are living because of employment. many leading MNC IT and Non IT jobs are here only. that's the reason we feels more populated and more traffic here. all kinds of peoples can get affordable according to their income. house, transportation and food everything we can get in various prices and quality. still need more corrections in Chennai city in infrastructure development.
#Shah on Nov 23, 2016 :
I am from Australia would like to open shop for Australian food and oil products. Please advise. Thank you.
Shah
#xyz on Sep 14, 2016 :
Chennai is the worst city to live in this world. This city is fit for only f***ing tamils
#tarun parashar on Jun 14, 2016 :
I come from Amritsar and I am living in chennai from past 5 years. I have lived in Delhi, Mumbai and used to roam other parts of the country coz of my job. I come from proper punjabi family. so you can understand our culture are entirely different. Language, food habits, clothing, festivals, basic attitude of people everything is different. Even Gods are different here ( if you go to a temple in Chennai, u'll know). Only thing common here is we come from same country even we are separated by 2500kms. But thing which make me sustain here is people here are very calm, helpful. but that's also true u need to know english, Hindi won't work. otherwise, I never felt that kind of respect in the ppl language as compared to other part of country. you can't even compare it with delhi. whenever i go to delhi I been forced to use foul language (which we can proudly speak :) ) to negotiate ppl (auto wala, bus wala). but here in chennai nothing like that. I never faced any north indian discrimination here in 5 years. otherwise in 1 month itself i have faced 3-4 instances of language discrimination in open market in maha state. Rest cost of living, I think chennai is less costlier considering its rail, govt controlled bus fairs, movie tickets. It's true politicians are corrupt, well they are everywhere. But You can see govt expenditure for ppl easily. Rest of things like safety, good south indian food ( I like ghee roast very much) other ppl cmmntd. yes, Thats also true you can't compare chennai with bangalore or mumbai for there night life. chennai is more inclined towards maintaining there culture which other cities have shredded off. I can't blame anyone for this. In the end i ll say its upto you, what kind of life is more important to you. A guy from delhi, mumbai, banglore surley ll live here in little difficulty. but a guy like me from a town can live. Its up to you. it is honest review. Thanks
#sudhir on Apr 27, 2016 :
I have many friends who have been to chennai but none advised me to go there for living..
So not to mention it is the worst indian city to live ..better forget about it
#Shad Khan on Apr 12, 2016 :
Hi, planning to move chennai with family of 3 members. What's the approx monthly expenditure to live in chennai . My daughter is have serious mosquito bite allergy so which place is best to live in that sense. Thanks
#saravanan on Feb 12, 2016 :
Its humid and dusty . Luckily by nature its in the sea shore . Chennai city infrastructure is 10 years behind the demand . So traffic and dump roads were very common. It has beautiful flying train facility. You will find all kind of frauds here like auto rowdies , begging robbers, land mafia. if you search for rental house you can find the rates will differ depends on your job.Rules were least bothered.
#s raju on Feb 11, 2016 :
Chennai is a good place to live. Yes, it is over crowded now-a-days. Yet, Hope that after completion of underground Metro, ease of travel will be there.
Many unacceptable rules are prevalent in Chennai.
Unruly road behavior such as driving exactly opposite to another on-coming traffic. Many non-chennaites have migrated into Chennai. Lot of TASMAC (It is a hell)
But to address few issues, we have the freedom to do in our own way to execute as well.
Example: House to house garbage collection, road cleaning etc., using paid scavenger by group of like minded people. (Happening in our area!); engaging night patrol besides police patrol (through private money collection), patronizing Auto-rickshaw at our street end so that there will be a constant and decent charges and dependable transport for any aged person / children for essential transport.
#Arun Kumar on Dec 10, 2015 :
Chennai is awesome place to live, You can make friends very easy. Lot of opportunities A-Z. Nice handout places less populated, Govt Hospital is better than private hospital. You can see neatly well maintained Govt Hospitals like General Hospital - Opposite to Chennai Central Railway Station, Stanley Govt Hospital, Children Hospital Egmore and more... Good Schools everywhere but hidden cost sometimes applies to get admission. Wow great food, Try Evening to Mid Night Snacks market in marina beach. Try Saravana Store from your household items cheap and best at T N Nagar chennai. A lot is there but very less time for me to type. Experience the city. One more thing in chennai you can see religious friendly city. Muslim helping chirstian and chirstian helping hindus and hindus helping Muslims. One word chennai is Unity in Diversity.
#Kiran on Sep 01, 2015 :
Hai chennai is the hub for south indians.lot of companies giving jobs mainly to keralites for running tea shops esp nair tea shops.north indians coming to my tamilnadu and mentioning as heaven.5 star hotels and for poor people also live decently.all states have negatives for example literacy state like kerala have too much suicide alcoholism divorces.still they behave like super man.I say tamilnadu yet to get AIIMS and smart cities.we tamils work in our own states in india itself becz v having everything.jai hind
#FamilyPerson on Aug 24, 2015 :
Hello,

I want to move to south India from UK. My company branch is in Chennai so I have option to come here. I am sorry but I understand only Hindi and English but we love south Indians and yummy vegetarian food options.I will learn local language with time. I might not feel cornered.

I am from IT field.May I know if I earn between 6 LPA - 12 LPA, can I live decent life with my elderly parents and can afford my kids school(not expensive but it should have better education and students)there?

Please suggest.

Thanks.
#Aaseelan on Jun 30, 2015 :
I (born and brought up in bangalore living in chennai) would say that chennai is better that the other metropolis..as ive been to of the 4 of 7 metropolis in india. Don't come to a conclusion after reading these comments below .I can accept to the only complaints of bad auto men.but on the other hand its the safest of all the 7 cities for women and found culturaly next to banglore. You can't find any red marks of panbarak here, you can rarely find some which are because of the bihari workers in construction fields. Traffic is just like the other metropolis. Its a city well connected with public transport in low cost unlike banglore were hiring an auto is cheaper than public transport. Its mainly about were you live in chennai . There are all kind of people depending on area you can classify them..another acceptable complaints from these comments are that you cant survive with hindi unlike other metropolis .you must know tamil or English to survive or at least a rubish english, Basically because of the patriotic people on their language and hindi is taught in no schools of chennai except the one and only kendra vidyalaya in iit campus. Because of the great boom in violence for two months in 1965 against hindi were 70 people killed due to lathi charge and open firing since then this is the fate (dont speak bad of tamil or proud of hindi in both case there's a possibility that you may be beaten). Its clean city depending upon the place you live .and by pollution control board ,its the least polluted of the 7 cities.in food you can get all kinds of food in world.for entertainment I promise that its the best city where no movie tickets are more than 120 rs.where in bangalore escape cinimas its 700rs the same escape cinemas in chennai is only 120 rs,because of the state government's rules in fixing the maximum as 120 rs .there are many malls , pubs, 5 star hotels are very common in chennai and cost of living is same as that of bangalore (in fact quite higher than banglore).Its the fourth largest city in india and 31st in world (some claim that banglore is the 4th largest but thats an error).you can say that chennai better than other metropolis in short.
#Poohoot V on Jun 25, 2015 :
Madras is - congested, mosquito infested and noisy. It has a new good things like lot of medical facilities, a lot of colleges surrounding the city. It has got a metro rail transport too.

Now about the downsides......

Everywhere you go, there is idol worship of worthless politicians from dmk or admk. Drainage system sucks. Garbage, litter and filth all over the place. People squattting below the MRTS railway stations, you cannot park your two wheeler without stepping on someone's shit.

Traffic cops put up checkpoints at the most idiotic places without realizing how it affects flow of traffic and they stand there only to take bribes from two wheelers.

Want a decent beer? Try one of the state owned TASMAC's.............no need to drink, you will puke from the stench and filth around the place.

Roads? Yeah, its the same roads since Annadurai's time. Agreed, they have built a couple of flyovers and widened some of the roads, but that wont cope up with today's traffic.

Pollution?- All forms in the most extreme.

Women's safety- Seems to be reasonably safe.

Autos- they are the bastards of this place. Need I say more?
#Micky123 on May 21, 2015 :
Horrible, Horrible place to live in. Coming from Bangalore, i expected another city in the South to be comparable. First of all getting a house was such a pain, the houses i saw were dirty and looks like the owners never cleant them in decades. The mosquito problem is terrible. The people seem to think they have a superiority complex and it is ok to diss people who come from Bangalore because they are the main competitors to chennai-ites. Stupid backward mentality of the people, who pass judgement like they are born to judge by the attire of people. Looks like these fellows are born with a horn in their mouths as soon as they come out of the womb. They cannot stop honking, never mind that it is quite clear i cannot move because i have a huge ass truck in front of me which, i am sure they can see as well!! Terrible 2-wheeler riders. The people expect you to know tamil straight off as if its something taught to you from birth! Ignorant fools, even in a tech environment feel its ok to break into tamil in between crucial meetings despite knowing that there are quite a few folks who don't quite catch on.
#Raj Chennai DON on Apr 09, 2015 :
Chennai is cute place to live , as mentioned people wanted to be pune ,MP ,UP -- i dont think the will like chennai

chennai is corrupted ,but still pollution is an issue ,traffic is blocking your way

but life is cool to stay here without worrying

ALL you need is place to own ,income to be constant and influence in local market and people .....thats it

you can see heaven here .....can enjoy hot weather ,walk ,beach =ECR ,Besan nager ,Marina ....so on

beautiful theaters and malls are here with excellent restaurant - Place with multi culutral people Marvadis ,Mallus ,Muslims ,diffrent tamils

GOVERNMENT is not taken measures to clear up things ,keep build buildings without infrastructure

I was born and raised in chennai - you all have to see chennai till early 90s beautiful place with great food

now forcefully damaged and handled by all outside real-estate and politicians
#kannan on Mar 25, 2015 :
Greetings,
Chennai is a place with fully cultured people
Respects others mainly.alcoholism strike suicide very less comp to nearby states.very decent govt green city chennai.metro soon to start.chennau is a hub for south indians. Rich poor can live.all states have positives negatives.get the positives.whoever wish to live in chennai register your details with the nearest police stations and get the emergency numbers.v indians should keep our country and chennai city clean.Best of luck
#bobby on Mar 25, 2015 :
Heaven of india is chennai a metro city.people are good lot of jobs army intl airport usa uk embassy for south indians .many nearby states comes here for living vandavarai vala vaikum tamilnadu mannam ulla tamilians bye grt people r frm here mainly abdul kalam ar rehman sridevi hemamalini house for south cine artists bye care chennai a big salute vande mathram.....
#Amit on Feb 10, 2015 :
hi, myself amit from mumbai.
as i have born in mumbai .. i am finding difficult to shift to chennai.
as i don't have any of my friends in chennai.
i am worried about the social life . coz last when i visited i found people were soo boring.. so any one here in chennai from mumbai, so that atleast i get someone who can speak hindi ..lol
#SATHEES on Feb 05, 2015 :
Hi
First of all ,Here some of the Chennai and North indian Peoplesa de grace chennai You have to know the safety and Crimes level in chennai which ever Compare to every cities in India , Chennai is one and only peaceful and Clean city , people will be helpful and waiving to others, Women are girl can walk in a Road after 10 o clock in chennai is normal , its not fair in north indian cities ,10 yrs back pick pockets there in chennai but not now, even auto drivers can speak and understand English . Am just now complete my 2 month tour in North india who ever completed 14 states in North india, There even educated persons don't know to speak and Understand English, Here i am Convey this message to all, The cities Delhi, Mumbai,Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, those Pedestrian platforms are looking Reddish due to 5 sense people chewing gutka and spitting all over platforms, city full of gutka smells,10 yrs before pick pockets there in chennai but not now Maximum Rickshaw and Auto persons are fraud peoples charging more except Ahmedabad, In bazaar's they ruine the standard of business. Totally One and Only Chennai
#Krithika on Jan 24, 2015 :
My GOD! Chennai should be named the garbage city of india. I live in Delhi, even if someone offers me a free apartment, I wont come to Chennai. Apart from pricy real estate, the people of Chennai is not easy to cope with. Culturally it was a shock when I lived in Chennai for 6 months. The people are socially messed up and very competitive in everything. I don't think there is any life in Chennai except garbage.
#jeya surya on Dec 23, 2014 :
chennai is too bad place for living except the money likers becoz we need money but we not getting the enjoyment
#ram on Dec 05, 2014 :
Hi Shweta.... Some of the area those kind. so many place very nice all are good . very secure place here.
#Shweta on Dec 03, 2014 :
I am not from this city, but from Mumbai...planning to shift here. However, i want to point out two things. Which city in India is free of pollution, corruption, cheats, bad infrastructure, etc? Secondly, after reading comments i am now even more confused about shifting here, it is not about costs, but the living part.
#Raja on Nov 06, 2014 :
Hello Guys is there any direct buses from Bangalore to Sholinganallur?
#Venkat on Oct 19, 2014 :
I would add 40-50% premium to these prices across the board. You've to negotiate with Autos and sometimes willing to walk a bit to find another auto, never pay asking amount. Also, if the road is one way, they pretty much double the fare. Sometimes, it is better to cross the road and take the auto the other side. Ask for help, people will help but, find someone decent, many of them don't know ant they will give you wrong direction. Pick pocketing is there, you need to be careful. I usually put money in a pouch, hang it around my neck and drop it inside my shirt, especially when taking public transportation.
#Vijay Paul on Sep 10, 2014 :
Chennai is the best big city for a non-vegetarian. Fish, rabbit, quail, buffalo, pork, turkey, crabs, and more.

A very tolerant place. It does not have ethnic riots like Bangalore. if you are West Indian (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Sindh, Maha, Goa), it is a calm city unlike Delhi. do the "Sindhi Test"- cities where the Sindhi have thrived, like Chennai, are great cities.

also great for Christians. Almost no chance of fanatics targeting you anywhere in Tamil Nadu
#venkat Iyer on Sep 03, 2014 :
Really, biggest gambling in Tamil Nadu in Real Estate People. Don't buy Apartments in chennai.better, go in Kumbakonam or Trichy in very good nature.
#Ajay on Aug 02, 2014 :
Hi, I'm planning to move to Chennai. I would like to know what would be the approximate cost of living for a bachelor per month??? I'm basically from Bangalore and my mother tongue is tamizh.....
#Mahesh on Jul 16, 2014 :
Most of the downside in these comments are common to all places in India (pollution, bad traffic, noise, lack of hygiene etc). Of the 4 metros in India, Chennai strikes the balance between good living and cost.
#Krithika Srinivasan on Jul 01, 2014 :
Folks,

Chennai is one of the worst places to live. The society is least cosmopolitan and if you are from North just forget about social life. Tamils society is socially not structured for diversity and most tamil live for others and in constant comparison mode. I would highly recommend not to put your kids in this place during school.

Above all this is garbage city of india and most unclean state of india. POS.

regards,
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