Mumbai, India
In Mumbai, $10 covers a round-trip ferry to Elephanta Island with cave-temple entry, a full street-food crawl of vada pav and pav bhaji, or a Bollywood movie with popcorn.
Index score 397 (rank 1 of 20) — the full basket totals $12.58, so $10 covers about 79.5% of it.
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The basket
| Item | Mumbai | NYC | vs NYC |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread (500g) | $0.50 | $4.61 | -89% |
| Milk (1L) | $0.69 | $1.44 | -52% |
| Eggs (12) | $0.97 | $5.90 | -84% |
| Bananas (1kg) | $0.73 | $2.10 | -65% |
| Bottled water (1.5L) | $0.29 | $2.50 | -88% |
| Domestic beer (0.5L, store) | $2.16 | $3.21 | -33% |
| Cappuccino (cafe) | $2.77 | $6.09 | -55% |
| White rice (1kg) | $0.73 | $6.64 | -89% |
| Chicken breast (1kg) | $3.53 | $14.41 | -76% |
| Public transit, one-way ticket | $0.21 | $3.00 | -93% |
| Total | $12.58 | $49.90 |
What $10 actually buys here
- Round-trip ferry to Elephanta Island plus cave entry~$8.30
A half-day trip to UNESCO rock-cut Shiva temples.
- A street-food crawl (vada pav, pav bhaji, kulfi)~$3.63
Iconic Mumbai street food at Juhu Chowpatty, with change left over.
- Bollywood movie and popcorn combo~$6.22
A standard urban evening out at a PVR/INOX multiplex.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a basic grocery basket cost in Mumbai?
$12.58 for a basic grocery basket in Mumbai — the lowest total of any city in this Index, and about $37 less than New York City's $49.90.
What can $10 buy in Mumbai?
A round-trip ferry to Elephanta Island plus cave-temple entry for about $8.30, or a Bollywood movie and popcorn combo at a PVR/INOX multiplex for around $6.22.
Is Mumbai cheaper than New York for everyday expenses?
Yes — Mumbai's index score of 397 means a dollar goes nearly four times as far in Mumbai as in New York, the highest score in this Index.
How much is public transit in Mumbai?
About $0.21 for a one-way ticket — the cheapest basket item in Mumbai, and among the cheapest fares in the entire Index.
What does a full street-food crawl cost in Mumbai?
Vada pav, pav bhaji, and kulfi at Juhu Chowpatty comes to about $3.63 — with change left over from even a third of $10.
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Keep exploring
In Hanoi, $10 buys almost six bowls of phở bò on its own, or a cà phê trứng egg coffee plus a water puppet theatre ticket with plenty of change back.
In New York City, $10 covers a halal-cart chicken-and-rice platter, three subway or bus rides, or a pay-what-you-wish museum ticket — the baseline this whole index is measured against.
In Cairo, $10 covers entry to the Cairo Tower observation deck with money left over, a koshary feast for two or three people plus sugarcane juice, or a private felucca sailboat for a sunset hour on the Nile.
Prices are researched estimates (July 2026), not live data — treat them as illustrative, not exact. See the methodology page for details.