Quality of life in Chennai
Chennai, India, differentiates itself with low living costs. According to our city rankings, this is a good place to live with high ratings in housing, startups and safety.
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Life quality score
City ranking
Housing
10
1/265Details
| Large apartment | $350.00 |
|---|---|
| Medium apartment | $280.00 |
| Rent index [score] | 1.00 |
| Small apartment | $200.00 |
Cost of Living
10
1/248Details
| 5km taxi ride | $1.90 |
|---|---|
| A Cappuccino | $2.20 |
| A beer | $2.00 |
| A kilogram of Apples | $2.40 |
| Bread | $0.25 |
| Inflation [score] | 1.00 |
| Lunch | $3.00 |
| Monthly fitness club membership | $27.00 |
| Monthly public transport | $14.00 |
| Movie ticket | $2.60 |
| Price of a meal at a restaurant | $16.15 |
Startups
7
37/264Details
| Average monthly increase in number of startups | 15 |
|---|---|
| Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 0.63 |
| Coworking spaces [score] | 0.45 |
| Meetups [score] | 0.76 |
| Meetups groups | 199 |
| Meetups members | 135844 |
| Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 206 |
| Number of upcoming meetup events | 79 |
| Startup climate scene [score] | 0.69 |
| Startup events | 24 |
| Startup events [score] | 0.46 |
| Startups [score] | 0.80 |
| Total number of startups | 403 |
Venture Capital
4
66/192Details
| Venture capital [score] | 0.38 |
|---|
Travel Connectivity
4
84/266Details
| Airport hub | 40 |
|---|---|
| Airport hub [score] | 0.24 |
| Intercity train connectivity [score] | 0.60 |
Commute
5
157/255Details
| Human city page | http://cities.human.co/details/India/Chennai |
|---|---|
| Traffic handling [score] | 0.48 |
Business Freedom
4
245/264Details
| Business freedom | 47.60 |
|---|---|
| Business freedom [score] | 0.10 |
| Freedom from corruption | 38.00 |
| Freedom from corruption [score] | 0.28 |
| Lack of labor restrictions | 47.80 |
| Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 0.24 |
| Time to open a business | 26.00 |
| Time to open a business [score] | 0.71 |
Safety
8
87/266Details
| Crime rate [score] | 0.59 |
|---|---|
| Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 0 |
| Guns per 100 residents | 4 |
| Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.99 |
| Lack of guns [score] | 0.98 |
| Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.99 |
Healthcare
2
252/265Details
| Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.10 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare quality [score] | 0.54 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 68.31 |
| Life expectancy [score] | 0.10 |
Education
1
229/240Details
| Best university in ranking | Indian Institute of Technology Madras |
|---|---|
| Best university ranking | 450 |
| University quality [score] | 0.10 |
Environmental Quality
2
249/266Details
| Air quality [score] | 0.31 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness [score] | 0.21 |
| Drinking water quality [score] | 0.18 |
| Urban greenery [score] | 0.26 |
Economy
6
108/263Details
| Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 63.65 |
|---|---|
| Currency for urban area | INR |
| GDP growth rate | 0.07 |
| GDP growth rate [score] | 1.00 |
| GDP per capita | $5855.31 |
| GDP per capita [score] | 0.11 |
Taxation
3
225/266Details
| Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 0.24 |
|---|---|
| Income tax level [score] | 0.44 |
| Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.61 |
| Time overhead to file company taxes | 241 |
| VAT (Sales Tax) | 0.06 |
Internet Access
7
43/266Details
| Download speed (Mbps) | 34.73 |
|---|---|
| Internet access (download) [score] | 0.52 |
| Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.85 |
| Upload speed (Mbps) | 30.72 |
Leisure & Culture
2
253/264Details
| Art galleries | 52 |
|---|---|
| Art galleries [score] | 0.31 |
| Cinemas | 178 |
| Cinemas [score] | 0.78 |
| Comedy clubs | 13 |
| Comedy clubs [score] | 0.55 |
| Concert venues | 81 |
| Concerts [score] | 0.29 |
| Historical sites | 29 |
| Historical sites [score] | 0.20 |
| Museums | 19 |
| Museums [score] | 0.25 |
| Performing art venues | 77 |
| Performing arts [score] | 0.30 |
| Sport venues | 57 |
| Sports [score] | 0.34 |
| Zoos | 3 |
| Zoos [score] | 0.57 |
Tolerance
5
233/266Details
| LGBT Equality Index | 24.29 |
|---|---|
| LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.22 |
| LGBT adoption rights | ✖ Illegal |
| LGBT age of consent | ✔ Equal |
| LGBT blood donation regulations | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT conversion therapy regulations | ✖ Not banned |
| LGBT discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
| LGBT employment discrimination legality | Ambiguous |
| LGBT gender changing rights | ✔ Legal, but requires surgery |
| LGBT homosexuality rights | ✖ Illegal (imprisonment as punishment) |
| LGBT housing discrimination legality | Ambiguous |
| LGBT marriage rights | ✖ Not legal |
| Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 0.69 |
Outdoors
4
172/266Details
| Seaside access | 1.00 |
|---|---|
| Urban area elevation (meters) | 14.00 |
| Water access [score] | 0.84 |
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Cost of living
Costs of living in Chennai are in the least expensive 10 percent of all 248 Teleport cities. Average living expenses are significantly lower compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Moving to Chennai will very likely decrease your daily costs of living. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.
Housing costs (USD)
$280
Median rent for
apartments in city center
apartments in city center
Daily living costs (USD)
 Monthly fitness club membership | $27 |
|---|---|
 Movie ticket | $3 |
 Broadband internet connection | $21 |
 Monthly public transport | $14 |
 Lunch | $3 |
-75%
compared to
San Francisco
San Francisco
Job salary calculator
Software Engineer salaries in Chennai are low. For this job type, Chennai ranks 213th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Chennai.
Estimated annual salary (in USD)
$25,917
Median salary
Locals review Chennai
Do locals recommend living in Chennai?
What could Chennai do better?#improveChennai
How could Chennai improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes*.
*Suggestions will be delivered to: Mayor of Chennai - Saidai Duraisamy
What makes Chennai a special place?#praiseChennai
Is Chennai a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
Taxation
Personal taxation
Effective income tax rate
24%
For annual salary of $40000
27%
For annual salary of $80000
Value added tax (VAT)
6%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.
Compared to other cities
92/266
Corporate taxation
Compared to other cities
230/263
Local Currency
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Safety
Gun crimes & Ownership
4.20
Guns per 100 people
0.28
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania
Overall crime rate city ranking
The overall crime rate puts Chennai in position 134 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Education
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Explore the streets of Chennai
People in Chennai
Friends living in Chennai
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Teleport Users X Chennai
Teleport users who are Chennai
Work in:
13.33%
6.67%
6.67%
6.67%
6.67%
6.67%
6.67%
46.67%
Come from:
LGBT rights in Chennai
Homosexuality
Illegal
Imprisonment As Punishment
Changing gender
Legal
But Requires Surgery
Discrimination
No Protections
Marriage
Not Legal
Adoption
Illegal
Climate
Average day length (hours)
12.5Climate type
Tropical Savanna
Average daily maximum temperature
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Startup scene
Number of startups
403
By stage
Total funding last 12 months
$0
Funding last 12 months
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On living in Chennai
Chennai (Tamil: சென்னை), formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. With a population of 8.6 million (2011 census), Chennai's urbanized area is the most populous in South India and the fourth most populous in India. It is situated on the east coast of peninsular India.
Though Chennai traces its history to Fort St George and adjoining village of Madrasapatnam founded by the British East India Company in 1640, some residential districts of the city are older. The name Madras was changed to Chennai in 1997 by a special act of the Tamil Nadu legislature.
Chennai is well-connected by road, rail and air and is a staging point for tours to the 7th century Pallava temple of Mahabalipuram, an UNESCO World Heritage site, the Hindu temples of Kanchipuram, Sriperumbudur and Tirupati, the bird sanctuary of Vedanthangal and the Pondicherry ashram.
Read moreGood Country Index
Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
Overall ranking
64th from a total of 163 countries
World Order
100thRefugees hosted
Refugees generated
Charity giving
Birth rate
UN Treaties signed
International Peace & Security
27thDues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets
International violent conflict
Peacekeeping troops
Arms exports
Internet security (2014)
Planet & Climate
106thEcological footprint
Reforestation since 1992
Hazardous pesticides exports
CO2 emissions
Ozone
Prosperity & Equality
124thDevelopment assistance
FDI outflows
Fairtrade market size
UN volunteers abroad
Open trading
Culture
80thFreedom of movement
Press freedom
Creative services exports
UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution
Creative goods exports
Science & Technology
62ndNobel prizes
Patents
Journal exports
International publications
International Students
Health & Wellbeing
37thPharmaceutical exports
Voluntary excess donations to the WHO
Food aid
Humanitarian aid donations
International Health Regulations Compliance
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