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City wage comparison
Updated 3 July 2026 · Solve24 India
A Mumbai home cook earns almost 2× per household compared to a Kanpur cook in 2026 — ₹6,500–₹15,600/month vs ₹3,400–₹7,650 — but Mumbai's living cost is 3–4× higher. Mumbai's tiffin-service upside is the biggest gap: a busy Mumbai tiffin operator grosses ₹1,00,000–₹1,80,000/month; Kanpur tops out around ₹40,000–₹80,000 for similar volume.
| Metric | Mumbai (mult 1.30) | Kanpur (mult 0.85) |
|---|---|---|
| Daily home cooking (veg, per month) | ₹5,200 – ₹9,100 | ₹3,400 – ₹5,950 |
| Daily cooking (non-veg, per month) | ₹6,500 – ₹11,700 | ₹4,250 – ₹7,650 |
| Party cooking (per 20 ppl event) | ₹3,900 – ₹10,400 | ₹2,550 – ₹6,800 |
| Tiffin monthly (per tiffin) | ₹105 – ₹165 | ₹75 – ₹115 |
| Catering (per plate) | ₹325 – ₹780 | ₹215 – ₹510 |
| Live-in cook (monthly) | ₹32,000 – ₹52,000 | ₹18,000 – ₹28,000 |
| Tiffin business (50/day gross) | ₹1,00,000 – ₹1,80,000 | ₹50,000 – ₹90,000 |
| Tiffin business (net after cost) | ₹40,000 – ₹80,000 | ₹20,000 – ₹40,000 |
| Monthly rent (1 BHK) | ₹18,000 – ₹35,000 | ₹5,000 – ₹9,000 |
| Working households typical | 3 – 5 | 3 – 5 |
Mumbai has the highest cook-service demand in India. Long work hours + high disposable income + small kitchens = strong reliance on home cooks. A cook servicing 3–4 households (each ₹6,500–₹11,700/month) earns ₹22,000–₹42,000 baseline. Adding a weekend party per month at ₹5,000–₹10,000 pushes totals past ₹50,000. Tiffin service is the standout — 50–80 tiffins daily to office workers in Andheri, BKC, Powai grosses ₹1,00,000+/month.
Kanpur's cook market is smaller and pays less per household but competition is thinner. A cook running 4–5 households at ₹4,000–₹6,000 each earns ₹18,000–₹28,000/month. Wedding-season catering and family-event cooking (₹2,500–₹6,800 per 20-person event) add ₹8,000–₹20,000 during peak months. Tiffin services for local college hostels and PGs are a stable ₹15,000–₹35,000/month niche.
Both cities have hiring agencies that take 15–25% commission or a ₹2,000–₹5,000 placement fee. On direct platforms, cooks keep 100% of the salary — a ₹30,000/month engagement pays ₹30,000, not ₹22,500–₹25,500. Over a year that gap is roughly ₹54,000–₹90,000 for a Mumbai cook.
Choose Mumbai if you can commit to the higher-cost city for 12–18 months to build a household network — the tiffin upside is 2–3× larger than any Tier-2 city. Choose Kanpur if you want lower competition, lower rent, and a steady ₹22,000–₹35,000/month with modest event upside. Both cities reward direct hiring over commission agencies.
Yes — 50 daily tiffins at ₹120 each grosses ₹1,80,000/month. After ingredients (₹40,000–₹60,000), transport (₹8,000–₹15,000), and packaging (₹5,000–₹8,000), net is ₹60,000–₹1,00,000/month.
A cook working 4–5 households earns ₹18,000–₹28,000/month baseline. Add event cooking during weddings for ₹5,000–₹15,000 extra during peak months.
Mumbai — live-in cook rates are ₹32,000–₹52,000/month vs ₹18,000–₹28,000 in Kanpur, and demand from working-couple households is much higher.
Direct-listed workers, zero commission, and full price tables per city.
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