About Ghar Ka Budget

Why we exist

Building or renovating a home in India is one of the largest financial decisions most families will ever make. Yet most homeowners walk into that process with almost no independent information about what things should cost. Contractors quote what they want. Banks quote what benefits them. Interior designers have incentives to upsell.

Ghar Ka Budget exists to fix that information asymmetry. Our calculators and guides are built on government benchmarks (CPWD Schedule of Rates, NBO data, state labour notifications) and real market data — not affiliate-sponsored recommendations or contractor referrals.

What we cover

• House construction cost calculator — estimate by plot size, city tier, number of floors and finish quality. Uses Q3 2026 CPWD-aligned rates.
• Interior cost estimator — room-by-room estimate for BHK type, finish level, and city. Kitchen, wardrobes, false ceiling, flooring, painting.
• Home loan EMI calculator — monthly EMI, total interest, and year-wise amortisation. Compare top lender rates.
• Contractor quote checker — enter your contractor’s per-sqft rate, get an instant fair/high/very high verdict against our city benchmarks.
• City cost guides — detailed construction cost breakdowns for Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Ahmedabad.
• Cost explainers — guides on GST on construction materials, labour code impacts, hidden costs, false ceiling, modular kitchens, flooring comparisons, and more.

Our data sources

We do not make up numbers. Every rate published on Ghar Ka Budget is derived from one or more of the following sources:

• CPWD Schedule of Rates (SOR) 2024–25 — the Central Public Works Department’s official rate schedule, the government baseline for construction cost estimation in India.
• NBO (National Buildings Organisation) — Ministry of Housing city-wise residential construction cost data.
• MOSPI WPI Construction Materials Index — Ministry of Statistics wholesale price index for cement, steel, sand, and bricks, used to calibrate quarterly rate adjustments.
• State Labour Department minimum wage notifications — mason and contractor wage benchmarks from official state notifications, updated annually.
• JLL Construction Cost Guide India — industry benchmark report used for city-tier multipliers and labour cost trend data.
• Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) and Steel Mint — dealer pricing data for cement and TMT steel across metros.
• Contractor market quotes — rates cross-validated against real contractor quotes collected from homeowners. Estimates represent the 50th percentile of verified market quotes.

All rates carry a stated ±15% variance reflecting real-world variation by soil condition, design complexity, and contractor. We update rates every quarter or when material price movements exceed 5%.

What we are not

• We are not a contractor referral platform. We do not take money from contractors to feature or recommend them.
• We are not affiliated with any building material brand. Our guides mention brands (Hettich, Greenply, Asian Paints, Saint-Gobain) only where they are the recognised category standard — never because we are paid to mention them.
• We are not a licensed structural engineering or architectural firm. Our estimates are for planning and negotiation purposes only — not a substitute for a professional assessment of your specific site and design.

How we make money

Ghar Ka Budget is free to use and always will be. We generate revenue through:

None of these revenue sources influence our cost estimates, calculator outputs, or editorial recommendations. Full details are in our Disclaimer and Editorial Policy.