Go with a plan.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Chennai at 60/100 for crime — that makes it read about the same as than India's national picture overall (56/100 vs 56/100).
City page · part of India
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Chennai report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside India's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
40.2
Safety Index
59.8
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as India's national page, with crime swapped for Chennai's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Chennai, specifically
- • Chennai is generally a safer area of India in terms of crime, although pickpocketing, muggings, and robberies sporadically occur.
- • It is advisable for women, especially unaccompanied ones, to dress modestly and limit their interaction with unfamiliar local men.
- • Be alert to your surroundings and watch where you step, especially if you get caught in a large crowd where it is difficult to look at what is in front of you.
Legal status (national law)
Legal since 2009–2013, again since 2018
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / D / M · 230V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 112 / ambulance: 112 / fire: 112
Tipping
In India there has traditionally been little or no tipping, and today tipping is unusual outside of fancier restaurants where up to 10% is appropriate. The fancier restaurants may also levy a service charge of up to 15% apart from government taxes. Some restaurants have also started placing jars at the cashier for people to drop in some change if they feel so, but this is a rather rare phenomenon.
SIM / Data
It is very cheap, especially with the proliferation of low-cost operator Reliance Jio, which has forced the mainstream operators such as Airtel and Vodafone Idea to follow suit. Prices for packages including mobile internet are mentioned above. 5G networks in India now cover 85% of the population. 4G (LTE and VoLTE) networks cover 95% of the population of India (covered nearly everywhere). 3G is a
Cash vs. Card
In many cities and towns, credit cards are accepted at larger hotels, retail chain stores and other restaurants and stores. Small businesses and family-run stores almost never accept credit cards, so it is useful to keep a moderate amount of cash on hand.
How this compares to India
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Chennai at 60/100 for crime — that makes it read about the same as than India's national picture overall (56/100 vs 56/100).
See the full India page and all receipts →