Best Budget-Friendly Shopping Places In Chennai

Super close to most of Chennai’s girls colleges, Fountain Plaza is the place for comfortable footwear for college, cheap phone cases and budget clothes. Their underground floor is filled with tailors who stitch everything from trendy tops to off-shoulder dresses, kurtis, lehengas and more. The footwear shops in a row next to the phone cases hub, have all kinds of footwear, especially slip-ons starting at INR 120 and are best for everyday wear. They even have pretty kolhapuri chappals, ballerinas and wedges too. Read more here.

Western and ethnic tops, tailoring units, budget-friendly bags, accessories and t-shirts - Spencer Plaza is the oldest plaza to find all daily-wear essentials under one roof. Sure, it’s not as popular as it once used to be, but fret not, it still has many hidden gems here. You’ll find kiosks of all types selling clothing and footwear starting at INR 100. Don’t forget to head to the end of the old block in Phase 2 for mind-blowing variety of footwear. Along the way there, you’ll find printed tees, superman t-shirts, Kashmiri coats and more. Read more here.

The textile and fabric paradise of Chennai has got to be Pantheon Road. From kalamkari and bandhini, to Aztec prints and even funky cat prints, Pantheon Road has the best materials for as low as INR 40 per meter. And the best part is you can bargain your heart out through the entire street. The road has also opened up shops which sell colourful off-shoulder and floral tops, PJs, joggers and more, at around INR 200. Read more here.

Is street shopping really complete in Chennai, without visiting Pondy Bazaar? While the T-Nagar street is filled with truckloads of goodies, our favourite picks from here are the earrings, footwear and cotton kurtis. Earrings for as low as INR 20 to go with everyday wear and also dangling options to go with western wear, it's a budget shopper's haven. The slip-ons, mirror work juttis and bags are also worth checking out. Read more here.

This place is a delight to add vibrant and pretty additions to your wardrobe. We found floral clutches, leather slings and even cute backpacks starting at INR 200. As you walk into the narrow lanes of Sowcarpet, you’ll also find Ted Baker-style bags, a slew of sari and blouse shops and kiosks selling kurtis of all sizes and ranges. If you’re into customisation, then you can get everything from patches to unique embroidery pieces and materials here. The shops right next to the Jain Temple sell amazing junk jewellery that too for as low as INR 40. Read more here.

Fast Fashions is where you’ll find baggy tops, striped shirts and pretty scarves. For summer dresses, long skirts, branded jeans and linen wear, you could head to Elliot’s Fashions bang opposite to the Besant Nagar beach, on the farther end. At Trends (below Fast Fashions) sells Bath & Body Works, Victoria Secret and other branded cosmetics, though we don’t vouch for their authenticity. You can also shop for Methiyadi footwear along with ballerinas, striped wedges, bamboo material slip-ons and many other range of footwear, starting at INR 120. Read more here.