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Average Fashion Model Salary in India for 2026

A fashion model in India earns about 341,400 INR a year. That's 11% below the national average of 384,200 INR.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in India sit around 181,600 INR a year, while the very top stretches to 518,900 INR. Everything on this page is in Indian rupee (INR, symbol ₹), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in India, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does a fashion model make in India?

Average salary
341,400 INR
28,450 INR per month
Lowest reported
181,600 INR
15,133 INR per month
Highest reported
518,900 INR
43,241 INR per month

A typical fashion model working in India brings home around 28,450 INR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 181,600 INR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 518,900 INR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior fashion model working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How fashion model pay ranges in India

A good way to think about salary in India is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all fashion models in India earn less than 320,500 INR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 228,500 INR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 394,500 INR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of fashion models sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 181,600 INR. The highest stretch to 518,900 INR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

181,600
Low
320,500
Median
518,900
High
228,500
25th
394,500
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in INR

Fashion model pay by experience in India

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a fashion model in India, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical fashion model salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    208,600 INR
  • 2-5 Years
    +22% from previous
    254,800 INR
  • 5-10 Years
    +42% from previous
    361,500 INR
  • 10-15 Years
    +17% from previous
    424,300 INR
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    464,900 INR
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    493,000 INR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 42%. That is the point at which a fashion model typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Fashion model pay by education in India

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving fashion model pay in India. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average fashion model salary in India broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    254,800 INR
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +40% from previous
    357,700 INR
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +41% from previous
    504,500 INR

Fashion model gender pay gap in India

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and India is no exception. Male fashion models in India earn an average of 314,500 INR a year, while female fashion models earn around 361,600 INR. That works out to a 13% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Fashion Model gender pay gap

13%

Men earn this much less than women on average in India.

Women 361,600 INR
Men 314,500 INR

Pay raises for a fashion model in India

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in India sees a raise of about 11% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in India, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in India:

  • Banking
    1%
  • Energy
    2%
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Fashion model bonus rates in India

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

27%

27% of fashion models in India reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a fashion model a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 73% of fashion models reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in India

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Fashion model: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in India is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

5%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in India on average.

Public sector 392,300 INR
Private sector 371,100 INR

Fashion model salary by city and region in India

Fashion model pay is not even across India. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Bihar
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Karnataka
  • Delhi (city)
  • Orissa
  • Maharashtra
  • Bangalore
  • West Bengal
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Uttar PradeshRegion426,700 INR421,400 INR217,900-658,300 INR
Madhya PradeshRegion419,400 INR399,900 INR216,800-639,100 INR
BiharRegion419,400 INR450,300 INR192,600-664,500 INR
Tamil NaduRegion406,300 INR421,400 INR194,600-632,400 INR
KarnatakaRegion406,300 INR414,000 INR197,600-629,800 INR
Delhi (city)City401,300 INR401,300 INR201,100-623,700 INR
OrissaRegion398,300 INR407,100 INR196,800-619,800 INR
MaharashtraRegion398,300 INR398,300 INR197,600-615,300 INR
BangaloreCity394,500 INR372,600 INR209,700-602,700 INR
West BengalRegion388,100 INR398,300 INR192,000-608,500 INR
Andhra PradeshRegion386,400 INR371,100 INR201,100-592,200 INR
KolkataCity386,400 INR371,100 INR201,100-592,200 INR
RajasthanRegion378,800 INR363,000 INR197,600-580,600 INR
JaipurCity378,300 INR384,500 INR185,100-590,200 INR
MumbaiCity377,200 INR382,600 INR185,100-588,500 INR
JharkhandRegion376,800 INR367,200 INR192,600-581,300 INR
ChennaiCity376,800 INR376,800 INR189,300-582,700 INR
PunjabRegion372,600 INR341,900 INR201,100-563,000 INR
HyderabadCity371,100 INR341,400 INR200,000-562,200 INR
GujaratRegion369,300 INR369,300 INR187,500-574,200 INR
SuratCity363,000 INR335,800 INR195,200-552,400 INR
AssamRegion362,200 INR376,800 INR172,200-566,900 INR
PuneCity362,200 INR384,200 INR172,200-572,200 INR
KeralaRegion362,200 INR384,200 INR172,200-572,200 INR
NagpurCity361,600 INR330,900 INR194,600-544,800 INR
IndoreCity361,600 INR389,200 INR164,200-571,300 INR
AhmadabadCity361,500 INR382,600 INR172,200-571,300 INR
LucknowCity361,500 INR345,700 INR189,300-553,800 INR
ChhatisgarhRegion357,300 INR348,300 INR181,600-548,500 INR
Himachal PradeshRegion352,000 INR378,800 INR159,500-556,000 INR
HaryanaRegion351,200 INR367,900 INR169,000-553,400 INR
Delhi (region)Region349,300 INR317,700 INR187,300-524,700 INR
CoimbatoreCity345,100 INR359,900 INR164,200-539,700 INR
MeghalayaRegion345,100 INR371,100 INR159,100-548,800 INR
KanpurCity344,600 INR318,800 INR187,300-520,900 INR
UttaranchalRegion341,400 INR320,500 INR181,600-518,900 INR
Arunachal PradeshRegion339,100 INR339,100 INR167,100-520,900 INR
ManipurRegion335,800 INR352,000 INR161,300-528,500 INR
Jammu & KashmirRegion335,100 INR313,700 INR175,900-510,300 INR
BhopalCity332,100 INR314,500 INR176,800-504,500 INR
NagalandRegion330,900 INR325,800 INR169,000-510,300 INR
agraCity330,700 INR330,700 INR163,800-510,200 INR
Pimpri-ChinchwadCity327,300 INR353,600 INR152,100-520,900 INR
VadodaraCity325,900 INR314,500 INR172,200-500,100 INR
GoaRegion325,900 INR314,500 INR172,200-500,100 INR
GhaziabadCity325,800 INR318,800 INR164,200-500,100 INR
ChandigarhRegion325,800 INR301,700 INR172,200-492,400 INR
TripuraRegion322,600 INR348,300 INR150,000-514,300 INR
VisakhapatnamCity322,600 INR301,700 INR172,200-491,000 INR
PatnaCity317,700 INR301,800 INR169,000-485,300 INR
LudhianaCity314,500 INR294,300 INR164,200-475,700 INR
PondicherryRegion312,400 INR327,300 INR148,300-491,000 INR
Dadra & Nagar HaveliRegion308,900 INR314,500 INR151,800-478,000 INR
MizoramRegion305,600 INR288,100 INR161,300-466,300 INR
MaduraiCity301,600 INR325,900 INR138,200-480,600 INR
SikkimRegion301,300 INR301,300 INR152,100-466,900 INR
LakshadweepRegion292,000 INR268,900 INR158,700-442,200 INR
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsRegion288,700 INR266,000 INR157,600-436,200 INR
Daman & DiuRegion281,500 INR299,500 INR130,400-442,300 INR

Fashion Model in India: FAQs

  • How much does a fashion model make per month in India?

    A fashion model in India earns about 28,450 INR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 341,400 INR.

  • What's the salary range for a fashion model in India?

    Entry-level fashion models in India start near 181,600 INR. Top-end pay reaches around 518,900 INR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 228,500 and 394,500 INR.

  • Is the median fashion model salary in India higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 320,500 INR, lower than the average of 341,400 INR. Half of fashion models in India earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for fashion models in India?

    Men working as a fashion model in India earn around 13% less than women on average (314,500 vs 361,600 INR a year).

  • Do fashion models in India get bonuses?

    About 27% of fashion models in India reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

  • Do fashion models earn more in the public or private sector in India?

    In India, the public sector pays a fashion model about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do fashion models in India get a pay raise?

    A fashion model in India sees a raise of around 11% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.