Cent to Square Feet: Kerala, TN and AP Plots
1 cent is 435.6 square feet, or one-hundredth of an acre. That is about 40.47 square metres or 48.4 square yards. So 3 cents is 1,306.8 sq ft, 5 cents is 2,178 sq ft and 10 cents is 4,356 sq ft. The cent is the everyday plot unit in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and it is the same size in all three.
Key takeaways
- 1 cent = 435.6 sq ft = 40.47 sq m = 48.4 sq yd = 1/100 acre. The "decimal" of Bengal, Odisha and Bihar is the same area.
- In Chennai, a ground is 2,400 sq ft, about 5.51 cents. Villa land is often priced per ground and small plots per cent.
- In Kerala, a plot of up to 125 sq m (about 3.09 cents) falls under special small-plot rules with smaller setbacks, up to three floors and 10 m.
- In Tamil Nadu, a house on a plot up to 2,500 sq ft (about 5.74 cents) can get an instant permit by self-certification, within set limits.
- Kerala's paddy and wetland law, not the building rules, is often what decides whether a cent plot can carry a house at all.
Cent conversion chart
Our arithmetic from 1 cent = 435.6 sq ft, the figure every source we checked uses, including our land measurement units in India hub.
| Cents | Square feet | Square metres | Square yards | Ankanam (AP) | Ground (Chennai) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 435.6 | 40.5 | 48.4 | 6.05 | 0.18 |
| 2.5 | 1,089 | 101.2 | 121 | 15.13 | 0.45 |
| 3 | 1,306.8 | 121.4 | 145.2 | 18.15 | 0.54 |
| 5 | 2,178 | 202.3 | 242 | 30.25 | 0.91 |
| 10 | 4,356 | 404.7 | 484 | 60.5 | 1.82 |
| 100 (1 acre) | 43,560 | 4,046.9 | 4,840 | 605 | 18.15 |
Two anchors worth remembering: 2.5 cents is exactly one guntha (see guntha to square feet), and 100 cents is an acre (see acre to square feet).
Cent, ground and ankanam: which one you'll be quoted
Kerala
Kerala prices almost all residential land per cent. Asking prices on portals show the spread: Edappally land averages about Rs 4,300 per sq ft on 99acres, which is roughly Rs 18.7 lakh a cent, while a Kakkanad listing asked Rs 12 lakh a cent, about Rs 2,755 per sq ft. Treat both as asking prices, not transaction data. Our Kochi real estate market page covers the localities.
Tamil Nadu and Chennai
Chennai uses both. A ground is 2,400 sq ft (222.97 sq m, or 5.51 cents), and plot sizes of 2 to 10 cents are typical, with villa land often quoted in grounds. The patta, though, records extent in hectares and ares, so you'll convert again when you check the record; our guide to patta and chitta shows how to read it.
Andhra Pradesh
AP uses cents for land and square yards for city plots. In the south of the state, around Nellore and Tirupati, you may hear ankanams: 1 ankanam is 72 sq ft (8 sq yd), so 1 cent is 6.05 ankanams and a 5-cent plot is about 30 ankanams. The AP land record portal is covered in Meebhoomi AP.
What you can build on 3, 5 and 10 cents
The cent tells you the plot; the building rules tell you the house. Kerala's are the most specific about small plots, so the examples below use Kerala's panchayat and municipality building rules of 2019. All plots are taken as roughly square, and every footprint is our own arithmetic; an architect's drawing for your actual plot will differ.
3 cents (1,306.8 sq ft, 121.4 sq m)
This is below Kerala's 125 sq m small-plot threshold, so the special chapter for small plots applies. The front yard can be an average of 1.8 m (minimum 1.2 m) and the rear an average of 1.0 m (minimum 0.5 m). A window is allowed on a side with at least 0.6 m of open space. The building can go up to three floors and 10 m.
On a plot about 11 m by 11 m, leaving 1.8 m in front, 1.0 m at the rear and 0.6 m on each side gives a footprint of about 9.8 × 8.2 m, or roughly 81 sq m (870 sq ft) per floor. Two floors gives about 1,740 sq ft; three, about 2,600.
5 cents (2,178 sq ft, 202.3 sq m)
Above 125 sq m the normal rules apply. For a house up to 10 m high, the front yard is 3 m, the rear is given as 1.5 m or 2 m depending on the source you read, and the sides about 1 m. Coverage for a residential building in a category-I panchayat is capped at 65% and FAR at 3.0.
On a plot of about 14.2 × 14.25 m, yards of 3 m front, 1.5 m rear and 1 m on each side leave a footprint of about 12.2 × 9.75 m, or 119 sq m (about 1,280 sq ft). That is under the 65% cap of 131.5 sq m, so here the yards decide. A two-floor house of around 2,500 sq ft fits comfortably.
10 cents (4,356 sq ft, 404.7 sq m)
On a plot of about 20 × 20.2 m, the same yards leave 283 sq m, but 65% coverage caps the footprint at 263 sq m (about 2,830 sq ft). Now coverage decides. Ten cents is also the figure that recurs in Kerala's paddy land law: 4.04 ares, which is 10 cents, is the land limit up to which a house of 120 sq m needs no separate permission in the cases the Act covers.
The Tamil Nadu version
Since 22 July 2024, Tamil Nadu has issued instant building permits on self-certification for a house on a plot up to 2,500 sq ft, with up to 3,500 sq ft built-up, ground or ground plus one floor, a height of 7 m and at most two dwelling units. The plot must be in an approved or regularised layout, a natham, or registered by deed before 20 October 2016. So a 3-cent or 5-cent plot qualifies on size. In August 2026 the government announced a higher limit of 5,000 sq ft and G+2 or stilt+3 buildings; check that the change has been notified before you rely on it.
Worked example: pricing a 5-cent plot
A 5-cent plot in Kochi quoted at Rs 18.7 lakh a cent costs 5 × 18.7 = Rs 93.5 lakh. That is Rs 93,50,000 ÷ 2,178 = about Rs 4,293 per sq ft, in line with the portal average for Edappally. If a Chennai seller quotes the same land at Rs 1 crore a ground, divide by 2,400: Rs 4,167 per sq ft, slightly cheaper, even though "per ground" sounds larger. Always bring quotes to rupees per square foot before comparing. Stamp duty on the purchase in Tamil Nadu is covered in stamp duty in Tamil Nadu.
Risks that matter more than the conversion
- Paddy and wetland land in Kerala. Land listed in the local data bank as paddy or wetland cannot be converted, and a filling permission for the owner's house is limited to 10 cents in a panchayat and 5 cents in a municipality or corporation. A cheap cent plot is often cheap for this reason.
- Undersized subdivisions. Kerala requires newly subdivided plots to be at least 125 sq m with an average width of 6 m. A 2-cent piece cut from a larger plot may not be a legal building plot.
- Unapproved layouts in Tamil Nadu. Plots outside approved or regularised layouts don't qualify for self-certification and may not get a permit at all.
- Record in ares, talk in cents. Convert the extent on the patta or the Kerala land record yourself: 1 are is 100 sq m, about 2.47 cents.
The cent suits small-plot buyers well because it is precise. What it doesn't tell you is whether the land can legally carry a house.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet is 1 cent?
One cent is 435.6 sq ft, because it is one-hundredth of an acre of 43,560 sq ft. That is about 40.47 square metres or 48.4 square yards. The figure is the same in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and the decimal used in Bengal and Odisha is the same area.
What is 5 cents in square feet, and what size is it?
Five cents is 2,178 sq ft, or about 202 square metres. As a square plot it is roughly 46.7 ft on each side, and a common rectangle is about 40 by 54.5 ft. In Kerala, a 5-cent plot is above the 125 sq m small-plot limit, so normal setbacks apply.
How many cents make one ground in Chennai?
About 5.51. A ground is 2,400 sq ft and a cent is 435.6 sq ft, so 2,400 ÷ 435.6 = 5.51. Half a ground, 1,200 sq ft, is about 2.75 cents, and 10 cents is about 1.8 grounds. Compare quotes per square foot, since a price per ground and a price per cent are hard to judge side by side.
How big a house can I build on 3 cents in Kerala?
A 3-cent plot is about 121 sq m, under the 125 sq m limit, so Kerala's small-plot rules apply: an average front yard of 1.8 m, rear of 1.0 m, and up to three floors within 10 m. On a square plot that works out to roughly 870 sq ft per floor, or about 1,740 sq ft over two floors.
How many cents are in one acre?
One hundred. An acre is 43,560 sq ft and a cent is 435.6 sq ft. Half an acre is 50 cents, and one guntha, the unit used in Karnataka and Maharashtra, is exactly 2.5 cents. So a 40-cent coconut garden in Kerala is 17,424 sq ft, or 0.4 acre.
Looking at a cent plot in Kerala, Chennai or coastal Andhra? Talk to Realty Hunting and we'll help you check the records and the rules before you buy.
