Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
Learn more

Shillong Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Shillong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Shillong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $402 in Shillong.

Athens $1,775
Shillong $402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $638 in Shillong.

Athens $2,721
Shillong $638

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $874 in Shillong.

Athens $3,666
Shillong $874

Living in Athens is roughly 342% more expensive than in Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Shillong is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$3.35 ₹318

398.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$11.44 ₹1,086

492.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$4.81 ₹457

131.60%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.66 ₹157

142.77%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$0.41 ₹38.88

575.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.15 ₹13.94

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$1.22 ₹116

370.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$3.49 ₹331

56.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.61 ₹57.9

198.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.31 ₹29.06

345.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.58 ₹55.4

382.76%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$0.92 ₹86.9

425.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$3.86 ₹366

289.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$2.43 ₹231

337.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.16 ₹205

1.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.68 ₹64.4

179.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.93 ₹88.4

47.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.52 ₹49.21

303.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.31 ₹29.25

248.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.35 ₹32.78

220.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.22 ₹20.90

409.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.25 ₹23.68

252.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$5.11 ₹485

7.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$4.83 ₹458

109.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.28 ₹121

66.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.97 ₹187

14.21%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.78 ₹453

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.74 ₹70.3

501.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.28 ₹26.52

264.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$1.29 ₹123

1211.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.09 ₹104

106.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K €24.9K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

121.97%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K €25.1K

$16.0K ₹1.5M

75.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$205 €182

$34.74 ₹3,298

488.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.65 €23.70

$3.29 ₹313

710.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$6.12 ₹581

396.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.46

$9.99 ₹948

445.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$5.11 ₹486

406.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$3.10 ₹294

236.13%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$569 €506

$27.65 ₹2,626

1958.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,164 ₹110.5K

981.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$17.41 ₹1,653

409.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$22.11 ₹2,100

82.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$36.74 ₹3,489

185.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$27.45 ₹2,606

341.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$210 ₹19.9K

253.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$131 ₹12.4K

401.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$727 ₹69.0K

78.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$284 ₹26.9K

304.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$442 ₹41.9K

181.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

7.38

-39.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Shillong

$131 32.5% 80% $524

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Shillong

$86 21.3% 72.4% $225

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Shillong

$76 19% 71.5% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Shillong

$44 11% 83.1% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Shillong

$47 11.6% 70.8% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Shillong

$16 4% 78.5% $59

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 95.2% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $210 in Shillong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 181% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $11.00 in Shillong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $86.0 per month, with Shillong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

143,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Shillong 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Shillong

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shillong wins on cost – living expenses run 342% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shillong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 181% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $210 in Shillong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $27.65 in Shillong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shillong – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $402 in Shillong versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shillong but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Shillong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Shillong delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $402 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Shillong hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Shillong are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shillong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 342% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.