Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
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Shillong Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Shillong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $402 in Shillong.

Austin, TX $2,663
Shillong $402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $638 in Shillong.

Austin, TX $4,133
Shillong $638

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $874 in Shillong.

Austin, TX $5,603
Shillong $874

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 563% more expensive than in Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Shillong is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.35 ₹318

520.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$11.44 ₹1,086

639.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.81 ₹457

156.13%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.66 ₹157

239.16%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.41 ₹38.89

807.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.15 ₹13.94

1566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.22 ₹116

559.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.49 ₹331

158.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.61 ₹57.9

83.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.31 ₹29.07

1109.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.58 ₹55.4

462.07%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$0.92 ₹86.9

353.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$3.86 ₹366

234.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.43 ₹231

482.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.16 ₹205

100.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.68 ₹64.4

114.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.93 ₹88.4

384.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.52 ₹49.22

734.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.31 ₹29.25

732.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.35 ₹32.78

571.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.22 ₹20.91

709.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.25 ₹23.68

788.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.11 ₹485

93.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.83 ₹458

212.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.28 ₹121

128.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.97 ₹187

75.63%

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

$4.78 ₹454

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.74 ₹70.3

268.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.28 ₹26.52

492.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$1.29 ₹123

2636.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.09 ₹104

-12.84%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

185.46%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$16.0K ₹1.5M

68.68%

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

$229 $229

$34.74 ₹3,299

559.15%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$3.29 ₹313

1705.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$6.12 ₹581

1042.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$9.99 ₹948

472.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$5.11 ₹486

219.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.10 ₹294

360.65%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$27.65 ₹2,626

5346.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,164 ₹110.5K

1743.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$17.41 ₹1,653

203.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$22.11 ₹2,100

98.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$36.74 ₹3,489

130.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$27.45 ₹2,606

275.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$210 ₹19.9K

809.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$131 ₹12.4K

875.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$727 ₹69.0K

404.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$284 ₹27.0K

794.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$442 ₹41.9K

1059.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.38

-7.99%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Shillong

$131 32.5% 89.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Shillong

$86 21.3% 78.9% $319

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Shillong

$44 11% 87.7% $314

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Shillong

$76 19% 78.4% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Shillong

$47 11.6% 63.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Shillong

$16 4% 81.1% $70

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 96.4% $57

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $210 in Shillong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1060% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $11.00 in Shillong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $86.0 per month, with Shillong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

21:40 9:40 PM

08:10 8:10 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

143,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

INR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Shillong 13,720 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shillong wins on cost – living expenses run 563% lower than in Austin, TX. 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 1060% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $210 in Shillong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX 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 $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $402 in Shillong versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shillong but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Shillong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Shillong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 563% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.