Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
Learn more

Shillong Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $402 in Shillong, rent included.

Bansko $956
Shillong $402

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $638 in Shillong, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Shillong $638

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $874 in Shillong, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Shillong $874

Bansko costs about 138% more than Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bansko and Shillong are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Shillong 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$3.35 ₹318

158.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$11.44 ₹1,086

292.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$4.81 ₹457

82.54%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.66 ₹157

40.36%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.41 ₹38.88

282.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.15 ₹13.94

446.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.22 ₹116

37.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$3.49 ₹331

-43.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$0.61 ₹57.9

183.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$0.31 ₹29.06

158.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$0.58 ₹55.4

148.28%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$0.92 ₹86.9

156.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$3.86 ₹366

143.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$2.43 ₹231

163.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$2.16 ₹205

-39.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$0.68 ₹64.4

138.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$0.93 ₹88.4

86.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.52 ₹49.21

273.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.31 ₹29.25

203.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.35 ₹32.78

117.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.22 ₹20.90

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.25 ₹23.68

136.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$5.11 ₹485

-36.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$4.83 ₹458

7.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.28 ₹121

-14.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.97 ₹187

-14.72%

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

$4.78 ₹453

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$0.74 ₹70.3

81.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.28 ₹26.52

132.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$1.29 ₹123

679.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.09 ₹104

35.78%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

130.77%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$16.0K ₹1.5M

30.35%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$34.74 ₹3,298

166.06%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$3.29 ₹313

341.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$6.12 ₹581

101.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$9.99 ₹948

217.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$5.11 ₹486

66.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$3.10 ₹294

81.29%

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

$230 BGN 401

$27.65 ₹2,626

733.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$1,164 ₹110.5K

94.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$17.41 ₹1,653

72.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$22.11 ₹2,100

-11.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$36.74 ₹3,489

24.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$27.45 ₹2,606

73.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$210 ₹19.9K

147.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$131 ₹12.4K

173.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$727 ₹69.0K

-15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$284 ₹26.9K

100.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$442 ₹41.9K

285.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

7.38

-59.49%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Shillong

$131 32.5% 63.4% $226

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Shillong

$86 21.3% 55.4% $106

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Shillong

$76 19% 47.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Shillong

$44 11% 63% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Shillong

$47 11.6% 27.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Shillong

$16 4% 62.3% $27

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 93.9% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Bansko versus $210 in Shillong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 286% higher in Bansko, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Bansko versus $11.00 in Shillong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $86.0 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

143,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

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 BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bansko Shillong 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
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

Bansko vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $402 in Shillong – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Bansko and $603 in Shillong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shillong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $956 in Bansko and $402 in Shillong. That's a gap of about 138%.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Bansko and $27.65 in Shillong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shillong, where all-in costs run around $402, than in Bansko at $956. In Shillong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $402 in Shillong to $956 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shillong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.