Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
Learn more

Shillong Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $402 in Shillong.

Bucharest $1,340
Shillong $402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $638 in Shillong.

Bucharest $2,037
Shillong $638

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $874 in Shillong.

Bucharest $2,734
Shillong $874

Living in Bucharest is roughly 234% more expensive than in Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Shillong 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.7

$3.35 ₹318

332.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$11.44 ₹1,086

407.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.46

$4.81 ₹457

55.51%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.31

$1.66 ₹157

107.23%

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

$2.37 RON 11.24

$0.41 ₹38.89

478.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.90

$0.15 ₹13.94

1433.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.53

$1.22 ₹116

203.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.72

$3.49 ₹331

19.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$0.61 ₹57.9

173.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.51

$0.31 ₹29.07

341.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.15

$0.58 ₹55.4

196.55%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.24

$0.92 ₹86.9

295.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 43.04

$3.86 ₹366

135.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.40

$2.43 ₹231

181.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.9

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.81

$2.16 ₹205

-43.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.74

$0.68 ₹64.4

139.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.46

$0.93 ₹88.4

68.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.03

$0.52 ₹49.22

388.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.31 ₹29.25

154.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.35 ₹32.78

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.22 ₹20.91

295.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.71

$0.25 ₹23.68

296.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.90

$5.11 ₹485

23.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.39

$4.83 ₹458

28.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.28 ₹121

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.46

$1.97 ₹187

-20.30%

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

$4.78 ₹454

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 100.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.74 ₹70.3

-13.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.28 ₹26.52

114.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.48

$1.29 ₹123

398.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.09 ₹104

79.82%

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

$29.0K RON 137.4K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

129.63%

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

$26.6K RON 126.2K

$16.0K ₹1.5M

65.97%

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

$196 RON 928

$34.74 ₹3,299

463.87%

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

$8.04 RON 38.10

$3.29 ₹313

144.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.28

$6.12 ₹581

52.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$9.99 ₹948

402.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$5.11 ₹486

395.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.61

$3.10 ₹294

162.90%

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

$628 RON 2,976

$27.65 ₹2,626

2171.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.7K

$1,164 ₹110.5K

1110.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 425

$17.41 ₹1,653

414.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 182

$22.11 ₹2,100

73.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 376

$36.74 ₹3,489

115.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$27.45 ₹2,606

229.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,214

$210 ₹19.9K

223.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,124

$131 ₹12.4K

243.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,133

$727 ₹69.0K

49.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,435

$284 ₹27.0K

155.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,299

$442 ₹41.9K

201.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

7.38

-8.54%

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

Last update for Bucharest: 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

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Shillong

$131 32.5% 70.9% $318

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Shillong

$76 19% 66.1% $149

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Shillong

$86 21.3% 62% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Shillong

$44 11% 79.3% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Shillong

$47 11.6% 65.1% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Shillong

$16 4% 75.7% $50

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 92.4% $26

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 $678 in Bucharest and $210 in Shillong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 201% 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $11.00 in Shillong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $86.0 per month, with Shillong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

143,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.74 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Shillong 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
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

Bucharest vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Shillong differ by about 234% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $402 including rent). Shillong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 201% higher in Bucharest, 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: $678 in Bucharest versus $210 in Shillong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 163% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $402 in Shillong – a 234% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $402 in Shillong versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shillong but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. 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 234% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.