Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $408 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
Learn more

Shillong Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $408 in Shillong, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Shillong $408

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $642 in Shillong, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Shillong $642

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $876 in Shillong, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Shillong $876

Budapest costs about 304% more than Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Shillong is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$3.52 ₹333

287.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$11.40 ₹1,077

432.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$4.67 ₹441

114.56%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$1.62 ₹153

105.56%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.40 ₹37.98

430.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.14 ₹13.58

1185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$1.25 ₹118

188.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$3.38 ₹319

6.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$0.68 ₹64.3

64.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.34 ₹32.54

467.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.56 ₹53.2

344.64%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$0.99 ₹93.5

297.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$3.89 ₹367

189.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$2.51 ₹237

168.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$2.19 ₹207

-15.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.73 ₹68.5

179.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$0.96 ₹90.5

138.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$0.56 ₹52.8

612.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$0.33 ₹31.48

184.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.38 ₹35.60

168.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$0.22 ₹20.79

650.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.27 ₹25.52

151.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$4.99 ₹471

56.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$4.77 ₹450

26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.28 ₹121

0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$1.92 ₹181

5.21%

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

$5.00 ₹473

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.68 ₹64.6

394.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.28 ₹26.45

389.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$1.35 ₹127

1378.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.06 ₹99.7

75.47%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$11.1K ₹1.1M

155.81%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$16.9K ₹1.6M

97.98%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$34.66 ₹3,275

414.05%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$3.19 ₹302

639.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$6.19 ₹585

289.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$10.40 ₹982

569.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$5.40 ₹510

215.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$3.14 ₹297

233.76%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$27.75 ₹2,622

2152.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$1,166 ₹110.1K

1585.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$16.07 ₹1,518

534.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$21.77 ₹2,057

99.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$36.91 ₹3,487

197.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$26.95 ₹2,546

347.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$212 ₹20.0K

299.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$134 ₹12.7K

376.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$733 ₹69.3K

119.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$278 ₹26.3K

337.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$452 ₹42.7K

281.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

7.26

-12.67%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Shillong: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Shillong

$134 32.9% 79% $504

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Shillong

$88 21.7% 66% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Shillong

$44 10.8% 80.5% $182

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Shillong

$77 18.8% 65.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Shillong

$46 11.2% 72.9% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Shillong

$17 4.1% 81.6% $74

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 95.2% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $212 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 in Budapest are about 3.8 times higher, 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 $61 in Budapest versus $11 in Shillong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $88 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

143,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Shillong 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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

Budapest vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 304%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $612 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $845 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $11 in Shillong. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 194% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Shillong, where all-in costs run around $408, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Shillong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shillong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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