Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hyderabad and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $491 in Hyderabad, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Hyderabad
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Hyderabad Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
Learn more

Shillong Living Index

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Hyderabad

🇮🇳 India

$491

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $491 per month in Hyderabad vs $402 in Shillong, rent included.

Hyderabad $491
Shillong $402

A couple spends around $806 per month in Hyderabad vs $638 in Shillong, rent included.

Hyderabad $806
Shillong $638

A family of three spends $1,121 per month in Hyderabad vs $874 in Shillong, rent included.

Hyderabad $1,121
Shillong $874

Hyderabad costs about 22% more than Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hyderabad and Shillong are more affordable than the global median – Hyderabad 64% lower, Shillong 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 ₹251

$3.35 ₹318

-20.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.86 ₹1,506

$11.44 ₹1,086

38.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 ₹502

$4.81 ₹457

9.98%

Cappuccino

$2.31 ₹219

$1.66 ₹157

39.16%

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

$0.46 ₹43.39

$0.41 ₹38.89

12.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.46

$0.15 ₹13.94

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₹194

$1.22 ₹116

67.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 ₹405

$3.49 ₹331

22.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 ₹78.5

$0.61 ₹57.9

36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 ₹54.5

$0.31 ₹29.07

83.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ₹68.5

$0.58 ₹55.4

24.14%

Eggs

$1.02 ₹96.9

$0.92 ₹86.9

10.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 ₹660

$3.86 ₹366

80.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ₹314

$2.43 ₹231

36.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ₹216

$2.16 ₹205

5.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.0

$0.68 ₹64.4

4.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 ₹106

$0.93 ₹88.4

20.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.19

$0.52 ₹49.22

-9.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.70

$0.31 ₹29.25

25.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.70

$0.35 ₹32.78

11.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ₹49.52

$0.22 ₹20.91

136.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.03

$0.25 ₹23.68

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₹490

$5.11 ₹485

0.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 ₹811

$4.83 ₹458

76.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₹166

$1.28 ₹121

36.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ₹249

$1.97 ₹187

32.99%

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

$6.46 ₹614

$4.78 ₹454

35.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₹47.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.88 ₹1,413

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 ₹91.3

$0.74 ₹70.3

29.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ₹50.3

$0.28 ₹26.52

89.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 ₹108

$1.29 ₹123

-12.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₹111

$1.09 ₹104

7.34%

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

$15.3K ₹1.5M

$12.6K ₹1.2M

21.13%

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

$22.8K ₹2.2M

$16.0K ₹1.5M

42.10%

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

$35.47 ₹3,368

$34.74 ₹3,299

2.10%

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

$4.20 ₹399

$3.29 ₹313

27.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.92 ₹752

$6.12 ₹581

29.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.75 ₹2,350

$9.99 ₹948

147.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.27 ₹691

$5.11 ₹486

42.27%

Cinema Ticket

$3.08 ₹293

$3.10 ₹294

-0.65%

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

$103 ₹9,768

$27.65 ₹2,626

272.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,753 ₹261.4K

$1,164 ₹110.5K

136.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.36 ₹2,123

$17.41 ₹1,653

28.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.36 ₹2,028

$22.11 ₹2,100

-3.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.24 ₹4,106

$36.74 ₹3,489

17.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.07 ₹3,331

$27.45 ₹2,606

27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 ₹21.7K

$210 ₹19.9K

9.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$132 ₹12.5K

$131 ₹12.4K

1.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 ₹58.3K

$727 ₹69.0K

-15.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₹31.5K

$284 ₹27.0K

16.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,349 ₹128.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$766 ₹72.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,209 ₹114.8K

$442 ₹41.9K

173.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

7.38

14.63%

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

Last update for Hyderabad: 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

Hyderabad

$132 26.9%

Shillong

$131 32.5% 1% $1.3

Groceries & Markets

Hyderabad

$119 24.3%

Shillong

$86 21.3% 28.4% $34

Eating Out

Hyderabad

$86 17.5%

Shillong

$76 19% 11.1% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Hyderabad

$55 11.2%

Shillong

$47 11.6% 15% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hyderabad

$48 9.7%

Shillong

$44 11% 7.2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Hyderabad

$31 6.3%

Shillong

$16 4% 47.7% $15

Getting Around

Hyderabad

$20 4.2%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 89.6% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $229 in Hyderabad 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 174% higher in Hyderabad, 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 $16.00 in Hyderabad versus $11.00 in Shillong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $119 vs $86.0 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Hyderabad

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

Same time as Hyderabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,809,970

143,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hyderabad Shillong 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hyderabad
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

Hyderabad vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hyderabad costs about 22% more than Shillong, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $737 per month in Hyderabad 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 $491 in Hyderabad and $402 in Shillong. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $103 per month in Hyderabad and $27.65 in Shillong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $491 in Hyderabad and $402 in Shillong, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Shillong costs $402 versus $491 in Hyderabad. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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