Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Somalia

Name: Somalia
Address: SO

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $620 in Somalia, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Somalia
Learn more

Somalia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇸🇴 Somalia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in Somalia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in India and in Somalia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $620 in Somalia.

India $399
Somalia $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $924 in Somalia.

India $639
Somalia $924

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $1,229 in Somalia.

India $879
Somalia $1,229

India ($230–$813) and Somalia ($70–$616) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in India costs about 36% less than in Somalia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, Somalia 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$3.06 SOS 1,740

-30.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹995

$15.28 SOS 8,677

-31.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹361

$5.14 SOS 2,918

-26.07%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$1.53 SOS 870

9.80%

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

$0.38 ₹35.99

$1.01 SOS 571

-62.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.60

$0.44 SOS 252

-65.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$11.14 SOS 6,329

-83.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

$14.81 SOS 8,410

-78.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$1.33 SOS 755

-53.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.76

$1.12 SOS 635

-55.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.3

$0.88 SOS 502

-28.41%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.3

$2.16 SOS 1,226

-55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹461

$4.81 SOS 2,733

0.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$4.55 SOS 2,585

-37.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.60 SOS 2,610

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$2.12 SOS 1,203

-5.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.4

$1.25 SOS 707

-48.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.3

$1.82 SOS 1,032

-46.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.30

$1.16 SOS 662

-59.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.87

$1.27 SOS 719

-73.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.73

$1.60 SOS 910

-73.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.39

$0.98 SOS 556

-52.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.67

$0.71 SOS 405

-56.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$0.98 SOS 557

418.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹695

$2.06 SOS 1,168

254.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$2.06 SOS 1,169

-20.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

$1.99 SOS 1,128

38.69%

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

$5.11 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.86

$0.29 SOS 163

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹816

$12.00 SOS 6,815

-28.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.7

$1.48 SOS 840

-32.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.74

$0.58 SOS 327

-53.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$3.47 SOS 1,971

-55.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.93 SOS 528

15.05%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$10.1K SOS 5.8M

10.61%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$9,146 SOS 5.2M

119.23%

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

$37.08 ₹3,527

$111 SOS 63.0K

-66.56%

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

$3.58 ₹340

$6.82 SOS 3,872

-47.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹680

$39.60 SOS 22.5K

-81.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,427

$27.71 SOS 15.7K

-45.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹682

$1.97 SOS 1,116

263.96%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

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

$58.8 ₹5,592

$39.61 SOS 22.5K

48.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.5K

$290 SOS 164.9K

474.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,191

$12.84 SOS 7,290

79.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,299

$17.14 SOS 9,736

41.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,918

$17.10 SOS 9,711

140.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,817

$26.01 SOS 14.8K

13.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$124 SOS 70.6K

17.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,165

$78.4 SOS 44.5K

22.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$373 SOS 212.1K

-8.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.2K

$184 SOS 104.4K

27.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹111.9K

$4,674 SOS 2.7M

-74.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.2K

$3,699 SOS 2.1M

-82.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$274 SOS 155.4K

49.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

-40.47%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Somalia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Somalia

$157 25.3% 53.2% $54

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Somalia

$78 12.7% 18.6% $18

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Somalia

$149 24.1% 125% $83

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Somalia

$33 5.3% 38.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Somalia

$157 25.4% 229% $110

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Somalia

$28 * 4.5% 29.5% $6.3

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Somalia

$18 2.8% 46.1% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $115 in Somalia. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $192 in Mogadishu.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $297 in Somalia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 91% more in Somalia.

Public transport is 50% more expensive in Somalia.

Salaries are 39% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇸🇴 Somalia

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

12:26 12:26 PM

2 h 30 min behind India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

11,031,386

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 632 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Somalia 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

India
Somalia

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

India vs Somalia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $620 in Somalia, there’s a 55% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability; Somalia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.