Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanpur and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanpur: $340 a month against $402 in Shillong, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shillong outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

17

Cost of Living Index in Kanpur
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Kanpur Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
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Shillong Living Index

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Kanpur

🇮🇳 India

$340

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $340 in Kanpur versus $402 in Shillong.

Kanpur $340
Shillong $402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $540 in Kanpur versus $638 in Shillong.

Kanpur $540
Shillong $638

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $741 in Kanpur versus $874 in Shillong.

Kanpur $741
Shillong $874

Living in Kanpur costs roughly 15% less than in Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kanpur 75% lower, Shillong 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.12 ₹201

$3.35 ₹318

-36.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.39 ₹797

$11.44 ₹1,086

-26.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.12 ₹296

$4.81 ₹457

-35.14%

Cappuccino

$1.51 ₹143

$1.66 ₹157

-9.04%

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

$0.31 ₹29.57

$0.41 ₹38.89

-24.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ₹9.27

$0.15 ₹13.94

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ₹123

$1.22 ₹116

6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₹242

$3.49 ₹331

-26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 ₹68.7

$0.61 ₹57.9

18.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 ₹45.11

$0.31 ₹29.07

54.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.3

$0.58 ₹55.4

39.66%

Eggs

$0.90 ₹85.7

$0.92 ₹86.9

-2.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.65 ₹347

$3.86 ₹366

-5.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ₹239

$2.43 ₹231

3.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ₹154

$2.16 ₹205

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 ₹56.7

$0.68 ₹64.4

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 ₹96.0

$0.93 ₹88.4

8.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 ₹46.38

$0.52 ₹49.22

-5.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.25 ₹23.90

$0.31 ₹29.25

-19.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.76

$0.35 ₹32.78

8.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 ₹47.07

$0.22 ₹20.91

127.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.54

$0.25 ₹23.68

16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 ₹426

$5.11 ₹485

-12.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 ₹713

$4.83 ₹458

55.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₹149

$1.28 ₹121

22.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₹231

$1.97 ₹187

23.35%

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

$6.29 ₹597

$4.78 ₹454

31.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ₹41.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.42 ₹610

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₹61.4

$0.74 ₹70.3

-12.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₹26.70

$0.28 ₹26.52

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ₹101

$1.29 ₹123

-17.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹105

$1.09 ₹104

1.83%

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

$9,285 ₹881.7K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

-26.48%

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

$19.5K ₹1.9M

$16.0K ₹1.5M

21.45%

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

$42.64 ₹4,049

$34.74 ₹3,299

22.74%

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

$3.13 ₹298

$3.29 ₹313

-4.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.30 ₹503

$6.12 ₹581

-13.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.32 ₹1,265

$9.99 ₹948

33.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.16 ₹585

$5.11 ₹486

20.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.05 ₹289

$3.10 ₹294

-1.61%

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

$53.6 ₹5,086

$27.65 ₹2,626

93.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,135 ₹582.6K

$1,164 ₹110.5K

427.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.38 ₹2,411

$17.41 ₹1,653

45.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 ₹2,698

$22.11 ₹2,100

28.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.26 ₹3,443

$36.74 ₹3,489

-1.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.84 ₹1,504

$27.45 ₹2,606

-42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$110 ₹10.4K

$210 ₹19.9K

-47.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$58.9 ₹5,590

$131 ₹12.4K

-54.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 ₹29.9K

$727 ₹69.0K

-56.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₹14.8K

$284 ₹27.0K

-44.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,142 ₹108.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$531 ₹50.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$298 ₹28.3K

$442 ₹41.9K

-32.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.55

7.38

15.85%

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

Last update for Kanpur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kanpur

$95 28%

Shillong

$86 21.3% 10.2% $9.7

Accommodation & Living

Kanpur

$59 17.3%

Shillong

$131 32.5% 122% $72

Eating Out

Kanpur

$58 16.9%

Shillong

$76 19% 32.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanpur

$51 15%

Shillong

$44 11% 13.6% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kanpur

$48 14%

Shillong

$47 11.6% 2.1% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Kanpur

$19 5.7%

Shillong

$16 4% 16.6% $3.2

Getting Around

Kanpur

$10 3%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 79.1% $8.1

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 $110 in Kanpur and $210 in Shillong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shillong pays 48% 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: $8.00 in Kanpur vs $11.00 in Shillong. Groceries flip the comparison at $95.0 vs $86.0, with Shillong cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Kanpur

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

Same time as Kanpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,767,031

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

On the map

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Between locations

Kanpur Shillong 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kanpur
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

Kanpur vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kanpur is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Shillong. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $110 in Kanpur versus $210 in Shillong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $53.6 in Kanpur versus $27.65 in Shillong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kanpur – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $11.00 in Shillong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kanpur gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Kanpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Shillong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.