Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $43,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Shillong
🇮🇳 India
$402
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $402 in Shillong, rent included.

  • London $3,986
  • Shillong $402

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $638 in Shillong, rent included.

  • London $5,791
  • Shillong $638

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $874 in Shillong, rent included.

  • London $7,595
  • Shillong $874

London costs about 892% more than Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Shillong is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Shillong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.93 £19.45
$3.35 ₹318
674.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$107 £79.9
$11.44 ₹1,086
830.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.03
$4.81 ₹457
122.66%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$1.66 ₹157
229.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 £2.23
$0.41 ₹38.88
624.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 £1.65
$0.15 ₹13.94
1366.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.13 £6.85
$1.22 ₹116
648.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 £5.96
$3.49 ₹331
127.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Shillong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 £1.40
$0.61 ₹57.9
204.92%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 £1.55
$0.31 ₹29.06
567.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 £1.81
$0.58 ₹55.4
317.24%
Eggs
$5.09 £3.82
$0.92 ₹86.9
453.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.87 £9.66
$3.86 ₹366
233.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.43 £7.82
$2.43 ₹231
329.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.87 £12.66
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.33
$2.16 ₹205
43.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 £1.05
$0.68 ₹64.4
105.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.08 £2.31
$0.93 ₹88.4
231.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 £2.45
$0.52 ₹49.21
528.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.19
$0.31 ₹29.25
409.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 £1.31
$0.35 ₹32.78
397.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 £1.05
$0.22 ₹20.90
536.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.25 ₹23.68
620.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.28 £17.46
$5.11 ₹485
355.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.03 £9.77
$4.83 ₹458
169.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.28 ₹121
147.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 £3.32
$1.97 ₹187
124.37%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$4.78 ₹453
-
🚌 Getting Around
London
Shillong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.07 £3.05
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$247 £185
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$0.74 ₹70.3
654.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.36 £2.52
$0.28 ₹26.52
1100.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.8 £42.57
$1.29 ₹123
4299.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 £1.60
$1.09 ₹104
95.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.6K
$12.6K ₹1.2M
202.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K £30.7K
$16.0K ₹1.5M
154.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Shillong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £279
$34.74 ₹3,298
971.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.82 £13.37
$3.29 ₹313
441.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.37 £30.29
$6.12 ₹581
559.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Shillong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.0 £44.99
$9.99 ₹948
500.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.29 £15.97
$5.11 ₹486
316.63%
Cinema Ticket
$17.74 £13.31
$3.10 ₹294
472.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Shillong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,864 £2,149
$27.65 ₹2,626
10259.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.3K £26.5K
$1,164 ₹110.5K
2935.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Shillong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$114 £85.5
$17.41 ₹1,653
554.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.3 £40.71
$22.11 ₹2,100
145.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 £93.2
$36.74 ₹3,489
238.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 £122
$27.45 ₹2,606
494.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Shillong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,869 £2,152
$210 ₹19.9K
1268.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,233 £1,675
$131 ₹12.4K
1609.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,266 £3,950
$727 ₹69.0K
624.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,778 £2,834
$284 ₹26.9K
1231.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.3K £13.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,024 £6,019
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Shillong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,037 £3,778
$442 ₹41.9K
1040.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.74
7.38
-35.77%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.2K
Shillong
$131 94.2% $2.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$430
Shillong
$44 89.7% $386
Eating Out
London
$388
Shillong
$76 80.3% $311
Groceries & Markets
London
$349
Shillong
$86 75.5% $264
Getting Around
London
$285
Shillong
$2.1 * 99.3% $283
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Shillong
$47 77.2% $158
Sport & Entertainment
London
$95
Shillong
$16 83% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London 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 1041% higher in London, 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 $107 in London versus $11.00 in Shillong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $86.0 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇮🇳 Shillong
🕒 Local time
03:41 3:41 AM
08:11 8:11 AM
4 h 30 min ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
143,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.845 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Shillong 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • 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
London vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Shillong compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $402 in Shillong – roughly 892% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Shillong?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $603 in Shillong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Shillong?
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.
Which city is more expensive overall: London or Shillong?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $402 in Shillong. That's a gap of about 892%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Shillong?
Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $27.65 in Shillong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shillong, where all-in costs run around $402, than in London at $3,986. In Shillong it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between London and Shillong?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $402 in Shillong to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between London and Shillong?
If budget matters most, go with Shillong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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