Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $306 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $44,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Shimla

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 Shimla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $306 in Shimla, rent included.

London $3,986
Shimla $306

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $500 in Shimla, rent included.

London $5,791
Shimla $500

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $694 in Shimla, rent included.

London $7,595
Shimla $694

London costs about 1202% more than Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Shimla is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$1.53 ₹145

1594.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$10.60 ₹1,006

904.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$3.11 ₹295

244.37%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$0.90 ₹85.3

507.78%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.35 ₹33.46

748.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.11 ₹10.75

1900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$1.60 ₹152

470.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$2.08 ₹197

281.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$0.64 ₹60.5

190.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.42 ₹40.15

392.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.62 ₹59.2

290.32%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$0.85 ₹80.3

498.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$4.28 ₹406

200.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$3.28 ₹311

217.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$1.80 ₹171

72.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.70 ₹66.8

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$0.67 ₹64.0

359.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$0.48 ₹45.27

581.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.28 ₹26.57

464.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.36 ₹34.28

383.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.22 ₹20.91

536.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.27 ₹25.62

566.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$3.49 ₹331

567.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$8.35 ₹793

56.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.48 ₹140

114.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.02 ₹192

118.81%

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

$3.77 ₹358

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.22 ₹20.92

1750.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$7.72 ₹733

3096.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$1.08 ₹102

416.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.30 ₹28.25

1020.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$1.08 ₹102

5154.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.07 ₹102

99.07%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$8,473 ₹804.6K

350.71%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$17.4K ₹1.7M

134.38%

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

$372 £279

$18.12 ₹1,721

1953.86%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$3.04 ₹289

486.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$6.76 ₹642

497.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$13.89 ₹1,319

331.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$10.41 ₹988

104.51%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$3.07 ₹291

477.85%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$40.81 ₹3,875

6918.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$2,117 ₹201.1K

1568.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$25.09 ₹2,383

354.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$21.45 ₹2,037

153.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$38.68 ₹3,674

221.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$25.67 ₹2,438

535.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$84.2 ₹7,992

3308.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$53.0 ₹5,037

4110.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$199 ₹18.9K

2540.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$127 ₹12.1K

2876.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$552 ₹52.4K

3219.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$553 ₹52.5K

1352.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$607 ₹57.7K

729.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

8.25

-42.55%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shimla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Shimla

$53 17.3% 97.6% $2.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Shimla

$28 9.1% 93.5% $402

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Shimla

$46 15.1% 88% $341

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Shimla

$98 31.9% 72% $252

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Shimla

$11 3.7% 96.1% $274

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Shimla

$50 16.3% 75.7% $155

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Shimla

$20 6.5% 79% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $84.2 in Shimla. 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 730% 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 Shimla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $98.0 – making Shimla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

01:53 1:53 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Shimla 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $306 in Shimla – roughly 1202% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $459 in Shimla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shimla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 257% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $11.00 in Shimla. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shimla, where all-in costs run around $306, than in London at $3,986. In Shimla it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $306 in Shimla to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shimla. 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.