Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Shillong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $782 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
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Shillong Living Index

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Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$782

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $402 in Shillong.

Mumbai (Bombay) $782
Shillong $402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,299 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $638 in Shillong.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,299
Shillong $638

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,816 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $874 in Shillong.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,816
Shillong $874

Living in Mumbai (Bombay) is roughly 95% more expensive than in Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mumbai (Bombay) 42% lower, Shillong 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.38 ₹511

$3.35 ₹318

60.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 ₹1,971

$11.44 ₹1,086

81.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.19 ₹398

$4.81 ₹457

-12.89%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ₹260

$1.66 ₹157

65.06%

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

$0.41 ₹38.76

$0.41 ₹38.88

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₹15.04

$0.15 ₹13.94

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ₹246

$1.22 ₹116

112.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 ₹396

$3.49 ₹331

19.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 ₹71.2

$0.61 ₹57.9

22.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₹50.5

$0.31 ₹29.06

70.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ₹69.5

$0.58 ₹55.4

25.86%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$0.92 ₹86.9

4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 ₹524

$3.86 ₹366

43.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₹340

$2.43 ₹231

47.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ₹203

$2.16 ₹205

-0.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ₹65.5

$0.68 ₹64.4

1.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ₹116

$0.93 ₹88.4

32.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.76

$0.52 ₹49.21

-11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.23

$0.31 ₹29.25

16.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹37.12

$0.35 ₹32.78

11.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ₹38.05

$0.22 ₹20.90

81.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.46

$0.25 ₹23.68

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 ₹485

$5.11 ₹485

-0.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 ₹771

$4.83 ₹458

68.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₹185

$1.28 ₹121

52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹302

$1.97 ₹187

61.42%

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

$6.17 ₹586

$4.78 ₹453

29.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 ₹512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 ₹29.39

$0.74 ₹70.3

-58.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ₹28.01

$0.28 ₹26.52

3.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 ₹151

$1.29 ₹123

23.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹104

$1.09 ₹104

0.92%

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

$15.9K ₹1.5M

$12.6K ₹1.2M

25.53%

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

$22.7K ₹2.2M

$16.0K ₹1.5M

41.65%

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

$61.6 ₹5,845

$34.74 ₹3,298

77.20%

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

$4.25 ₹404

$3.29 ₹313

29.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 ₹855

$6.12 ₹581

47.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.24 ₹2,587

$9.99 ₹948

172.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.31 ₹1,263

$5.11 ₹486

160.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 ₹415

$3.10 ₹294

41.29%

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

$116 ₹11.0K

$27.65 ₹2,626

318.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,968 ₹471.7K

$1,164 ₹110.5K

326.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.16 ₹3,529

$17.41 ₹1,653

113.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.88 ₹3,786

$22.11 ₹2,100

80.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.9 ₹5,306

$36.74 ₹3,489

52.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.19 ₹4,576

$27.45 ₹2,606

75.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 ₹58.0K

$210 ₹19.9K

191.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ₹33.6K

$131 ₹12.4K

171.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 ₹173.6K

$727 ₹69.0K

151.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$877 ₹83.3K

$284 ₹26.9K

208.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,877 ₹558.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,448 ₹232.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 ₹72.0K

$442 ₹41.9K

71.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.29

7.38

12.33%

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

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): 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

Mumbai (Bombay)

$354 45.3%

Shillong

$131 32.5% 63.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$116 14.8%

Shillong

$86 21.3% 26% $30

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 14.3%

Shillong

$76 19% 31.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$82 10.4%

Shillong

$47 11.6% 42.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.6%

Shillong

$44 11% 41% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$36 4.6%

Shillong

$16 4% 55% $20

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8 1%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 73.2% $5.8

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 $611 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $210 in Shillong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 72% 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: $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $11.00 in Shillong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $116 vs $86.0 per month, with Shillong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

Same time as Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

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

Mumbai (Bombay) Shillong 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
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

Mumbai (Bombay) vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mumbai (Bombay) and Shillong differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($782 vs $402 including rent). Shillong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 72% higher in Mumbai (Bombay), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $611 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $210 in Shillong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $116 in Mumbai (Bombay) 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 Shillong – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Shillong 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 Shillong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Mumbai (Bombay). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.