Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shillong and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
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Shillong Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shillong and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $402 in Shillong versus $918 in Cebu.

Shillong $402
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $638 in Shillong versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Shillong $638
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $874 in Shillong versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Shillong $874
Cebu $1,900

Living in Shillong costs roughly 56% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shillong 70% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 ₹318

$3.09 ₱195

8.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.44 ₹1,086

$24.22 ₱1,525

-52.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 ₹457

$3.92 ₱247

22.70%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ₹157

$2.51 ₱158

-33.86%

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

$0.41 ₹38.88

$1.59 ₱100

-74.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.94

$0.53 ₱33.45

-71.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₹116

$1.78 ₱112

-31.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₹331

$2.17 ₱137

60.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹57.9

$1.92 ₱121

-68.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.06

$1.36 ₱85.5

-77.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 ₹55.4

$1.01 ₱63.6

-42.57%

Eggs

$0.92 ₹86.9

$2.03 ₱128

-54.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 ₹366

$9.86 ₱621

-60.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ₹231

$4.39 ₱277

-44.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 ₱479

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ₹205

$3.30 ₱208

-34.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ₹64.4

$1.39 ₱87.8

-51.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 ₹88.4

$2.33 ₱147

-60.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹49.21

$1.50 ₱94.3

-65.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 ₹29.25

$2.36 ₱149

-86.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.78

$1.90 ₱119

-81.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.90

$1.19 ₱74.9

-81.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.68

$0.63 ₱39.73

-60.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 ₹485

$3.00 ₱189

70.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.83 ₹458

$6.03 ₱380

-19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₹121

$1.23 ₱77.7

4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₹187

$1.75 ₱110

12.57%

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

$4.78 ₹453

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₹70.3

$0.77 ₱48.64

-3.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₹26.52

$0.23 ₱14.54

21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₹123

$4.46 ₱281

-71.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.31 ₱82.8

-16.79%

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

$12.6K ₹1.2M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-40.55%

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

$16.0K ₹1.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

-16.17%

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

$34.74 ₹3,298

$120 ₱7,573

-71.11%

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

$3.29 ₹313

$14.00 ₱882

-76.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.12 ₹581

$27.54 ₱1,735

-77.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.99 ₹948

$32.33 ₱2,036

-69.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.11 ₹486

$6.65 ₱419

-23.16%

Cinema Ticket

$3.10 ₹294

$5.65 ₱356

-45.13%

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

$27.65 ₹2,626

$275 ₱17.3K

-89.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,164 ₹110.5K

$7,918 ₱498.8K

-85.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.41 ₹1,653

$49.33 ₱3,107

-64.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.11 ₹2,100

$25.24 ₱1,590

-12.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 ₹3,489

$77.0 ₱4,848

-52.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.45 ₹2,606

$57.2 ₱3,603

-52.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 ₹19.9K

$500 ₱31.5K

-58.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 ₹12.4K

$309 ₱19.5K

-57.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₹69.0K

$1,078 ₱67.9K

-32.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 ₹26.9K

$615 ₱38.8K

-53.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 ₹41.9K

$346 ₱21.8K

27.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

7.2

2.50%

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

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shillong

$131 32.5%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 136% $178

Groceries & Markets

Shillong

$86 21.3%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 141% $120

Eating Out

Shillong

$76 19%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 15.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Shillong

$47 11.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 101% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shillong

$44 11%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 266% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Shillong

$16 4%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 170% $27

Getting Around

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 628% $13

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 $210 in Shillong and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shillong pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11.00 in Shillong vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $86.0 vs $206 per month, with Shillong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shillong

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Shillong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.93 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shillong Cebu 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Shillong
Cebu

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

Shillong vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shillong is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 128% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Shillong, 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: $210 in Shillong versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 141% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $402 per month in Shillong versus $918 in Cebu – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

For families, Shillong is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Shillong and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shillong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.