Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shillong and London

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.

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

How much you'll spend in Shillong and in London

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

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

  • Shillong $402
  • London $3,986

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

  • Shillong $638
  • London $5,791

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

  • Shillong $874
  • London $7,595

Shillong is about 90% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shillong
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.35 ₹318
$25.93 £19.45
-87.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.44 ₹1,086
$107 £79.9
-89.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.81 ₹457
$10.71 £8.03
-55.09%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ₹157
$5.47 £4.11
-69.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ₹38.88
$2.97 £2.23
-86.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹13.94
$2.20 £1.65
-93.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.22 ₹116
$9.13 £6.85
-86.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 ₹331
$7.94 £5.96
-56.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shillong
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.61 ₹57.9
$1.86 £1.40
-67.20%
White Bread (500g)
$0.31 ₹29.06
$2.07 £1.55
-85.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.58 ₹55.4
$2.42 £1.81
-76.03%
Eggs
$0.92 ₹86.9
$5.09 £3.82
-81.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.86 ₹366
$12.87 £9.66
-70.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.43 ₹231
$10.43 £7.82
-76.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$16.87 £12.66
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.16 ₹205
$3.11 £2.33
-30.55%
Banana (1kg)
$0.68 ₹64.4
$1.40 £1.05
-51.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.93 ₹88.4
$3.08 £2.31
-69.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.52 ₹49.21
$3.27 £2.45
-84.10%
Potato (1kg)
$0.31 ₹29.25
$1.58 £1.19
-80.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 ₹32.78
$1.74 £1.31
-79.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.22 ₹20.90
$1.40 £1.05
-84.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.25 ₹23.68
$1.80 £1.35
-86.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.11 ₹485
$23.28 £17.46
-78.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.83 ₹458
$13.03 £9.77
-62.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₹121
$3.17 £2.38
-59.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 ₹187
$4.42 £3.32
-55.43%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$4.78 ₹453
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Shillong
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$4.07 £3.05
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$247 £185
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₹70.3
$5.58 £4.18
-86.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ₹26.52
$3.36 £2.52
-91.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₹123
$56.8 £42.57
-97.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ₹104
$2.13 £1.60
-48.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.6K ₹1.2M
$38.2K £28.6K
-66.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.0K ₹1.5M
$40.9K £30.7K
-60.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shillong
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.74 ₹3,298
$372 £279
-90.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.29 ₹313
$17.82 £13.37
-81.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.12 ₹581
$40.37 £30.29
-84.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shillong
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$9.99 ₹948
$60.0 £44.99
-83.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.11 ₹486
$21.29 £15.97
-76.00%
Cinema Ticket
$3.10 ₹294
$17.74 £13.31
-82.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shillong
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$27.65 ₹2,626
$2,864 £2,149
-99.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,164 ₹110.5K
$35.3K £26.5K
-96.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shillong
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.41 ₹1,653
$114 £85.5
-84.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.11 ₹2,100
$54.3 £40.71
-59.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.74 ₹3,489
$124 £93.2
-70.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.45 ₹2,606
$163 £122
-83.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shillong
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$210 ₹19.9K
$2,869 £2,152
-92.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$131 ₹12.4K
$2,233 £1,675
-94.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$727 ₹69.0K
$5,266 £3,950
-86.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$284 ₹26.9K
$3,778 £2,834
-92.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$18.3K £13.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$8,024 £6,019
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shillong
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$442 ₹41.9K
$5,037 £3,778
-91.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.38
4.74
55.70%

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

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Shillong
$131
London
$2.2K 1609% $2.1K
Groceries & Markets
Shillong
$86
London
$349 309% $264
Eating Out
Shillong
$76
London
$388 407% $311
Clothing & Footwear
Shillong
$47
London
$205 339% $158
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shillong
$44
London
$430 875% $386
Sport & Entertainment
Shillong
$16
London
$95 490% $79
Getting Around
Shillong
$2.1 *
London
$285 13238% $283

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $210 in Shillong versus $2,869 in London. 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 $11.00 in Shillong versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $86.0 vs $349 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Shillong
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
07:16 7:16 AM
02:46 2:46 AM
4 h 30 min behind Shillong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
143,000
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shillong London 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Shillong
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Shillong and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $402 in Shillong, $3,986 in London – roughly 892% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Shillong compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $603 per month in Shillong and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Shillong and London?
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: Shillong or London?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $402 in Shillong and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 892%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Shillong and London?
Kindergarten costs $27.65 per month in Shillong and $2,864 in London. 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 Shillong and London?
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 Shillong and London?
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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