Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shillong and Manali

For one person, living costs are similar in Shillong and in Manali: $402 and $408 a month, rent and utilities included.

20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
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Shillong Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Manali
Learn more

Manali Living Index

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Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Manali

🇮🇳 India

$408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shillong and in Manali

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

A single person spends $402 per month in Shillong vs $408 in Manali, rent included.

Shillong $402
Manali $408

A couple spends around $638 per month in Shillong vs $633 in Manali, rent included.

Shillong $638
Manali $633

A family of three spends $874 per month in Shillong vs $859 in Manali, rent included.

Shillong $874
Manali $859

Shillong is about 1% cheaper than Manali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shillong and Manali are more affordable than the global median – Shillong 70% lower, Manali 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 ₹318

$2.13 ₹203

57.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.44 ₹1,086

$6.08 ₹578

88.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 ₹457

$4.24 ₹403

13.44%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ₹157

$2.73 ₹260

-39.19%

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

$0.41 ₹38.89

$0.23 ₹21.75

78.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.94

$0.23 ₹21.71

-34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₹116

$1.37 ₹130

-10.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₹331

$1.79 ₹170

94.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹57.9

$0.67 ₹64.1

-8.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.07

$0.51 ₹48.14

-39.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 ₹55.4

$0.85 ₹81.2

-31.76%

Eggs

$0.92 ₹86.9

$0.99 ₹94.4

-7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 ₹366

$5.01 ₹476

-22.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ₹231

$2.80 ₹266

-13.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ₹205

$1.63 ₹155

32.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ₹64.4

$0.75 ₹71.3

-9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 ₹88.4

$1.08 ₹103

-13.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹49.22

$0.67 ₹63.2

-22.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 ₹29.25

$0.30 ₹28.69

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.78

$0.33 ₹31.77

6.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.91

$0.66 ₹62.6

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.68

$0.32 ₹30.64

-21.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 ₹485

$5.07 ₹481

0.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.83 ₹458

$11.61 ₹1,103

-58.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₹121

$1.73 ₹164

-26.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₹187

$2.67 ₹253

-26.22%

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

$4.78 ₹454

$6.64 ₹630

-28.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.58 ₹720

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₹70.3

$1.08 ₹102

-31.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₹26.52

$0.25 ₹23.86

12.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₹123

$1.64 ₹156

-21.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.11 ₹105

-1.80%

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

$12.6K ₹1.2M

$12.5K ₹1.2M

0.76%

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

$16.0K ₹1.5M

$25.1K ₹2.4M

-36.08%

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

$34.74 ₹3,299

$38.09 ₹3,617

-8.79%

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

$3.29 ₹313

$3.87 ₹368

-14.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.12 ₹581

$6.54 ₹621

-6.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.99 ₹948

$12.85 ₹1,220

-22.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.11 ₹486

$5.98 ₹568

-14.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.10 ₹294

$3.09 ₹293

0.32%

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

$27.65 ₹2,626

$59.2 ₹5,620

-53.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,164 ₹110.5K

$2,414 ₹229.2K

-51.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.41 ₹1,653

$27.03 ₹2,566

-35.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.11 ₹2,100

$24.36 ₹2,313

-9.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 ₹3,489

$56.7 ₹5,387

-35.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.45 ₹2,606

$43.47 ₹4,128

-36.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 ₹19.9K

$123 ₹11.7K

70.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 ₹12.4K

$72.2 ₹6,852

81.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₹69.0K

$263 ₹24.9K

176.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 ₹27.0K

$173 ₹16.5K

63.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$946 ₹89.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$461 ₹43.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 ₹41.9K

$518 ₹49.2K

-14.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

-7.75%

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

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Manali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shillong

$131 32.5%

Manali

$72 17.7% 44.8% $58

Groceries & Markets

Shillong

$86 21.3%

Manali

$114 27.9% 33.1% $28

Eating Out

Shillong

$76 19%

Manali

$75 18.4% 2% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Shillong

$47 11.6%

Manali

$68 16.7% 46.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shillong

$44 11%

Manali

$49 11.9% 9.9% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Shillong

$16 4%

Manali

$19 4.7% 17.6% $2.9

Getting Around

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5%

Manali

$11 2.7% 412% $8.8

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 $123 in Manali. 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 17% higher in Manali, 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 $6.00 in Manali. Groceries tell a different story – $86.0 in Shillong vs $114 in Manali – so Shillong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shillong

🇮🇳 Manali

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

Same time as Shillong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,000

8,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Shillong Manali 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shillong
Manali

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 Manali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $402 in Shillong, $408 in Manali – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $603 per month in Shillong and $611 in Manali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $402 in Shillong and $408 in Manali. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $27.65 per month in Shillong and $59.2 in Manali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $402 in Shillong and $408 in Manali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shillong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Shillong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.