Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shillong and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Shillong
🇮🇳 India
$402
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shillong and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $402 in Shillong versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

  • Shillong $402
  • Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $638 in Shillong versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

  • Shillong $638
  • Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $874 in Shillong versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

  • Shillong $874
  • Mexico City $3,333

Living in Shillong costs roughly 74% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shillong is 70% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.35 ₹318
$10.75 MX$199
-68.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.44 ₹1,086
$50.3 MX$929
-77.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.81 ₹457
$11.10 MX$205
-56.67%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ₹157
$3.68 MX$68.1
-54.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ₹38.89
$1.65 MX$30.42
-75.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹13.94
$1.30 MX$24.08
-88.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.22 ₹116
$3.32 MX$61.3
-63.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 ₹331
$5.54 MX$102
-37.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.61 ₹57.9
$1.77 MX$32.68
-65.54%
White Bread (500g)
$0.31 ₹29.07
$3.05 MX$56.4
-89.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.58 ₹55.4
$2.01 MX$37.20
-71.14%
Eggs
$0.92 ₹86.9
$2.77 MX$51.1
-66.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.86 ₹366
$11.91 MX$220
-67.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.43 ₹231
$9.33 MX$172
-73.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$15.02 MX$278
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.16 ₹205
$3.08 MX$56.8
-29.87%
Banana (1kg)
$0.68 ₹64.4
$1.95 MX$35.97
-65.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.93 ₹88.4
$2.03 MX$37.54
-54.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.52 ₹49.22
$2.21 MX$40.92
-76.47%
Potato (1kg)
$0.31 ₹29.25
$2.02 MX$37.41
-84.65%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 ₹32.78
$1.82 MX$33.67
-80.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.22 ₹20.91
$1.52 MX$28.07
-85.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.25 ₹23.68
$1.28 MX$23.65
-80.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.11 ₹485
$5.27 MX$97.4
-3.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.83 ₹458
$16.12 MX$298
-70.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₹121
$1.95 MX$36.05
-34.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 ₹187
$4.25 MX$78.6
-53.65%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$4.78 ₹454
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.31 MX$5.82
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.85 MX$367
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₹70.3
$2.00 MX$36.93
-63.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ₹26.52
$0.53 MX$9.86
-47.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₹123
$5.62 MX$104
-77.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ₹104
$1.52 MX$28.07
-28.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.6K ₹1.2M
$21.0K MX$388.7K
-39.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.0K ₹1.5M
$25.2K MX$465.3K
-36.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.74 ₹3,299
$62.5 MX$1,155
-44.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.29 ₹313
$28.77 MX$532
-88.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.12 ₹581
$34.45 MX$637
-82.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$9.99 ₹948
$57.1 MX$1,055
-82.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.11 ₹486
$24.81 MX$458
-79.40%
Cinema Ticket
$3.10 ₹294
$6.67 MX$123
-53.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$27.65 ₹2,626
$431 MX$7,964
-93.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,164 ₹110.5K
$11.7K MX$216.9K
-90.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.41 ₹1,653
$70.8 MX$1,308
-75.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.11 ₹2,100
$51.8 MX$958
-57.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.74 ₹3,489
$109 MX$2,011
-66.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.45 ₹2,606
$112 MX$2,076
-75.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$210 ₹19.9K
$1,051 MX$19.4K
-80.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$131 ₹12.4K
$665 MX$12.3K
-80.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$727 ₹69.0K
$2,346 MX$43.3K
-69.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$284 ₹27.0K
$1,227 MX$22.7K
-76.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,554 MX$65.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,977 MX$36.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shillong
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$442 ₹41.9K
$975 MX$18.0K
-54.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.38
11.3
-34.69%

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

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Shillong
$131
Mexico City
$665 409% $534
Groceries & Markets
Shillong
$86
Mexico City
$323 277% $237
Eating Out
Shillong
$76
Mexico City
$203 166% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Shillong
$47
Mexico City
$155 232% $108
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shillong
$44
Mexico City
$126 185% $82
Sport & Entertainment
Shillong
$16
Mexico City
$70 335% $54
Getting Around
Shillong
$2.1 *
Mexico City
$26 1105% $24

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 $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 121% 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: $11.00 in Shillong vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $86.0 vs $323 per month, with Shillong cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Shillong
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
04:04 4:04 AM
16:34 4:34 PM
11 h 30 min behind Shillong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
143,000
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shillong Mexico City 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Shillong
  • Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Shillong and in Mexico City?
Shillong and Mexico City differ by about 290% in total monthly costs ($402 vs $1,567 including rent). Shillong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 121% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Shillong and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $210 in Shillong versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Shillong and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $27.65 in Shillong versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Shillong – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $402 in Shillong versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shillong but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Shillong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Shillong and Mexico City?
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.
Where should expats move: Shillong or Mexico City?
Expats usually find Shillong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 290% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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