Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shillong and Multan

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $529 in Multan, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Shillong
🇮🇳 India
$402
/mo nomad
Multan
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$529
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shillong and in Multan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $402 in Shillong versus $529 in Multan.

  • Shillong $402
  • Multan $529

Estimated couple costs with rent: $638 in Shillong versus $746 in Multan.

  • Shillong $638
  • Multan $746

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $874 in Shillong versus $964 in Multan.

  • Shillong $874
  • Multan $964

Living in Shillong costs roughly 24% less than in Multan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shillong 70% lower, Multan 61% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shillong
Multan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.35 ₹318
$2.52 PKR 696
32.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.44 ₹1,086
$10.96 PKR 3,033
4.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.81 ₹457
$5.29 PKR 1,464
-9.07%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.78 PKR 770
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.35 PKR 1,482
-
Cappuccino
$1.66 ₹157
$1.84 PKR 510
-9.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ₹38.89
$0.30 PKR 83.2
36.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹13.94
$0.16 PKR 45.20
-6.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.22 ₹116
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 ₹331
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shillong
Multan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.61 ₹57.9
$0.68 PKR 188
-10.29%
White Bread (500g)
$0.31 ₹29.07
$0.52 PKR 143
-40.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.58 ₹55.4
$1.06 PKR 294
-45.28%
Eggs
$0.92 ₹86.9
$1.13 PKR 314
-18.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.86 ₹366
$6.65 PKR 1,840
-41.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.43 ₹231
$2.52 PKR 697
-3.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$4.63 PKR 1,280
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.16 ₹205
$0.96 PKR 266
125.00%
Banana (1kg)
$0.68 ₹64.4
$0.50 PKR 138
36.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.93 ₹88.4
$0.71 PKR 196
30.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.52 ₹49.22
$0.61 PKR 169
-14.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.31 ₹29.25
$0.39 PKR 109
-20.51%
Onion (1kg)
$0.35 ₹32.78
$0.43 PKR 119
-18.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.22 ₹20.91
$0.50 PKR 138
-56.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.25 ₹23.68
$0.37 PKR 104
-32.43%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.88 PKR 521
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.84 PKR 785
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.11 ₹485
$2.14 PKR 594
138.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.83 ₹458
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₹121
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 ₹187
-
-
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$4.78 ₹454
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Shillong
Multan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.19 PKR 53.0
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$7.28 PKR 2,016
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.74 ₹70.3
$1.45 PKR 402
-48.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ₹26.52
$0.35 PKR 96.6
-20.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.29 ₹123
$0.88 PKR 245
46.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ₹104
$1.14 PKR 316
-4.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.6K ₹1.2M
$25.0K PKR 6.9M
-49.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.0K ₹1.5M
$27.1K PKR 7.5M
-40.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shillong
Multan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.74 ₹3,299
$147 PKR 40.7K
-76.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.29 ₹313
$4.87 PKR 1,347
-32.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.12 ₹581
$19.22 PKR 5,320
-68.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shillong
Multan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$9.99 ₹948
$24.43 PKR 6,761
-59.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.11 ₹486
$3.55 PKR 981
43.94%
Cinema Ticket
$3.10 ₹294
$4.25 PKR 1,177
-27.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shillong
Multan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$27.65 ₹2,626
$43.24 PKR 12.0K
-36.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,164 ₹110.5K
$999 PKR 276.6K
16.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shillong
Multan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.41 ₹1,653
$17.83 PKR 4,935
-2.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.11 ₹2,100
$18.67 PKR 5,167
18.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.74 ₹3,489
$94.3 PKR 26.1K
-61.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.45 ₹2,606
$25.89 PKR 7,165
6.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shillong
Multan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$210 ₹19.9K
$146 PKR 40.3K
43.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$131 ₹12.4K
$93.6 PKR 25.9K
39.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$727 ₹69.0K
$220 PKR 60.8K
230.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$284 ₹27.0K
$150 PKR 41.5K
89.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shillong
Multan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$442 ₹41.9K
$183 PKR 50.5K
141.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.38
13
-43.23%

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

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Multan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Shillong
$131
Multan
$94 28.4% $37
Groceries & Markets
Shillong
$86
Multan
$89 4.5% $3.9
Eating Out
Shillong
$76
Multan
$60 21.5% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Shillong
$47
Multan
$70 51% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shillong
$44
Multan
$171 288% $127
Sport & Entertainment
Shillong
$16
Multan
$33 104% $17
Getting Around
Shillong
$2.1 *
Multan
$11 426% $9.1

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 $146 in Multan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shillong pays 142% 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 $11.00 in Multan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $86.0 vs $89.0 per month, with Shillong cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Shillong
🇵🇰 Multan
🕒 Local time
09:42 9:42 AM
09:12 9:12 AM
30 min behind Shillong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
143,000
1,871,843
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shillong Multan 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Shillong
  • Multan

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 Multan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Multan cheaper than Shillong?
Shillong is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Shillong or Multan?
Average pay runs 142% higher in Shillong, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Shillong and Multan?
Rent for a central apartment: $210 in Shillong versus $146 in Multan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $27.65 in Shillong versus $43.24 in Multan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Shillong or in Multan?
Dining out is cheaper in Shillong – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $11.00 in Multan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $800 enough for either Shillong or Multan?
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.
Is it better to live in Shillong or in Multan?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Shillong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Multan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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