Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shillong and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $782 in Mumbai (Bombay), rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
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Shillong Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index

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Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shillong and in Mumbai (Bombay)

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 Mumbai (Bombay) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $402 in Shillong versus $782 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Shillong $402
Mumbai (Bombay) $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $638 in Shillong versus $1,299 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Shillong $638
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $874 in Shillong versus $1,816 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Shillong $874
Mumbai (Bombay) $1,816

Living in Shillong costs roughly 49% less than in Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shillong 70% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 ₹318

$5.38 ₹511

-37.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.44 ₹1,086

$20.76 ₹1,971

-44.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 ₹457

$4.19 ₹398

14.80%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ₹157

$2.74 ₹260

-39.42%

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

$0.41 ₹38.88

$0.41 ₹38.76

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.94

$0.16 ₹15.04

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₹116

$2.59 ₹246

-52.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₹331

$4.17 ₹396

-16.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹57.9

$0.75 ₹71.2

-18.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.06

$0.53 ₹50.5

-41.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 ₹55.4

$0.73 ₹69.5

-20.55%

Eggs

$0.92 ₹86.9

$0.96 ₹91.4

-4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 ₹366

$5.52 ₹524

-30.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ₹231

$3.58 ₹340

-32.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ₹205

$2.14 ₹203

0.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ₹64.4

$0.69 ₹65.5

-1.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 ₹88.4

$1.23 ₹116

-24.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹49.21

$0.46 ₹43.76

13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 ₹29.25

$0.36 ₹34.23

-13.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.78

$0.39 ₹37.12

-10.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.90

$0.40 ₹38.05

-45.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.68

$0.31 ₹29.46

-19.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 ₹485

$5.10 ₹485

0.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.83 ₹458

$8.12 ₹771

-40.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₹121

$1.95 ₹185

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₹187

$3.18 ₹302

-38.05%

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

$4.78 ₹453

$6.17 ₹586

-22.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₹18.99

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 ₹512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₹70.3

$0.31 ₹29.39

138.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₹26.52

$0.29 ₹28.01

-3.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₹123

$1.59 ₹151

-18.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.10 ₹104

-0.91%

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

$12.6K ₹1.2M

$15.9K ₹1.5M

-20.34%

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

$16.0K ₹1.5M

$22.7K ₹2.2M

-29.41%

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

$34.74 ₹3,298

$61.6 ₹5,845

-43.57%

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

$3.29 ₹313

$4.25 ₹404

-22.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.12 ₹581

$9.01 ₹855

-32.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.99 ₹948

$27.24 ₹2,587

-63.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.11 ₹486

$13.31 ₹1,263

-61.61%

Cinema Ticket

$3.10 ₹294

$4.38 ₹415

-29.22%

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

$27.65 ₹2,626

$116 ₹11.0K

-76.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,164 ₹110.5K

$4,968 ₹471.7K

-76.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.41 ₹1,653

$37.16 ₹3,529

-53.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.11 ₹2,100

$39.88 ₹3,786

-44.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 ₹3,489

$55.9 ₹5,306

-34.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.45 ₹2,606

$48.19 ₹4,576

-43.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 ₹19.9K

$611 ₹58.0K

-65.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 ₹12.4K

$354 ₹33.6K

-63.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₹69.0K

$1,829 ₹173.6K

-60.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 ₹26.9K

$877 ₹83.3K

-67.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,877 ₹558.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,448 ₹232.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 ₹41.9K

$758 ₹72.0K

-41.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

8.29

-10.98%

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

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shillong

$131 32.5%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$354 45.3% 171% $224

Groceries & Markets

Shillong

$86 21.3%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$116 14.8% 35.2% $30

Eating Out

Shillong

$76 19%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$112 14.3% 46.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Shillong

$47 11.6%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$82 10.4% 74.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shillong

$44 11%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$75 9.6% 69.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Shillong

$16 4%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$36 4.6% 122% $20

Getting Around

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5%

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8 1% 273% $5.8

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 $611 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 72% 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 $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $86.0 vs $116 per month, with Shillong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shillong

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

Same time as Shillong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,000

12,442,373

💱 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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Shillong Mumbai (Bombay) 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Shillong
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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 Mumbai (Bombay): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shillong and Mumbai (Bombay) differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($402 vs $782 including rent). Shillong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Mumbai (Bombay). That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $210 in Shillong versus $611 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $27.65 in Shillong versus $116 in Mumbai (Bombay). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shillong – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

Expats usually find Shillong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Mumbai (Bombay). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.