Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shillong and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $408 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $38,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Shillong, India
Singapore, Singapore
Shillong
🇮🇳 India
$408
/mo nomad
Singapore
🇸🇬 Singapore
$3,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shillong and in Singapore

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

A single person spends $408 per month in Shillong vs $3,594 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Shillong $408
  • Singapore $3,594

A couple spends around $642 per month in Shillong vs $5,314 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Shillong $642
  • Singapore $5,314

A family of three spends $876 per month in Shillong vs $7,033 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Shillong $876
  • Singapore $7,033

Shillong is about 89% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shillong sits 70% below the global median, while Singapore is 166% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.52 ₹331
$11.58 SGD 14.85
-69.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.40 ₹1,070
$70.7 SGD 90.6
-83.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.67 ₹439
$8.46 SGD 10.85
-44.80%
Cappuccino
$1.62 ₹152
$5.18 SGD 6.65
-68.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ₹37.75
$1.84 SGD 2.36
-78.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.14 ₹13.50
$1.23 SGD 1.58
-88.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.25 ₹117
$9.50 SGD 12.18
-86.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 ₹317
$9.86 SGD 12.65
-65.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.68 ₹63.9
$3.02 SGD 3.87
-77.48%
White Bread (500g)
$0.34 ₹32.34
$2.67 SGD 3.42
-87.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.56 ₹52.8
$2.77 SGD 3.55
-79.78%
Eggs
$0.99 ₹92.9
$3.72 SGD 4.77
-73.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.89 ₹365
$21.01 SGD 26.94
-81.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.51 ₹236
$9.95 SGD 12.76
-74.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$25.13 SGD 32.23
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.19 ₹205
$4.59 SGD 5.89
-52.29%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 ₹68.1
$3.09 SGD 3.96
-76.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.96 ₹90.0
$4.64 SGD 5.95
-79.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 ₹52.5
$2.18 SGD 2.79
-74.31%
Potato (1kg)
$0.33 ₹31.29
$2.33 SGD 2.99
-85.84%
Onion (1kg)
$0.38 ₹35.39
$2.31 SGD 2.97
-83.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.22 ₹20.66
$1.86 SGD 2.39
-88.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.27 ₹25.37
$1.55 SGD 1.98
-82.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.99 ₹468
$14.11 SGD 18.10
-64.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.77 ₹448
$23.24 SGD 29.81
-79.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₹120
$4.73 SGD 6.07
-72.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 ₹180
$4.79 SGD 6.14
-59.92%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.00 ₹470
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.53 SGD 1.96
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$96.5 SGD 124
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.68 ₹64.2
$3.58 SGD 4.60
-81.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ₹26.29
$0.76 SGD 0.98
-63.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.35 ₹127
$16.98 SGD 21.77
-92.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 ₹99.1
$2.46 SGD 3.15
-56.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.0M
$159.4K SGD 204.4K
-93.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.9K ₹1.6M
$155.7K SGD 199.7K
-89.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.66 ₹3,255
$168 SGD 215
-79.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.19 ₹300
$12.24 SGD 15.69
-73.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.19 ₹581
$28.18 SGD 36.14
-78.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$10.40 ₹976
$111 SGD 142
-90.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.40 ₹507
$11.60 SGD 14.88
-53.45%
Cinema Ticket
$3.14 ₹295
$12.24 SGD 15.70
-74.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$27.75 ₹2,606
$1,899 SGD 2,435
-98.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,166 ₹109.4K
$39.1K SGD 50.2K
-97.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.07 ₹1,509
$79.6 SGD 102
-79.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.77 ₹2,044
$50.7 SGD 65.0
-57.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$36.91 ₹3,466
$112 SGD 143
-66.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$26.95 ₹2,530
$125 SGD 160
-78.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$212 ₹19.9K
$3,191 SGD 4,093
-93.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$134 ₹12.6K
$2,257 SGD 2,895
-94.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$733 ₹68.9K
$6,173 SGD 7,917
-88.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$278 ₹26.1K
$4,035 SGD 5,175
-93.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$23.6K SGD 30.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$16.5K SGD 21.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shillong
Singapore
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$452 ₹42.4K
$4,526 SGD 5,804
-90.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.26
2.44
197.54%

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

Last update for Shillong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Shillong
$134
Singapore
$2.3K 1584% $2.1K
Groceries & Markets
Shillong
$88
Singapore
$459 420% $371
Eating Out
Shillong
$77
Singapore
$260 238% $183
Clothing & Footwear
Shillong
$46
Singapore
$165 260% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shillong
$44
Singapore
$208 373% $164
Sport & Entertainment
Shillong
$17
Singapore
$135 710% $118
Getting Around
Shillong
$2.1 *
Singapore
$110 5187% $108

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $212 in Shillong versus $3,191 in Singapore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Singapore are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Shillong versus $71 in Singapore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $88 vs $459 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Shillong
🇸🇬 Singapore
🕒 Local time
05:48 5:48 AM
08:18 8:18 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Shillong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
143,000
5,535,002 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 93.89 INR (100 INR = 1.07 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shillong Singapore 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Shillong
  • Singapore

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 Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Shillong or Singapore?
Singapore costs about 782% more than Shillong, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Shillong and in Singapore?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $612 per month in Shillong and $5,392 in Singapore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Shillong or Singapore?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shillong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $3,191 in Singapore.
How much does it cost to live in Shillong compared to Singapore?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $408 in Shillong and $3,594 in Singapore. That makes Shillong about 89% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Shillong and in Singapore?
Kindergarten costs $28 per month in Shillong and $1,899 in Singapore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Shillong or in Singapore?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Shillong, where all-in costs run around $408, than in Singapore at $3,594. In Shillong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Shillong or to Singapore?
If budget matters most, go with Shillong. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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