Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shillong and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Shillong: $402 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$402

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shillong and in Ubud, Bali

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

A single person spends $402 per month in Shillong vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Shillong $402
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $638 per month in Shillong vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Shillong $638
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $874 per month in Shillong vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Shillong $874
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Shillong is about 71% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shillong sits 70% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 ₹318

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

0.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.44 ₹1,086

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-67.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 ₹457

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-17.07%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ₹157

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-39.19%

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

$0.41 ₹38.89

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹13.94

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-81.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₹116

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

-54.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₹331

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-18.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹57.9

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-59.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.07

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-86.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 ₹55.4

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-50.85%

Eggs

$0.92 ₹86.9

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-57.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 ₹366

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-77.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ₹231

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

-39.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ₹205

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-39.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ₹64.4

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-56.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 ₹88.4

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-58.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹49.22

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-73.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 ₹29.25

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-83.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.78

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-84.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.91

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

-77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.68

$0.53 Rp 9,475

-52.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.11 ₹485

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

124.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.83 ₹458

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-79.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₹121

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-45.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₹187

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-32.30%

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

$4.78 ₹454

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₹70.3

$0.48 Rp 8,684

54.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 ₹26.52

$0.46 Rp 8,233

-39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₹123

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-76.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

23.86%

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

$12.6K ₹1.2M

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

-48.60%

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

$16.0K ₹1.5M

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-48.54%

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

$34.74 ₹3,299

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-58.15%

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

$3.29 ₹313

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

-48.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.12 ₹581

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

-67.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.99 ₹948

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-82.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.11 ₹486

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-71.78%

Cinema Ticket

$3.10 ₹294

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

-29.22%

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

$27.65 ₹2,626

$493 Rp 8.9M

-94.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,164 ₹110.5K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

-79.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.41 ₹1,653

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-62.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.11 ₹2,100

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-37.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 ₹3,489

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-53.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.45 ₹2,606

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-64.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 ₹19.9K

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-81.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 ₹12.4K

$676 Rp 12.2M

-80.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₹69.0K

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-79.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 ₹27.0K

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-83.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 ₹41.9K

$165 Rp 3.0M

168.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.38

13.78

-46.44%

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

Last update for Shillong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shillong

$131 32.5%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 417% $545

Groceries & Markets

Shillong

$86 21.3%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 240% $205

Eating Out

Shillong

$76 19%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 42.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Shillong

$47 11.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 130% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shillong

$44 11%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 145% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Shillong

$16 4%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 299% $48

Getting Around

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 486% $10

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 $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. 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 168% higher in Shillong, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Shillong versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $86.0 vs $290 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shillong

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Shillong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shillong Ubud, Bali 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shillong
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 240% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $603 per month in Shillong and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. 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 $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 240%.

Kindergarten costs $27.65 per month in Shillong and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shillong, where all-in costs run around $402, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Shillong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Shillong costs $402 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.