Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shimla and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $310 a month against $562 in Bangalore, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

Jump to prices

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$310

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shimla and in Bangalore

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shimla and in Bangalore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $310 in Shimla versus $562 in Bangalore.

Shimla $310
Bangalore $562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $504 in Shimla versus $949 in Bangalore.

Shimla $504
Bangalore $949

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $698 in Shimla versus $1,336 in Bangalore.

Shimla $698
Bangalore $1,336

Living in Shimla costs roughly 45% less than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shimla 77% lower, Bangalore 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.56 ₹149

$3.20 ₹304

-51.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.47 ₹997

$18.12 ₹1,725

-42.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.09 ₹295

$4.66 ₹443

-33.69%

Cappuccino

$0.92 ₹87.3

$2.33 ₹222

-60.52%

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

$0.34 ₹32.20

$0.44 ₹41.85

-22.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.42

$0.14 ₹13.32

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 ₹156

$2.38 ₹226

-31.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₹197

$3.63 ₹346

-42.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹64.2

$0.65 ₹62.2

3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 ₹40.36

$0.58 ₹55.2

-27.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.4

$0.77 ₹73.4

-18.18%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹85.1

$1.09 ₹103

-18.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 ₹412

$6.35 ₹605

-31.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 ₹303

$3.81 ₹363

-16.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ₹178

$2.80 ₹267

-33.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹72.1

$0.76 ₹72.4

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.1

$1.26 ₹120

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ₹45.51

$0.42 ₹39.92

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.72

$0.36 ₹34.20

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.35

$0.40 ₹37.69

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.99

$0.39 ₹37.55

-43.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.62

$0.30 ₹28.15

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₹322

$4.65 ₹443

-27.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 ₹816

$9.06 ₹863

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₹147

$1.89 ₹180

-18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₹194

$2.99 ₹284

-31.77%

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

$3.80 ₹362

$6.52 ₹620

-41.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.98

$0.54 ₹51.5

-59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.84 ₹747

$12.52 ₹1,192

-37.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₹31.93

$0.30 ₹28.67

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.4

$2.06 ₹196

-50.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.10 ₹105

-0.91%

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

$8,462 ₹805.8K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

-24.04%

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

$18.1K ₹1.7M

$19.2K ₹1.8M

-5.84%

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

$18.17 ₹1,730

$31.15 ₹2,966

-41.67%

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

$3.13 ₹298

$4.11 ₹392

-23.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.02 ₹669

$10.56 ₹1,005

-33.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.85 ₹1,319

$21.90 ₹2,085

-36.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.63 ₹1,012

$5.86 ₹558

81.40%

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 ₹292

$4.64 ₹442

-33.84%

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

$42.11 ₹4,010

$103 ₹9,761

-58.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,173 ₹206.9K

$2,902 ₹276.3K

-25.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.76 ₹2,357

$32.91 ₹3,134

-24.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.97 ₹2,092

$30.69 ₹2,922

-28.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.31 ₹3,744

$56.0 ₹5,335

-29.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.41 ₹2,515

$40.75 ₹3,881

-35.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$86.4 ₹8,222

$312 ₹29.7K

-72.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.3 ₹5,075

$182 ₹17.3K

-70.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₹18.9K

$842 ₹80.2K

-76.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 ₹11.9K

$488 ₹46.5K

-74.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$563 ₹53.6K

$1,878 ₹178.8K

-70.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 ₹53.6K

$1,045 ₹99.5K

-46.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ₹58.3K

$928 ₹88.3K

-34.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.25

8.47

-2.60%

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

Last update for Shimla: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shimla

$99 32.1%

Bangalore

$124 22.1% 24.7% $25

Accommodation & Living

Shimla

$53 17.2%

Bangalore

$182 32.4% 242% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Shimla

$51 16.3%

Bangalore

$72 12.9% 42.6% $22

Eating Out

Shimla

$47 15.1%

Bangalore

$89 15.8% 89.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shimla

$28 9.1%

Bangalore

$46 8.2% 61.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shimla

$20 6.5%

Bangalore

$31 5.6% 56% $11

Getting Around

Shimla

$11 3.7%

Bangalore

$17 3.1% 50.5% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $86 in Shimla and $312 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 52% 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: $10 in Shimla vs $18 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $99 vs $124 per month, with Shimla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shimla

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

Same time as Shimla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Shimla Bangalore 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Shimla
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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

Shimla vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shimla wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Bangalore. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shimla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Shimla. 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: $86 in Shimla versus $312 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shimla runs roughly 37% less than in Bangalore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $42 in Shimla versus $103 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Shimla 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 Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Bangalore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.