Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shimla and Ujjain

For one person, living is cheaper in Ujjain: $283 a month against $310 in Shimla, rent and utilities included – about $320 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Ujjain
Learn more

Ujjain Living Index

Jump to prices

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$310

/mo nomad

Ujjain

🇮🇳 India

$283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shimla and in Ujjain

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

A single person spends $310 per month in Shimla vs $283 in Ujjain, rent included.

Shimla $310
Ujjain $283

A couple spends around $504 per month in Shimla vs $447 in Ujjain, rent included.

Shimla $504
Ujjain $447

A family of three spends $698 per month in Shimla vs $611 in Ujjain, rent included.

Shimla $698
Ujjain $611

Shimla costs about 10% more than Ujjain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shimla and Ujjain are more affordable than the global median – Shimla 77% lower, Ujjain 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.56 ₹148

$1.55 ₹148

0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.47 ₹994

$8.65 ₹821

21.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.09 ₹294

$3.12 ₹296

-0.96%

Cappuccino

$0.92 ₹87.1

$1.88 ₹179

-51.06%

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

$0.34 ₹32.11

$0.41 ₹38.82

-17.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.39

$0.14 ₹13.17

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 ₹156

$1.59 ₹151

3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₹196

$2.44 ₹232

-15.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹64.0

$0.60 ₹56.6

11.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 ₹40.24

$0.27 ₹25.50

55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$0.70 ₹66.3

-10.00%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹84.8

$0.80 ₹75.7

11.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 ₹411

$3.53 ₹335

22.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 ₹302

$2.90 ₹275

9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ₹178

$1.30 ₹123

43.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹71.9

$0.47 ₹44.63

61.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.0

$0.57 ₹54.5

10.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ₹45.38

$0.29 ₹27.82

65.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.64

$0.27 ₹25.71

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.25

$0.29 ₹27.70

24.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.93

$0.27 ₹25.64

-18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.55

$0.25 ₹23.51

8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₹321

$5.07 ₹482

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 ₹813

$5.15 ₹488

66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₹147

$1.59 ₹151

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₹194

$2.79 ₹265

-26.88%

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

$3.80 ₹361

$4.86 ₹461

-21.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.92

$0.25 ₹23.65

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.84 ₹745

$5.21 ₹495

50.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$0.38 ₹36.30

181.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₹31.84

$0.22 ₹20.90

54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.2

$1.62 ₹154

-37.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

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

$8,462 ₹803.4K

$6,874 ₹652.6K

23.10%

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

$18.1K ₹1.7M

$14.2K ₹1.4M

26.89%

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

$18.17 ₹1,725

$26.66 ₹2,531

-31.85%

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

$3.13 ₹297

$2.69 ₹255

16.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.02 ₹667

$6.15 ₹584

14.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.85 ₹1,315

$7.12 ₹676

94.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.63 ₹1,009

$8.52 ₹809

24.77%

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 ₹291

$2.06 ₹195

49.03%

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

$42.11 ₹3,998

$43.66 ₹4,145

-3.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,173 ₹206.3K

$1,392 ₹132.1K

56.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.76 ₹2,351

$17.19 ₹1,632

44.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.97 ₹2,086

$21.96 ₹2,085

0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.31 ₹3,732

$30.58 ₹2,903

28.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.41 ₹2,507

$30.07 ₹2,854

-12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$86.4 ₹8,198

$70.8 ₹6,722

21.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.3 ₹5,060

$42.05 ₹3,992

26.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₹18.9K

$157 ₹14.9K

26.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 ₹11.9K

$92.7 ₹8,801

34.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$563 ₹53.4K

$4,083 ₹387.6K

-86.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 ₹53.4K

$520 ₹49.4K

8.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ₹58.1K

$336 ₹31.9K

82.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.25

8.37

-1.43%

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

Last update for Shimla: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ujjain: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shimla

$99 32.1%

Ujjain

$82 29% 17.5% $17

Accommodation & Living

Shimla

$53 17.2%

Ujjain

$42 14.9% 21.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Shimla

$51 16.3%

Ujjain

$45 15.9% 11.3% $5.7

Eating Out

Shimla

$47 15.1%

Ujjain

$59 21% 26.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shimla

$28 9.1%

Ujjain

$36 12.6% 25.4% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Shimla

$20 6.5%

Ujjain

$11 4% 43.8% $8.8

Getting Around

Shimla

$11 3.7%

Ujjain

$7.7 2.7% 33% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $86 in Shimla versus $71 in Ujjain. 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 82% higher in Shimla. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Shimla versus $9 in Ujjain. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $99 vs $82 – making Ujjain the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shimla

🇮🇳 Ujjain

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

Same time as Shimla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

100,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Shimla Ujjain 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shimla
Ujjain

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 Ujjain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $310 in Shimla, $283 in Ujjain – Ujjain comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $465 per month in Shimla and $424 in Ujjain. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ujjain, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $71 there versus $86 in Shimla.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Shimla and $9 in Ujjain. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $310 in Shimla and $283 in Ujjain. That makes Ujjain about 9% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $310 in Shimla and $283 in Ujjain, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Shimla has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $283 in Ujjain to $310 in Shimla. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ujjain. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shimla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.