Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Shillong

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.

171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Shillong
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Shillong Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Shillong

🇮🇳 India

$408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Shillong

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

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

Singapore $3,594
Shillong $408

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

Singapore $5,314
Shillong $642

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

Singapore $7,033
Shillong $876

Singapore costs about 782% more than Shillong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.85

$3.52 ₹331

228.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.6

$11.40 ₹1,070

519.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.85

$4.67 ₹439

81.16%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.65

$1.62 ₹152

219.75%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.40 ₹37.75

360.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.14 ₹13.50

778.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.18

$1.25 ₹117

660.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.65

$3.38 ₹317

191.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$0.68 ₹63.9

344.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.34 ₹32.34

685.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.55

$0.56 ₹52.8

394.64%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$0.99 ₹92.9

275.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.94

$3.89 ₹365

440.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.76

$2.51 ₹236

296.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.23

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.89

$2.19 ₹205

109.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.73 ₹68.1

323.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$0.96 ₹90.0

383.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$0.56 ₹52.5

289.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$0.33 ₹31.29

606.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.97

$0.38 ₹35.39

507.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$0.22 ₹20.66

745.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.27 ₹25.37

474.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.10

$4.99 ₹468

182.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.81

$4.77 ₹448

387.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.07

$1.28 ₹120

269.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$1.92 ₹180

149.48%

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

$5.00 ₹470

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.60

$0.68 ₹64.2

426.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.98

$0.28 ₹26.29

171.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.77

$1.35 ₹127

1157.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.06 ₹99.1

132.08%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.4K

$11.1K ₹1.0M

1329.84%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.7K

$16.9K ₹1.6M

823.42%

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

$168 SGD 215

$34.66 ₹3,255

384.54%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.69

$3.19 ₹300

283.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.14

$6.19 ₹581

355.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

$10.40 ₹976

963.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.88

$5.40 ₹507

114.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.70

$3.14 ₹295

289.81%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,435

$27.75 ₹2,606

6742.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.2K

$1,166 ₹109.4K

3256.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$16.07 ₹1,509

395.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$21.77 ₹2,044

132.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$36.91 ₹3,466

202.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$26.95 ₹2,530

362.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,093

$212 ₹19.9K

1407.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,895

$134 ₹12.6K

1584.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,917

$733 ₹68.9K

741.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,175

$278 ₹26.1K

1350.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,804

$452 ₹42.4K

901.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

7.26

-66.39%

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Shillong: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Shillong

$134 32.9% 94.1% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Shillong

$88 21.7% 80.8% $371

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Shillong

$77 18.8% 70.4% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Shillong

$44 10.8% 78.9% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Shillong

$46 11.2% 72.3% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Shillong

$17 4.1% 87.7% $118

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Shillong

$2.1 * 0.5% 98.1% $108

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,191 in Singapore versus $212 in Shillong. 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 $71 in Singapore versus $11 in Shillong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $459 vs $88 – making Shillong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇮🇳 Shillong

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

143,000

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Singapore Shillong 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Shillong

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

Singapore vs Shillong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,392 per month in Singapore and $612 in Shillong. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $3,191 in Singapore.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,594 in Singapore and $408 in Shillong. That makes Shillong about 89% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,899 per month in Singapore and $28 in Shillong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.

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.

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.