Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somalia and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $620 in Somalia, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Somalia
Learn more

Somalia Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇴 Somalia

$620

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somalia and in India

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Somalia versus $399 in India.

Somalia $620
India $399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $924 in Somalia versus $639 in India.

Somalia $924
India $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,229 in Somalia versus $879 in India.

Somalia $1,229
India $879

Somalia ($70–$616) and India ($230–$813) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Somalia is roughly 55% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Somalia 54% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 SOS 1,740

$2.14 ₹204

42.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.28 SOS 8,677

$10.46 ₹995

46.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.14 SOS 2,918

$3.80 ₹361

35.26%

Cappuccino

$1.53 SOS 870

$1.68 ₹160

-8.93%

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

$1.01 SOS 571

$0.38 ₹35.99

165.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 SOS 252

$0.15 ₹14.60

193.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.14 SOS 6,329

$1.87 ₹178

495.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.81 SOS 8,410

$3.18 ₹303

365.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 SOS 755

$0.62 ₹59.2

114.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 SOS 635

$0.50 ₹47.76

124.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 SOS 502

$0.63 ₹60.3

39.68%

Eggs

$2.16 SOS 1,226

$0.96 ₹91.3

125.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.81 SOS 2,733

$4.85 ₹461

-0.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.55 SOS 2,585

$2.84 ₹271

60.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.60 SOS 2,610

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 SOS 1,203

$2.00 ₹190

6.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 SOS 707

$0.65 ₹61.4

92.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 SOS 1,032

$0.97 ₹92.3

87.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 SOS 662

$0.47 ₹44.30

146.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 SOS 719

$0.34 ₹31.87

273.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 SOS 910

$0.42 ₹39.73

280.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 SOS 556

$0.47 ₹44.39

108.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 SOS 405

$0.31 ₹29.67

129.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.98 SOS 557

$5.08 ₹483

-80.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.06 SOS 1,168

$7.31 ₹695

-71.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 SOS 1,169

$1.63 ₹155

26.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SOS 1,128

$2.76 ₹262

-27.90%

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

$5.11 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 SOS 163

$0.26 ₹24.86

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.00 SOS 6,815

$8.58 ₹816

39.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 SOS 840

$1.00 ₹94.7

48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 SOS 327

$0.27 ₹25.74

114.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 SOS 1,971

$1.54 ₹146

125.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 SOS 528

$1.07 ₹102

-13.08%

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

$10.1K SOS 5.8M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

-9.59%

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

$9,146 SOS 5.2M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

-54.39%

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

$111 SOS 63.0K

$37.08 ₹3,527

199.08%

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

$6.82 SOS 3,872

$3.58 ₹340

90.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.60 SOS 22.5K

$7.15 ₹680

453.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.71 SOS 15.7K

$15.00 ₹1,427

84.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.97 SOS 1,116

$7.17 ₹682

-72.52%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

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

$39.61 SOS 22.5K

$58.8 ₹5,592

-32.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$290 SOS 164.9K

$1,667 ₹158.5K

-82.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.84 SOS 7,290

$23.03 ₹2,191

-44.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.14 SOS 9,736

$24.17 ₹2,299

-29.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$17.10 SOS 9,711

$41.20 ₹3,918

-58.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.01 SOS 14.8K

$29.62 ₹2,817

-12.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 SOS 70.6K

$146 ₹13.9K

-15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.4 SOS 44.5K

$96.4 ₹9,165

-18.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 SOS 212.1K

$343 ₹32.6K

8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 SOS 104.4K

$234 ₹22.2K

-21.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,674 SOS 2.7M

$1,177 ₹111.9K

297.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,699 SOS 2.1M

$633 ₹60.2K

484.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$274 SOS 155.4K

$409 ₹38.9K

-33.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

67.97%

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

Last update for Somalia: October 26, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somalia

$157 25.4%

India

$48 12% 69.6% $110

Groceries & Markets

Somalia

$157 25.3%

India

$102 25.6% 34.7% $54

Eating Out

Somalia

$149 24.1%

India

$67 16.7% 55.5% $83

Accommodation & Living

Somalia

$78 12.7%

India

$96 24.1% 22.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Somalia

$33 5.3%

India

$53 13.3% 61.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Somalia

$28 * 4.5%

India

$21 5.4% 22.8% $6.3

Getting Around

Somalia

$18 2.8%

India

$12 3% 31.5% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $115 in Somalia, $120 in India. Capital cities: $192 in Mogadishu vs $277 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $297 in Somalia, $412 in India. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 91% more in Somalia.

Public transport is 50% more expensive in Somalia.

Salaries are 39% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇸🇴 Somalia

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

14:16 2:16 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Somalia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,031,386

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to SOS – Somali Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇴 Somali Shilling (Sh)

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 632 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

USD to SOS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Somalia India 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Somalia
India

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

Somalia vs India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $620 in Somalia, there’s a 55% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability; Somalia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.