Living Expenses in Agra

hojason

Hey Everyone,

So I've been offered a year-long fellowship in India starting in September with multiple options for location, one of which is Agra. Since the stipend is capped at about 25,000 INR per month, I was wondering if this is doable in Agra. Keep in mind I'm a pretty thrifty guy, and would value living more like a "local" than an expat. What should I expect in expenditures?

Thanks,

Jason

alan1111

People survive even in 5000 Rs. in Indian cities...so 25000 is "easily manageable".
As u wud agree, manageable is a subjective word and has different monetary value for different people...Lot wud depend on ur individual lifesyle.

As a rule of thumb however, general day to day living expenses in Agra would be atleast 2/3rds of a big metro..say Delhi...however facilities wud be much inferior to a big metro....restaurants, pubs, malls to be more specific.

If u have the option, opt for one of the 6 metros of atleast a tier 1 city.

delhiwala

hojason,

Welcome to IM.

What are your other options ? Agra is good as a city to visit for few days, otherwise it's not a very good city.....

Infrastructure is stretched beyond limit....Potable water is an issue, Heat and dust is too unbearable...

IMO, if you have other choices ! Don't opt for Agra.

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hojason

The other options are: Gadchiroli, Meerut, and Indore.

This is a service fellowship in Public Health (run by the American India Foundation), and so the placement process isn't entirely in my hands.

They've given me a list of organizations that need someone with my skills, and I'm to give them back a preference ordering, and the organizations will do the same with a list of candidates. So, there are more geographic options, but only those I've listed are the projects that I'm interested in.

I've also just learned that the 25,000 INR cap is for tier 1 cities only, for everything else its 19,500.

I'm not really looking to live much above the level of "local" people (I understand that this varies widely, as anywhere, but hopefully it gives a sense of what I'm going for--and I'm certainly no stranger to hardship given my line of work), I just want to know what I can do with a budget of 19,500 INR in these places. (I assumed Agra would be the most expensive, albeit rather arbitrarily.)

Any (rough) estimates?

kartikeykumar

agra will be great in that amount and you can party in the 5 stars also, i am from agra and i know

hitanshu

can the mods please merge both threads?

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AwayFromHome

At the risk of repeating myself, from another thread, responding to a similar question:

Yes, you can do it. But it will not be easy. Biggest concern is to plan for any emergency (medical or otherwise).

Please make sure you can deal with unexpected evantualities.

Good luck!

vkochar

Welcome to IM Mate. And welcome to India soon !!
Out of the other options you have mentioned the only good place is Indore.

Otherwise Agra is not a bad bet as it is well connected to delhi.

25000 INR is not a bad amount considering you are alone in Agra.

A good place on rent ( if you are not getting accomodation that is )will cost you around 5000 INR ( 2 rooms with a bat & kitchenette ). I am sure you will get a place which you can share with someone.

Eating expenses will not total more than 10000 INR ( including everyday essentials & food & the occassional drinks etc )

That leaves you with 10000 INR still to shop, roam & sightsee over weekends.

I'd say give it a shot for Agra. The worst months ( weather wise ) are coming to an end and its going to be pleasant from now on.

Let me know if you need any other info on Agra. Will be glad to help you out. Cheers !

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