How to Find Cheap, Basic, but Clean Guesthouses and Hostels, Especially in the South

I'm so confused by the information I've been looking up regarding the cost of hotels/guest houses in India. You always hear on the forums about how cheap it is to travel in India but even the Lonely Planet hardly has any "budget" hotels listed for less than around $40USD a night (often this is the rate for only one person). This is pretty much what you would pay in the US, outside of the biggest cities, for run of the mill, no frills, boring but functional motels (which these places seem to be).

I've been searching hostelbookers.com and hostelworld.com trying to find budget places to stay in the south but many cities and towns in India don't have real hostels or guesthouses listed on those sites.

I'm afraid that I'm going to have to leave India earlier than I planned b/c we only planned to spend an overall average of about $20USD a day, including hotels (which many people on the forums claim to be a princely sum). I'm realizing that a lot of the information I based our budget on was from a few years ago.

Have prices really gone up that much? Or are the better deals to be found once I arrive that are just not listed online?

I know it varies from place to place, or so they say, but the cost doesn't really vary too much for hotels according to LP or hostel booking sites (with a few exceptions here and there).

I'm freaking out a little inside every time I hear someone talk about how "cheap" their 3,000 a night hotel was!

Hi,

First of all we are not really budget travelers but with 20USD a day you must be careful.

As for hotels, the cheap ones are difficult to find on internet and you can certainly not book them ahead.

On this site HolydayIQ are mentioned some of them but I don't know how accurate their tariffs are.

Budget hotels have a small internet presence, they rely more on walk in custom. $20 a day is not the expansive Indian budget it used to be, but if you stay away from alcohol and fancy tourist restaurants and travel mostly sleeper you can still travel on this quite easily, though places like Mumbai will force you well over that daily budget.

Another way to travel cheaply is stay long term in places you like, this eliminates travel costs, puts you in a better position to strike a deal with your hotel and opens up ever more cheap eating possibilities, as you really get to know the place.

So yes you can travel on this budget but as Vonkla says it requires a careful attention to your outgoing daily costs.

buy the lonely Planet guide book, and check out the cheapos in there, but don't expect a palace and you won't be disappointed but most are moderately clean..

Yes to both. Also, there is a marked increase during the tourist season- usually the domestic tourist season- these days.

I would find 20USD a day all told very difficult. Some good advice from Klompen and vonkla there.
Trust me, it isn't. Even though some people, at least, seem to manage with it. I wonder, though, whether they actually include everything in that 20USD; seems awfully difficult especially if on the move with train/bus costs thrown in.

Have you searched for hotels using IndiaMike's Hotel guide found at the top header of each page? It pretty good. All of the hotels I've booked, nine, can be found there.

My average hotel bill per night is running 1300 rupees/US $25, single occupancy. Two of the nine hotels include breakfast.

The average would be around 1050 rupees/US $20 had I not planned on staying at the Fairlawn in Kolkata 2 nights.

Edit: and lower priced hotels were available than the ones I selected.

Those prices are not going to cut it on a budget of 1000Rupees a day I'm afraid. There are cheaper options.

@Bootsie, in order for you to get proper answers we need to know when and which cities are you planning to visit.

As a few members have already informed budget hotels normally do not have internet presence.

Yes, you are right about that. I didn't realize the budget was $20 a day total, including food. And they mentioned "we", indicating at least two people, $10 a day each.

That is a tight budget.