Just how cheap is India

rosscameron

On the lead-up to my trip I was constantly being told India would be the cheapest place I would ever visit. Being Scottish, tight and a backpacker ‘cheap’ is music to my ears. However people’s opinion of ‘cheap’ differs and most people I know who had been to India had either been on a short holiday or were working there. Now that I am backpacking there are no more monthly deposits going into my bank account and our spending capabilities differ. I cannot afford too many luxuries now, so here is a backpackers guide to how cheap India is.

At the time of my visit the exchange rate 1 GBP equaled 75 INR. I will put the cost in both.

Accommodation

The price of budget accommodation varied from area to area. It was possible to find a room from anything from 400-600 INR (5/7gbp). It is hard to find a single room so if you are traveling on your own it is fairly pricey. Splitting the cost with someone makes all the difference. For that price you will get a double bed, own bathroom (hot water not guaranteed) and a fan. In peak tourist season in Northern India air con is not necessary.

For my first few nights in Delhi in anticipation of the dreaded Delhi Belly I decided if I was going to be ill, I’d rather be ill in luxury and had I booked into a mid market tourist hotel at a cost of 900 INR (12gbp). For that you can expect a double bed, bathroom a guaranteed hot shower, a television with ESPN Sports Channel and free WIFI. If you don’t have to worry about your budget this is excellent value.

Whilst doing research prior to this trip I found that chain hotels are just expensive and are presumably designed for foreign businessmen who are too scared to stay at a local Indian hotel. The Holiday Inn was the cheapest at 50gbp a night. My hotel was of, if not better quality, that most Holiday Inn’s I’ve ever stayed in.

Food

Like in all countries it is much cheaper to eat the local dishes in India, which is handy because Indian food is so good. A typical meal of a main curry dish, rice and naan, which is enough food to fill anyone, should cost you about 130 INR (1.75gpb). Western food is easy enough to get but fairly expensive to its superior Indian counterpart and a sure fire way to avoid Delhi Belly as I somehow amazing did is to only eat local dishes.

Alcohol

There is not a big drinking culture in India and proper bars as we westerners know are few and far between. A bottle of local beer would set you back around 220 INR (2.90gbp). European lagers will cost as much as 350 INR (4.66gbp) and for that reason alone my time in India was mainly spent sober! There are a variety of local imitations of Scotch Whiskey that will set you back about 150 INR (2gbp) but I would liken it to drinking deer’s piss.

Water/Soft drinks

A litre of water will cost a mere 12-15 INR (15/20pence) and depending upon where you were, a soft drink with a meal costs anything from 30 to 50 INR. (40 to 60 pence)

Travel

One of the great images of backpacking round India is the long Indian train journey. These can be done in many different levels of comfort.

– General seating

- Sleeper (Night Journey’s only)

- First A/C

- Second A/C

- Third A/C

General seating is ‘interesting’ to say the least. To ensure a seat you must participate in a WWE style royal rumble to get onto the train. The more determined locals attempt this as the train is still approaching the station, which makes for entertaining viewing. Once all the seats are gone they will fit as many people in there as possible. Not advised for long journeys!

Sleeper is fairly basic to but you are at least guaranteed a bench to sleep on. In the peak tourist months of Nov-Feb there really is no need to be in an A/C carriage. The one time I did it I found it an unnecessary waste of money and the only reason it exists is to fleece money off insecure tourists who don’t want to mix with the locals.

Obviously journey prices differ depending on the length of the journey.

A ‘seat’ in general class for a four-hour journey cost me 50 INR (0.75gb).

An overnight sleeper class ticket which for a nine-hour journey cost 190 INR (2.50gbp).

A seat in first class air conditioning for a journey that took seven hours cost 380 INR. (4.60gbp).

So that’s the basics that you need to know for India. Then it’s up to you what you wish to spend your money on. From trips to souvenirs there are endless ways to spend your cash in India. Here’s a brief insight on how I spent my money and the costs involved:

- Guided tour around Delhi…………… 350 INR / 5 GBP

- Overnight camel safari …………… 1500 INR / 20 GBP

- Rural village visit………………… 750 INR/ 10 GBP

- Massage…………………………… 450 INR/ 6 GBP

- Reiki Course……………………… 1500 INR/ 20 GBP

- Shave……………………………… 30 INR / 0.5 GBP

- National Park safari………………. 2200 INR / 29 GBP

- Visit to Taj Mahal…………………. 750 INR / 10 GBP

Overall it’s fair to say that India is the perfect budget backpacker location. One thousand pounds could go a very long way here

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