Need Help Approximating Budget for Bangalore

Hello All!

I would very much appreciate any help gauging the cost of living in Bangalore. I am part way through the interview process for an internship with a consulting firm located in Cox Town, and need to let the firm know the time frame of my availability, as the internship is unpaid. Whether I can stay for 6 months, 9 months or even one year depends on how much I have to shell out.

I have been to India before to conduct research, so I do have some idea of the rigors of daily life - crowded streets, long commute times, etc. All the same, I have a deep love for the country.

My biggest concern is being able to secure housing and manage to pay my student loans and health insurance (in USD, of course!!) at the same time. I've researched hostel, paying guest and bare bones apartment options on Sulekha and other websites.

In this situation, every penny really counts. I absolutely need the internship for professional development, but cannot go bankrupt in the process. I would not be living at all like the typical expat.

Any good roommate matching sources out there? What would it be like for a foreigner to live in a women's hostel? What are ya'lls suggestions for a BUDGET approach to living in Bangalore?

You should consider at least Rs.40000/- pm towards accommodation, meals and local commuting but excluding air travel from your country to India for a graceful living during internship. Also consider home stay or PG facility as rental for flat will eat up major amount of money.

Thanks, I appreciate your reply! I have indeed investigated those options.

I suppose I didn't articulate this very well in my initial post. My concerns are twofold: 1)budget and 2)cultural integration and quality of life.

Would I be accepted/comfortable living as the only foreign woman in a hostel? Would I be able to make friends with local women? What kind of privacy and independence does a hostel/renting a room afford me? I don't wish to alienate myself and stretch my budget by seeking out only apartments, but having lived abroad before, I know the value of having a place where one can cook the occasional comfort food and decompress and "process" everything.

Thoughts on finding a good balance?

First of all, I think the company is shortchanging you with the unpaid internship, but that is a separate issue.

Cheaper options would include a shared apartment, provided you can find safe and like minded people to do so. Will the company help? Do their other interns/employees share? (Suggest you avoid complete strangers here)

This option gives you flexibility, is cheaper, cooking your own food...

The next best option is, probably, a paying guest arrangement or even a one bedroom unit with a kitchenette. I know that few of these are available in Bangalore in your area, but there are some.

A typical Indian 'hostel' will be a bad option for many reasons to do with privacy, facilities, hygiene and poor infrastructure.

Whatever the decision, I would avoid paying for anything unseen.

An idea of what you are comfortable spending on these things would help people advise.

Hey, thank you for your input!

Haha, yes, I do understand your reaction to the unpaid internship. It is a bitter pill to swallow. However, a BA in polisci and anthropology is not the most lucrative thing these days! Add to that the fact that I'd like to build a career in conflict resolution/cross cultural business consulting grounded in South Asia...and it's a very difficult field to get into. The company I'm interviewing with is small, but reputable, and a pioneer the alternative dispute resolution field in India. They're honest enough to be upfront about what they can/can't do for me financially, which is a lot more than I can say for other firms I interviewed with. Hey, I'm 23 and I'll never have this opportunity again!

I appreciate your insight in regards to the hostel situation. I've looked at photos of shared hostel rooms online, and WOW. I am impressed they can fit so many beds into such a small space!

I have noticed that 1RK apartments are rare. Like you said, sharing an apartment with roommates would be ideal, both financially and socially.

In terms of money, I am really not comfortable spending RS 10,000. Maybe I'm dreaming here, but RS 6,000 (ideally including utilities)would be nice. I don't have a problem sharing a room or bathroom. I've lived with Brazilians, Bulgarians and Russians before so I'm familiar with the potential challenges of international roommates. What's really confusing me in gauging the price of apartments is the commute. What is a reasonable commute in Bangalore?

I definitely would not agree to anything without seeing it! And I would really push this company to help me find a place with their resources on the ground.

Thank you so much for your help! Enjoy your day!

I am not too familiar with Bangalore; however, I do know that 6000 ballpark (or a little more, perhaps without utilities and unfurnished) should get you a shared apartment (single room to yourself and bathroom maybe attached) in Cooke Town which is very closeby to your work- may even be walking distance. Cooke Town is a decent leafy locality, quiet and nice.

You can hire basic furniture and some kitchen stuff, the rest should be on a shared-cost basis

But somebody from Bangalore will be able to give better advice, also about other nearby areas that may be cheaper or better.

Thank you so much! You've been really helpful! That gives me a much better idea of what I would need to aim for.
I honestly don't know what I would do without this website.

Cheers!

Which reminds me. If you haven't been to India before, do read the many threads on Bangalore, and others on women travelling alone here, rental hassles etc etc.

On that sharing apartment thing-a) suggest share only with women. b) Utilities without airconditioning will be perhaps a thousand rupees for shared internet and electricity. c)Flats come unfurnished usually. Bangalore apartment owners have a reputation for demanding 11 months advance rental, sometimes negotiable and d) Mobile phones/local calls etc are very cheap. International calls at 6 rupees a minute or skype.

Your best bet is to enter into an existing apartment sharing arrangement with people who are not strangers, or a paying guest arragement- you may be able to avoid the deposit and setting up costs will be lower- or you can pitch in financially without buying/renting too much new stuff. Much will depend on how long you stay there.

My two cents: I lived in a large PG in Bangalore some years ago, and I was the first and only foreigner living there at that time. Maybe I was just lucky, but both the landlady and the girls were lovely to me and went out of their way to help me in every ways. I found it very difficult to cope with the lack of personal space and privacy, but you might be more flexible than I am.

Also, there were no cooking facilities, which was quite a big problem for me because the food we got was very low quality (I say this as someone who loves Indian food and is not fussy about food). I would now be wary of places where you cannot cook and food is included in the price of rent - I ended up eating out all the time which really increased my living costs.

I am not up to date with prices, but if you are willing to share, 6.000 rupees per month should be enough for rent I think. As The Captain already mentioned, most landlords want you to pay 11 months in advance, but I think this does not apply to PGs.

Re: making friends, I found that living in the PG was a great way of meeting women of my own age who I could be friends with; all the girls living there, and in the office where I worked, spoke fluent English and it was very easy to socialise with them. I am sure you will have no problems at all with making friends.

Re: privacy and independence - as you will know, Indian people tend to have a different attitude towards dating etc. When I lived in Bangalore, it would have been difficult to rent a place where you could invite a member of the opposite sex for a visit etc., but maybe things have moved on since then. Hopefully someone living in Bangalore now will come along with more up to date information. Anyway, I guess you just have to be more discreet about things than you would be in the US, and you probably know that already.

Hi,

A 1 bedroom apartment costs about rs.10000-12000 around cox town, you can also check out a local magazine called admag which has lots of listings, probably available online.....expect your budget to be atleast 10000 and hostel isn't a good option!

Burf, is Cox Town more expensive than Cooke Town? I ask because I know somebody renting a nice three bedroom apartment for 18k there (Cooke). One year old, nice neighbourhood, third floor- although no lift (elevator to the OP).

Captain, cox town isn't more expensive than cooke's....but some listings do have that tag.

I think I know the firm and it is a pioneer and quite reputed indeed , but they should at least cover your accommodation expenses (I think they can afford it),or give you a decent internship stipend, most reputed firms will do that. If every penny counts, you should look for one which will pay you a stipend to cover your accommodation costs. I could send you a link to one that is as reputed , international and in a similar field I think and may be willing to pay.

The costs don’t differ too much between Cox Town and Cooke Town, but Cooke Town is a better place to live. As the Capt suggested a shared apartment is indeed the best option, but may be hard to find at the outset. So start with a PG.( good ones aren’t too hard to find)PG accommodations are best for those with budget constraints, and then you can move to a shared apartment when you find something suitable. RS. 3500 to 5000 for a PG accommodation and Rs. 5000 towards other expenses is something you can live on quite comfortably .

If you get used to use public transportation your commutation expenses will be negligible! Get yourself a cycle it is the most ideal for short distances.

As for cultural integration ,once some of the local girls take you into their fold you’ll have almost nothing to worry about. Indians generally go way out of their way to help. As far as the men are concerned, just let them know that you are engaged and will get married as soon as you go back, if you get any unwanted attention, that will keep them 99% of them at a distance.

Sindu Iyer,

Thank you for your comments. Please do message me the name of that firm you wrote about! It won't hurt to check it out and at the very least I can get a better feel for the other companies out there for future reference.

I will keep in mind your advice about a short-term stay in a PG hostel to get my feet on the ground and make some local connections. Thanks for your encouragement regarding making friends!

Mirjam2,

I really do appreciate your insight into living in a PG as a foreign woman. It seems my concerns about cultural differences in privacy, and lack of cooking facilities were well-founded. Probably not something I'd like to do for the entire 6 or 9 months!

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice!

Rampage I can't message you until you've reached 10 posts ! If you post a few on the word association and 3 words threads I will be able to send you the link soon.