Mumbai: Low cost living?

Yannick

Hello all, have just been reading various threads on Mumbai. I am intending on moving to India in the not too distant future and would be pleased to recieve some info. Thanks.

Firstly, I am looking for low cost living in India, and I accept that this might not be possible in Mumbai without staying in a pig sty. But I have done some research on rental apartments in various areas all over the country including Mumbai. There I have found various low cost apartments (3500 Rs in one case)in an area called Vasai. Could anybody tell me firstly if this place will be a complete dump and also where the hell Vasai is in Mumbai. As has been the case when I have been trying to find Kayaninagar in Pune, I simply cannot find it on the map, am I just being blind??? Any help on the location of either would be of great help.

Secondly, what are the costs of the various neccessititesin life, I want to get a rough idea of how much i will be handing out each month. I intend to buy as much as possible from the markets, do they sell live chickens there? about how much would they be? what about approximate prices for the following:
onions
potatoes
peppers
milk
bottled water
etc etc...

How much would I spend approximately per month on food, water and electricity if I were to live entirely on native foodstuffs and no imported goods?

And lastly, am I out of my mind trying to find some way to live on a shoestring in Mumbai, I am aware that I may appear ignorant by asking these questions but that is only because I am!!

Thank you for anything you can give me,

Yannick.

crvlvr

Other than food and mass transportation, every thing in Mumbai will as expensive as a western city. In regards to accomodation, what you pay for is what you get. Keep in mind real estate prices in Mumbai are on par with the major cities in the rest of the world.

Yannick

Thanks crvlvr, I am getting more and more convinced that Mumbai is not the place for me, shame, I really fancied it.

Yannick

nayan

Vasai is a VERY distant suburb in the north of Mumbai. you may not find it in a city map of Mumbai which usually shows till borivali/thane. search for it in a district level map.

Martinji

The place is called Kaliyani Nagar, it is a modern area of Pune, where a lot of the IT-INdustry is located. you will also find shopping centers, cinema complexes and many international brand's boutiques. It is in the northeast od the city, about 5 km from the central railways station.

chris123

Hi.

Greetings from John - Mumbai.

Please do not lose hope to stay in Mumbai, here are some tips on the

following:

a. Accomodation : Vasai = Vasai is cool, not so crowded, christian

community with portuguse tradition and a lovely place, in fact a

weekend getaway for Mumbai residents, this place is developing and

would be very expensive in the near future, for more info you can visit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasai-Virar, http://vasai.com/, As per

your statement of Rs 3500/-, it is bit expensive, you can find lower

price,good quality apartments with your monthly expenses within Rs

10,000/-* I live in Mumbai and close to Vasai but within Mumbai city

limits with all facilities that you need to be in Mumbai.

* Rs 10,000/- would include your monthly rent of self contained flat,

normal food, toiletries, electricity, water, building/society maintainence charges etc..

let me know if this interests you...

Prices of the following are as follows:

Onions = Rs 6/- per kg
potatoes = Rs 12/- per kg
milk = Rs 13/- per kg (Govt)
bottled water - Rs 12/- per bottle (May get cheaper if you buy in bulk quantity)

brishti

Yannick: local trains as transport in mumbai are really very convenient. I.E. if you can get on, stay on and get off at your stop.




:brishti

shahronakm

It even has a multiplex now.

Ronak.

Martisha

NAMASTE!!

Going to Mumbai soon. Still to decide EXACTLY when and WHERE.

DHANYAWAD for your tips on dayly life in VASAI, it looks like a nice area to live in.

I may be posting more questions shortly!!

shahronakm

Welcome to IM & Mumbai. Will be glad to answer your questions.

Ronak.

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Martisha

Let´s number them to make it easier!!

1.How far(space and time)is Vasai from, let´s say,downtown mumbai?

2.How much per month for: a nice,small,furnished,2rooms flat? Studio? a small house?

3.How much for HINDI lessons? at school? private? any official language school, or with an internationally recognized "diploma" at the end?

4.Schools/universities to learn Spanish there?

5.Publishing houses with Spanish teaching material(CDs, DVDs,..)

6.How much a month for: rent, food, house bills, transport, a bit of "night out", movies, Yoga lessons, dancing lessons?
Once i am "settled" there; how much for a bit of being a tourist there?

7. If i want to learn Hindi in Mumbai (or close),i guess... i may need a one year tourist visa?

8. One day, i just wanna buy the flight ticket and go; then, i think twice and work on my "strategy" before leaving.

9. DHANYAWAD a lot!!

AvidTrekker

Welcome to Mumbai !!

I assume you are a native Spanish speaker who can teach Spanish to people in Mumbai?? It is illegal.... without a work visa... but if you get private tuitions, you can get 400 to 500 per hour teaching Spanish in downtown Mumbai.

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Martisha

Let´s "complicate" it now:

1. kind of... same questions but sth like 30min from Mumbai or... how far is 30min time with (funny) no traffic? how much on a Sunday? How long during... peak hours?

2. let´s say Rs 6000 a month in VASAI per month; bills included? water? electricity? For that money, what can i find "closer" to Mumbai?

3. I am more concerned about the learning than the diploma, anyway. So... the further from Mumbai... more "dedication" (in this case money) to learn Hindi(?). Good point, but i have more stuff to consider about, though.

4. Dhanyawad, i knew about InstitutoHispania already. Do you know any others? Mumbai or "close"?

5. Rs 17200 (maximum) (yoga lessons included, 2 per week). Is that too much?

6. I guess the best (or 1 of them) idea is going as a tourist, take an Intensive Hindi course, and come back later (if so) (i mean, leave the country when course/visa finishes). I had this clear, already: having "legal" problems is far from my desire and expectations. Farther than "far".

7. Thanks to anyone answering or adding any good comment or suggestion!!

Ignite

That is if you can achieve this.

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AvidTrekker

30 mins from downtown Mumbai means Bandra to Andheri. Bandra is probably the BEST place for expats but "unaffordable" in this particular comparison. (rents start at 25000 to 30000) Andheri rent will be around 15000 to 20000 and the rest will be same. Tuitions will be expensive.

I have known some foreigners live in downtown Mumbai (in Colaba hotels) for around 600 to 700 per day provided you pay the full months rent in advance. This IS DOWNTOWN Mumbai.

Best option is to land up in one of these hotels and stay for a week or so exploring the city scene alongwith some "house hunting". For Vasai, frankly speaking, you will be finished in the very first day's train ride. So don't even think about Vasai.

Mahim, Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz & Andheri... this is where you could be looking. Bandra being the most expensive. Andheri the least.