prices in india

evilnyberg

hi guys,

first post for a long time (back in cold rainy london!).

have just recently started a new job on a DfID funded programme to send young british adults (18-25) from less advantaged backgrounds overseas to volunteer and one of the countries we are looking to send people is india.

as part of trying to determine allowances for volunteers, we've devised a 'shopping list', which we hope will help us compare costs from country to country (we are also sending volunteers to ghana, peru, etc, etc).

and, though i thought it would be child's play, it turns our that i'm having a rough time coming up with average/esitmated costs for quite a few of the items on our list - despite having only got back from a year in hyderabad less than 6 months ago.

can you guys give me a hand?

the shopping list is as follows -

1 hour on the internet
1 litre of drinking water
1 bottle of coke
Cheap meal at a local restaurant
Tube of imported toothpaste
Bar of soap
Bottle of shampoo
1 night in city centre hotel in dorms
2 AA batteries
Local SIM card
Local call from mobile (per minute)
Call to UK from mobile (per minute)
Local text from mobile
Text to UK from mobile
Call to UK from public phone (per minute)

thank you all in advance for any input!

a

shashank.aggarwal

1 hour on the internet = Rs.10 to 25
1 litre of drinking water = Rs.10 to 15
1 bottle of coke = Rs.10 - 15
Cheap meal at a local restaurant = Rs.15 - 50
Tube of imported toothpaste = Rs.20 - 60
Bar of soap = Rs.7 - 20
Bottle of shampoo = Rs.40 - 100
1 night in city centre hotel in dorms = Rs.150 - 600
2 AA batteries = Rs. 15 - 25
Local SIM card = Rs.50 - 500
Local call from mobile (per minute) = 50 Paisa to Rs.2
Call to UK from mobile (per minute) = Rs. 10 (Approx)
Local text from mobile = 50 Paisa (Can vary a lot)
Text to UK from mobile = Rs. 5
Call to UK from public phone (per minute) = From VOIP, Rs.3 - 5


All the prices are indicative, to the best of my knowledge..

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sannna

I agree with all the prices quoted, though I myself would i all cases have given the highest amount.
Also, costs of live differ a whole lot depending on where you are. In Mumbai stuff is more expensive than in a vilage or small town, but I am sure you are aware of this.

atala

I agree with all the price quotes except the one for a night in a dorm: that should be much less. I think Shashank just meant single room in a basic hotel instead. I never use dorms, so not sure about the exact amounts.

Also net phones are only available where foreigners assemble. In other cities not available, much higher rate applies, around 2o Rupees.

ISN

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shashank.aggarwal

I have actually been quoted Rs.600 for dorms in Goa, they were quite good..atleast in Pictures...

This is not the case..Indians make lot of use of Netphones to call their relatives/friends, studying/working abroad.

Infact My uncle runs one from his shop, and we hardly get any tourists. They are used by locals to call NRIs

edwardseco

Bet the prices prove to be less a problem than the culture shock. Often the latter is accomodated for by more income to spend. No price for beer or Pizza.?

the opoponax

I was absolutely shocked when I saw the prices on the Domino's Pizza menu. You could have two or three really fantastic thalis for that!

In America, we order pizza when we're broke. What's India's excuse?

Ignite

I think that's because Domino's Pizza is a foreign "restaurant" in india, not just a casual pizza place like it is for us here. The same rules apply here as well. A decent dosa in india is like Rs. 10 - 20 MAX, which comes out to be about $.25-.50, but the actual price of a dosa at an indian restaurant in the U.S., or atleast in LA and SF as far as I know is about $5.

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Nick-H

Yes, Pizza is trendy food.

Even in UK it is over-priced, considering the cost of the ingredients.

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shashank.aggarwal

Its not a very common food for us..the cheese is very expensive and many toppings are not found in India..

Its not what a common man eats..

the opoponax

I know. That's my point. It's a joke.

Here pizza is considered really mediocre cheap food that you get tired of and swear off and promise to cook real food at home like you're supposed to.

ESPECIALLY Domino's. It's the bottom of the barrel.

It's sort of like if you came to the states and saw pav bhaji for the equivalent of 200 rupees per order.

puchoo

Fast food in India probably commands a little more respect from the market than probably in the States or the UK, thanks to the fact that we did not stuff like this available for a long long time.

The difference is that you probably look at it as "convenience factor", for a lot of Indians going to a Domino's/pizzahut is an 'outing'......even for me at times..for example i am probably off to the UK this summer and cant wait to get my hands on a Mcdonalds double bacon cheese, my wife keeps raving about it and i can oh so picture it.......!!

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ebby

An Indian Thali abroad would be very expensive as compared to the local rate. So I guess the same for pizza.

Ignite

But then again, everything is overpriced in the UK!!! A beer is £8 at a pub!!!!, which was like $16 in dec.2007