Moving to Gurgaon - need help

We are relocating to Gurgaon sometime in June from New Jersey. We are a family of four - myself, my husband and 2 girls - aged 5 and 2. We are looking for a place to rent in Sushant Nagar - Phase III close to Heritage School. Can somebody tell us what would be a reasonable range for rent in that area for a 3 BHK house or apartment? Also, how is the cost of living in that area? How much would be the living expenses approximately?

Thanks for your help!

Vidya.

I think you are talking about Sushant Lok -II or III. Are you looking for a house/appt in that area only? It is nice area to live but it is at one end of Gurgaon and may seem lonely area at times. At the same time, nothing is far in Gurgaon being smaller in size.
I would guess the 3BHK house would cost you something between Rs. 15000 to Rs. 18000. Cost of living in Gurgaon is more than that of delhi but it all depends on the lifestyle of the family.

I would like to oppose this point. Gurgaon is far cheaper than Delhi on an average. Typical expat colonies in Delhi such as Jorbagh, Def Col, Golf Links etc have monthly rentals probably equivalent to cost of a brand new car. It depends on what your comparison base is...take the op colonies in Gurgaon and compare them with similar ones in Delhi and rents are lower in G.

Sid, vinay didn't say rents, but cost of living..which i agre is much higher in Gurgaon, essentially due to lack to basic amenities...

Rent depends from quality level. If you are looking anythink closer to the western standard you have to be ready to pay minimum Rs. 50000 per month.

Thanks for your reply, Vinay. Yes, I meant Sushant Lok - Phase III, since it is close to Heritage school where my daughter might secure admission. I was looking online for apartments and you are right, the rent is around Rs.15,000 for a 3BHK. As for cost of living, I think a budget of ~Rs.50,000 per month should be sufficient to lead a comfortable life.

What do you mean by "lack of basic amenities"?

Thanks for your response.

Vidya

Public transport, Electricity problems, water problems..etc

However since you have a solid monthly budget then these things would not be a problem..

Thanks, Shashank. There's another thing I wanted to ask - How about power cuts? Water supply? Do we get water supply 24 hrs a day from the tap? Or do we have to buy water and store for cooking, bathing etc. like we do in Chennai? How about mosquitoes? Sorry for these questions, just want to be prepared..

Thanks a ton!!

1. Powercuts - very regular, be prepared for that. I have a friend staying in the vicinity but the good news is that most complexes have a power back up. YOu need to shell out an yearly amount but it will give you some relief. I am not sure of the 'load' but definetely bulbs and fans.

2. I am not too sure about water, but i dont recall him complaining about it ...so maybe no news is good news in this case


3. Mosquitoes is not much of a problem. The monsoons time etc will see them breeding like anything but thats nothing different from delhi. A few good nights will ake care of it.

4. You can choose to buy water if you feel more comfy but an aquagaurd would prob be more than enuough.

50,000 is a pretty decent budget. I dont know what all it would include for you over and above the basic expenses though. Me and my wife are in def col and manage in probably 1/3rd of that..but then its just 2 of us in a smaller place...

Hope that helped.

Take Care.

Thanks for your response, Puchoo. The Break down of Rs.50,000 is as follows

Rent - Rs.15,000
School - Rs.4,500 (Rs.50,000 annually?)
Groceries - Rs.5,000 ?? (is that typical?)
Maid - Rs.1,000 ?? (what's the typical charge for a maid - whole day versus once a day and completing the chores - vessels, washing, sweeping, cleaning etc.)
Electricity, Water, Maintenance, Phone - Rs.5,000 (?)
Swimming for kids & Gym - What's the typical monthly charge - Rs.1000?
Misc. expenses - Eating out, Movies, Shopping for occasions -
Rs.5,000

Let me know if I have missed out anything. So, approx. Rs.40,000 I guess.

And Internet charges? I forgot that..

Thanks, Vidya

that still leaves you with a margin of 10,000 so you should be ok. Actual expenses ofcourse will only really come forth post living there for a bit. However 1000 on a maid might be a bit on the lower side, depending on the work you would expect (which i dont know) it will anyhow prob be higher..even if its for a couple of hours a day. We pay ours 1000 but thats for 3-4 days a week for a couple of hours + the diwali bonus etc etc.

4500 for school - is this confirmed..are u talking 4500 each or total?

Maid service for couple of hours through the week - so, maybe Rs.2000 should be ok.

Rs.4,500 for one. Is that typical? My other daughter is too young to start school.

Is Gurgaon a safe enough city for me to go to shops, Gym etc. by myself? Day or evening? Please advise

Thanks, Vidya

4500 per kid seems ok. i tried to look it up but the site does not seem to have the fees structure....the heritage school calutta (which might not be affliated at all and could have different policies) says 20,000 per quarter i.e 6500 or so per month. Ill see if i can get you some more solid info on this tom.

Thanks. I will know the fee structure for sure in a day as we are having a telecon with the principal tonight regarding the admission.

Is Gurgaon a safe enough city for me to go to shops, Gym etc. by myself? Day or evening? Please advise