We spent 5 months travelling and budgeteering across India, so we have a good idea of the costs you are going to encounter and we are excited to share all our knowledge with you. In this post we will share detailed budget guidelines so you know exactly what things will cost during your trip to India.
How Much Does it Cost to Travel India? Depending on your travel style you can You can travel India for as little as $20USD per day!
So, you can travel India fairly comfortably for as little as $20 per day, which is astonishingly cheap. However not every traveler wants or needs to stick to such low budgets, it largely depends on your travel style and expectations. There is plenty on offer for midrange travellers and for those who want a bit of luxury.
When we visited India we were on a 1 year long trip abroad, so budget was important to us. We also had our parents visit us in India so we got a taste of luxury and mid range travel in India with them.
The great thing about travelling India is that you can travel on a shoestring budget or in luxury. So, we are going to break down the costs of travelling India for all budget types including ShoeString, Budget Traveller, Mid Range and Lux.
The Cost of Travel in India
Although not as cheap as it once was, India is still cheap as chips…..excuse our kiwi slang. India’s super low prices are like a magnet for many backpackers and budget travellers, drawing them in with the promise of longer travel for less.
India is one of the best places in the world for budget travellers. Even after 5months travelling across India, some of the low prices still managed to shock and excite us along the way.
Lets start off with an overall daily travel budget guide. These are figures are based on our 5months travelling experience in India.
|
Daily Budget
|
RUPEES
|
USD
|
|
ShoeString
|
₹1400
|
$20
|
|
Budget
|
₹2000
|
$30
|
|
Midrange
|
₹4500
|
$65
|
|
LUX
|
₹15,000
|
$220
|
So let’s break down the cost of traveling to India, starting with transport. Transport costs in India can be extremely affordable. However your mode of transport will differ greatly depending on which area of India you are in. For example in the northern Himalayan regions of India there are not many trains, so people travel by road. Shared sumo/jeeps and bus are how many people get around the Himalayan regions.
Just a warning…..although a jeep ride sounds nice, Sumo’s are probably the most uncomfortable ride we ever encountered, to put it lightly, they pack you in like sardines!
For the rest of India long distance transport is predominately by train. Trains travel is definitely one of the most comfortable ways to get around when your on a budget. We also wrote a full guide to train travel in India that may be helpful to you. We have also created a full guide to bus travel in India with all the info you need for a safe and easy bus journey!
When it comes to comfort, budget can really make a difference. If you are on a tight budget be prepared for some long and uncomfortable rides…….but hey, its all part of the adventure!
Below we have outline an estimated daily transport budget, we have also listed all of the popular modes of transport in India with the costs:
Rickshaws in India
|
Local bus in India
|
|
Transport Daily Budget
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
Shoe String
|
₹350
|
$5
|
|
Budget
|
₹700
|
$10
|
|
Mid Range
|
₹1100
|
$15
|
|
Lux
|
₹2100
|
$30
|
|
Short Distance Transport
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
₹20
|
$0.20
|
|
|
Rickshaw 5km
|
₹150
|
$2USD
|
|
Uber 5km
|
₹200
|
$2.80
|
|
Taxi 5km
|
₹250
|
$3.60
|
|
Private driver for the day within the city
|
₹1500
|
$21.50
|
|
Long Distance Transport
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
₹150
|
$2
|
|
|
₹1500
|
$21.5
|
|
|
Train general class no dedicated seat: 100-300km
|
₹50
|
$0.70
|
|
Train sleeper class
100-300km |
₹160
|
$2
|
|
Train AC class 100-300km
|
₹530
|
$7.60
|
|
Train FirstClass 100-300km
|
₹1200
|
$17.20
|
|
Private car/driver: 100-300km
|
₹4000
|
$60
|
|
₹6000
|
$86
|
|
|
Sumo/shared jeep 100-300km
|
₹600
|
$8.6
|
The cost of accommodation in India is up there with some of the cheapest in the world. India has it all when it comes to accommodation, traditional homestays, hostels, budget hotel rooms, boutique accommodations and truly luxurious hotels and resorts.
You might have heard stories about the horror budget hotel rooms of India, but if you are smart when booking, budget does not necessarily mean horror in India. This is especially true when you are in touristic locations, the standard in these areas is usually very high for budget accommodations.
We want to be honest with you though, some off the beaten path locations will have limited budget hotel options and we have been stuck in a horror hotel room once or twice in India, nothing we didn’t survive!
We always use booking.com to check for hotel reviews before booking any accommodation, this helps us avoid the hotel duds! Its also a great place to find low season discounts and filter accommodation searches to our specific needs….you can check out India accommodation reviews and prices >>Link to Booking.com
|
Daily Accom Budget
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
Shoe string
|
₹350
|
$5
|
|
Budget
|
₹800
|
$12
|
|
Mid Range
|
₹2000
|
$30
|
|
Lux
|
₹11,000
|
$160
|
|
Daily Accom Budget
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
Couchsurfing
|
FREE
|
FREE
|
|
FREE
|
FREE
|
|
|
Dorm Bed
|
₹350
|
$5
|
|
Private Budget Room
|
₹800
|
$12
|
|
Private Midrange Room
|
₹2000
|
$30
|
|
Private Luxury Room
|
₹11,000
|
$160
|
Food is our favourite part of India, it really is some of the best cuisine on the planet! Our biggest tip for food in India is to stick to Indian food. Nine times out of ten you will be sorely disappointed with western food, not to mention western food is more expensive.
Food costs in India can be kept extremely low and to be honest some of the best meals we have ever eaten have been from Indian street food vendors not costing us more than $1. You can see our Indian street food video here for proof:
|
Daily Food Budget
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
Shoe String
|
₹200
|
$3
|
|
Budget
|
₹600
|
$8.5
|
|
Mid Range
|
₹1200
|
$17
|
|
Lux
|
₹2700
|
$40
|
|
Food costs in India
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
Cadbury Chocolate
|
₹160
|
$2.30
|
|
Pepsi
|
₹50
|
$0.70
|
|
Chai
|
₹10
|
$0.15
|
|
Bottled Water
|
₹20
|
$0.30
|
|
Beer
|
₹120
|
$1.70
|
|
1x Thali/Meal at Street Vendor
|
₹50
|
$0.70
|
|
1x Thali/Meal at Local Restaurant
|
₹200
|
$2.80
|
|
1x Fast Food Meal in Mall
|
₹350
|
$5
|
|
1x Thali/Meal at Resort or Fancy Restaurant
|
₹700
|
$10
|
The prices for tours and activities in India are cheap when compared to many other places in the world, but if you havn’t budgeted accordingly for tours and activities you can easily end up blowing your budget.
|
|
|
Daily Activities Budget
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
ShoeString
|
₹200
|
$3
|
|
Buget
|
₹350
|
$5
|
|
Midrange
|
₹1500
|
$20
|
|
Lux
|
₹2000
|
$30
|
|
Cost of Activities in India
|
Rupees
|
USD
|
|
Discover markets
|
FREE
|
FREE
|
|
Visit Temples
|
Most are FREE
|
Most are FREE
|
|
Enjoy Festivals
|
FREE
|
FREE
|
|
Taj Mahal
|
₹1100
|
$15.80
|
|
₹10,500
|
$150
|
|
|
Fort/palace fee
|
₹350
|
$5
|
|
Cultural Show
|
₹350
|
$5
|
|
₹1700
|
$25
|
|
|
₹5000
|
$72
|
1GB per day for 1 month ₹500/ $7.5USD per month
As you can see mobile data is extremely cheap in India, which is just as well because wifi in India is terrible. It never works, mainly because the internet packages at the hotels run out quickly so your usually left with nothing.
We always relied on our own mobile data, if we got lucky with good hotel wifi then it was a bonus. So we totally recommend getting an Indian sim as soon as you arrive, especially if you are planning to stay longer than 2 weeks.
We hope these India budget tips have been helpful! Be sure to leave us a comment if you have any more questions around the Costs of travel in India or if you have any tips to share, we would love to hear from you……Happy cheap travels Natives!
Cheers, Native Travellers
INTREPID & OFF THE BEATEN PATH TRAVEL STORIES, GUIDES, TIPS & HACKS
Hi guys,
Great post!
What mobile provider do you recommend?
Thanks!
Hey Rosa, awesome glad it was helpful, we used Idea which worked well in most parts of India.