India is a great destination for travelers of all different budgets. In terms of a holiday, India has pretty much all climates and sceneries on earth and that fact that it won’t bankrupt you only makes it a more attractive destination.
From accommodation to transport, guides to meals; we have included a short guide below about what you will potentially spend. This can help you effectively plan your journey to India and enjoy your holiday all the more. Whether you are a backpacker, a modest traveler, a luxury-lover or someone who wants to see everything the country has, this country can fit your budget.
We have separated this article into four ranges; Backpacker, Budget, Mid-range and Luxury. Remember that these rates will change depending on the season, hotels, activities, type of transport etc.
For the backpacker, you can stay in basic accommodation, eat out in modest establishments and obviously sample some of the amazing street food. You will be able to use local buses and non air-conditioned trains. The value for backpackers is that they really immerse themselves in the culture of this wonderful country.
This is a modest calculation for the budget traveler. If you really are a diehard backpacker, you can actually live in India for less than this. However, this calculation will include stay in clean and decent budget hotels and home-stays, air condition car with driver. You will be able to travel executive class trains and flights, if any. Monuments in India is not included. So, the cost will obviously depend on how much you want to see.
The mid-range budget is what most travelers to India will live on. With this amount of money per day you can really experience some of the places that this fantastic country has to offer. You can stay in interesting hotels such as ‘old manssions’ and even old manor houses and palaces where the royalty used to live. You will be able to have a chauffeur and car, some flights, air-conditioned trains. Although there are loads of different types of eateries you can go to, a mid-range restaurant will set you back between 12-18$ or 10-15€.
There are some of the best and most luxurious hotels in the world in India. You can have 5 star treatment, incredible world and local cuisine, a luxury car with chauffer, internal flights according to your timetable, guides or escorts and much more. Take a note that larger metropolis cities will be marginally more expensive (such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai). As a note, the super-high end hotels will probably set you back from 250€ per day per person.
Foreign travelers are generally charged more to enter tourist sites than local tourists. Sometimes the change in price can be very alarming, but it is controlled by the Tourism Board of India and therefore beyond our control. There will be additional charges for professional cameras and video cameras.
Larger cities like Delhi and Mumbai will be more expensive than other cities, especially the hotels. High season between October and March is the expensive time. The peak season start from 15th December to 6th January is most expensive time of the year to travel.
There is lots of opportunity to eat out in India, ranging from simple street food (which is extremely tasty) at around 50 INR to medium-range restaurants costing around 400INR up to the high-end establishments which will set you back around 2000INR.