How Much Does it Cost to Travel India? INDIA TRAVEL BUDGET REVEALED

The Cost Of Travel In India: A 3 Month Budget Breakdown — Ethically KateWe 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.


  • Daily Budget for India 
  • Cost of Transport in India
  • Cost of Accommodation in India 
  • Cost of Food in India
  • Cost of Activities in India
  • Cost of Mobile Data in India

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.

India Daily Budget Per Person Per Day:
Daily Budget
RUPEES
USD
ShoeString
1400
$20
Budget
₹2000
$30
Midrange
4500
$65
LUX
15,000
$220
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Cost of Transport in India

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:

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Shared Sumo/Jeep
Daily Transport budget for India per person per day:
Transport Daily Budget
Rupees
USD
Shoe String
350
$5
Budget
700
$10
Mid Range
1100
$15
Lux
2100
$30
Cost of Short Distance Transport in India:
Short Distance Transport
Rupees
USD
Local bus within the city 
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
Cost of Long Distance Transport in India
Long Distance Transport
Rupees
USD
Local bus 100-300km
​​150
$2
Volvo AC bus 100-300km
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
Domestic flights
6000
$86
Sumo/shared jeep ​100-300km
600
$8.6
Cost of long-distance transportation | Download Table

Cost of Accommodation in India
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

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The Best Homestay in India
Daily accommodation budget for India per person per day
Daily Accom Budget
Rupees
USD
Shoe string
350
$5
Budget
₹800
$12
Mid Range
2000
$30
Lux
11,000
$160
Accommodation Cost in India Breakdown
Daily Accom Budget
Rupees
USD
Couchsurfing
FREE
FREE
Workaway
FREE
FREE
Dorm Bed
350 
$5
Private Budget Room
800
$12
Private Midrange Room
2000
$30
Private Luxury Room
11,000
$160

Cost of Food in India
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 for India per person per day
Daily Food Budget
Rupees
USD
Shoe String
200
$3
Budget
600
$8.5
Mid Range
1200
$17
Lux
2700
$40
Food Cost in India Breakdown
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
Cost of Activities and Attractions in India
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.
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Daily Activities budget for India per person per day
Daily Activities Budget
Rupees
USD
ShoeString
200
$3
Buget
350
$5 
Midrange
1500
$20
Lux
2000
$30
Activities Cost in India Breakdown
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
Private HouseBoat overnight including meals for 2-4
10,500
$150
Fort/palace fee
350
 $5
Cultural Show
350
$5
Food Tour
1700
$25
Overnight Desert Safari
5000
$72

 Cost of Mobile Data in India

1GB per day for 1 month ₹500/ $7.5USD per month

As you can see mobile data isextremely cheap in India, which is just as wellbecause 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 aroundthe Costs of travel in Indiaorif you have any tips to share, we would love to hear from you……Happy cheap travels Natives

Cheers, Native Travellers
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