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By Rajkamal Rao
Go back to Comparing Life US v. India
If the cost of housing is excluded, the overall cost of living in India is substantially lower than the equivalent cost of living in the US. But lifetime savings for an Indian family in the US are likely to be greater because US incomes are much higher than equivalent Indian incomes.
Labor is incredibly inexpensive in India. Hiring a full time maid to perform all household chores - washing, cleaning, even ironing clothes - costs about INR 3,000 a month in a megapolis such as Bangalore. The maid works every day of the month with no days off other than for sick or holiday time for some festivals. A vegetarian cook can be hired in Bangalore for about INR 4,500 a month.
Eating out is unbelievably affordable. A family of four (two adults and two children) can have a sumptuous vegetarian meal at a decent restaurant for less than INR 600. At Rajdhani, an upscale Gujurati style restaurant with unlimited food and more than 20 varieties served to your table (as opposed to serving yourself from a buffet table), a family of four can eat for INR 1,000, taxes included.
Other services are similarly affordable. A visit to a barber for a shave and haircut costs INR 80. Getting your motorcycle serviced for an oil change (including the cost of oil and filter) sets you back INR 580. The average labor rate for an experienced plumber is INR 150/hour. Electricians can be hired for INR 120/hour. Getting your car hand washed every day with the insides cleaned by hand once a week (no vacuum cleaner) costs INR 400 a month. A monthly tennis lesson meeting three times a week is INR 1,500. Threaded flowers for worship - approximately a foot long - are delivered to your doorstep 30 days a month for INR 200 for the whole month. And the cost of flowers is included. A pest control contract - 4 visits a year to your home to spray - costs INR 3,600 annually.
Utilities are affordable too. For a family of four living in a 2,000 sft home, electricity bills average INR 1,800 a month. This does not include use of air conditioning but assumes full use of all other electric appliances (Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Microwave, Kitchen appliances). Non HD-TV from a local cable provider costs INR 150 a month. HD-TV with full DVR costs INR 600 a month. Water bills rarely exceed INR 500 a month.
Our estimate is that a family of four needs to set aside about INR 40,000 a month for an extremely luxurious life style including maintaining two small cars and a commute of ~30 kms a day for each vehicle. Note that this estimate does not include housing, annual school tuition or healthcare expenses - because these tend to vary widely among families.
We cover housing in its own dedicated section; health insurance in the section on settling down in India during the first 90 days; and pharmaceutical costs in the section on India Live!
Go back to Comparing Life US v. India
If the cost of housing is excluded, the overall cost of living in India is substantially lower than the equivalent cost of living in the US. But lifetime savings for an Indian family in the US are likely to be greater because US incomes are much higher than equivalent Indian incomes.
Labor is incredibly inexpensive in India. Hiring a full time maid to perform all household chores - washing, cleaning, even ironing clothes - costs about INR 3,000 a month in a megapolis such as Bangalore. The maid works every day of the month with no days off other than for sick or holiday time for some festivals. A vegetarian cook can be hired in Bangalore for about INR 4,500 a month.
Eating out is unbelievably affordable. A family of four (two adults and two children) can have a sumptuous vegetarian meal at a decent restaurant for less than INR 600. At Rajdhani, an upscale Gujurati style restaurant with unlimited food and more than 20 varieties served to your table (as opposed to serving yourself from a buffet table), a family of four can eat for INR 1,000, taxes included.
Other services are similarly affordable. A visit to a barber for a shave and haircut costs INR 80. Getting your motorcycle serviced for an oil change (including the cost of oil and filter) sets you back INR 580. The average labor rate for an experienced plumber is INR 150/hour. Electricians can be hired for INR 120/hour. Getting your car hand washed every day with the insides cleaned by hand once a week (no vacuum cleaner) costs INR 400 a month. A monthly tennis lesson meeting three times a week is INR 1,500. Threaded flowers for worship - approximately a foot long - are delivered to your doorstep 30 days a month for INR 200 for the whole month. And the cost of flowers is included. A pest control contract - 4 visits a year to your home to spray - costs INR 3,600 annually.
Utilities are affordable too. For a family of four living in a 2,000 sft home, electricity bills average INR 1,800 a month. This does not include use of air conditioning but assumes full use of all other electric appliances (Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Microwave, Kitchen appliances). Non HD-TV from a local cable provider costs INR 150 a month. HD-TV with full DVR costs INR 600 a month. Water bills rarely exceed INR 500 a month.
Our estimate is that a family of four needs to set aside about INR 40,000 a month for an extremely luxurious life style including maintaining two small cars and a commute of ~30 kms a day for each vehicle. Note that this estimate does not include housing, annual school tuition or healthcare expenses - because these tend to vary widely among families.
We cover housing in its own dedicated section; health insurance in the section on settling down in India during the first 90 days; and pharmaceutical costs in the section on India Live!
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