Indian rupees

In terms of readies, India is a budget traveller’s dream. The cheapest rooms go for $1-$2 per night and you can eat a good meal for a dollar. If you plump consistently for these budget accommodation and eateries, it is entirely possible to live on a budget of $10/day.

In all likelihood, however, you will end up spending more than that. Having stayed in my fair share of bargain basement fleapits with haphazard exposed wiring and suspect-smelling matresses, nowadays I tend to plump for slightly superior (albeit still budget) accommodation, and the odd restaurant where there are no cats milling around your feet. As a result, I’m expecting my budget to be closer to the $25/day mark.

When I hit the road, I’ll be updating this page with typical prices of accommodation, meals, transport and so on, to give you a flavour of how far your money goes on the Indian subcontinent.