You did your homework right. Try to settle in 2nd tier cities. They would offer you good comfort at reasonable rates. People are generally more friendly to foreigners if you are good as well...You would face difficulties initially and some people would try to rip you off but then, it is a part of adjusting to a new place. I would suggest you consider a city called Chandigarh.....It is a well planned city and in the north and good to live...imo Regards, RightMan
HI NICE CHOICE BIG METROS IN INDIA ARE COSTLY ON PAR WITH INTERNATIONAL CITIES SMALLER CITIES & TOWNS ARE GOOD, ESPECIALLY IN HIMALAYAN AREAS YOU WONT FIND MUCH OF A PROBLEM SETTLING THERE EXCEPT MOST ORDINARY INDIANS (common man ) WILL THINK OF YOU AS VERY RICH AS THEY VIEW ALL WHITE PEOPLE THAT WAY , BEST THING IS TO BEFRIEND SOMEONE IN INDIA FIRST BEFORE ARRIVING SO U CAN GET SOME HELP IN SETTLING DOWN GETTING JOB ALSO WONT BE DIFFICULT THERE YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT THE CHURCHES SO U GET SOME HELP FROM THEM I DONT KNOW ABOUT NORTH INDIAN CHURCHES BUT IN SOUTH THERE ARE PLENTY & U WONT HAVE ANY DIFFICULTY IN GETTING HELP FROM THEM
$1000 means approx Rs.47k INR. If you want to live in a metro in a two-bedroom posh apartment, then rent will be around Rs. 15k to Rs.20k depending on the area. While other expenses will be around Rs.20k. So in short you can live quite well in that amount. But no savings for sure! As someone here already pointed out, you could try in Chandigarh or at Shimla (since you like mountains and trekking)
Living comfortably for $1000 dollars a month in India? Easy peasy. Make sure you do your homework first. I traveled in North India for about four months, I mainly stayed at Dharamsala, Manila and Leh. The Dalai lama lives in Dharamsala, I had the chance to see him but could not be bothered to spend 2-3 hours queuing up. Leh has plenty of monasteries in a beautiful mountainous setting. But if you are going there by coach from Manali be warned...it is a two day trip. Great scenery but not for the faint hearted. Stay in the north during the summer, then go south before the winter. Kerala is my choice in the South. Travelers either love or hate India, I loved it. Its not all fantastic, the poverty can be heartbreaking and depressing but it will only help you to appreciate what you have.
Yeah... thats more than enough to live life comfortably in India.... Initially you will have some problems.. The autorikshaw wala will take you through the worst possible path to reach your destination... Yeah. I mean it! The Longest ( worst ) possible path Algorithm... Phew !!
I went to India last year. Tried the motor taxi or whatever you called it and they charged me $10 to go to a place which I later found out within walking distance from my hotel! Make sure you do some research or perhaps getting an Indian friend.
In a tier 2 city the amount will be more than enough. Someone gave a breakup and suggested dehradun. Thats the best of all these posts and spot on. You can get a job in call center easily and since you are a native eng speaker you can expect more than 500 dollars per month.
He can as well live the life of a billionaire or perhaps more in Zimbabwe or tanzania ! But, what was his question ??
Since you will be moving from US, it may be difficult for to adjust with the crowds of India..... But after a couple of months you will settle down. In Indian cities you can easily support a family with good living in Under 30K and here you will be living alone and will have 40k As someone above pointed out 13-15k is enough for a single person in India(leaving aside some big metros like mumbai and delhi) Indian cities are quite messy so if you plan to live in an organized and developed cities apart from metros you can go for either dehradun and chandigarh in north http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandigarh You asked about how people treat foreigners in India? Well India is the world second largest english speaking community so you won't have a problem in communicating. People treat you well and with respect. And if you wish to work you can easily get a job in any outsourcing companies here.
When you have nothing to do the money goes quick. Look into enrolling in an Indian University. Ckeck to see if you are eligible for any VA benefits to study. I think a good option would be to rent a room from someone professional or a grad student until you get yourself situated.
Thats perfectly right. Now when you have enough suggestion from many ppl, you can choose a city to live in India and drop in fast. We can have party together.
geee lots of good suggestions ! I THINK MAKING A FRIEND IN INDIA IS BEST WAY TO AVOID ANY PROBLEMS INITIALLY WHEN YOU ARRIVE but the author of the thread hasnt responded lately ! so i think we better stop suggesting !!! maybe he already is in India & got entangled in the "crowds"