Surviving in Delhi or any other metro in 1 salary

[notr2isoon]

I am sure Delhi and Mumbai are way more expensive than other metros
But you should be able to find middle class places everywhere.

I know in chennai, rents go for 1L and above for nice 4 bedroom apartments in Posh areas and about 65K in upmarket areas with power backup etc
But avg rent in uscale areas ranges from 15Rs per 25Rs per sq feet (no power backup no fancy security no pool ) to 25Rs per sq feet (fancy security, pool, gym but no power backup) like Adayar, Anna Nagar etc
but housing costs are around 6.5k to 10K per sq feet in decent upscale areas and around 3 to 5k in IT suburbs comparable to Gurgaon and Noida.
I somehow dont see powerbackup as a neccesaity in chennai.
Intl scchool costing 15K USD per year exists and nice school that costs 30K RS also exists

[Lakshya]

[QUOTE]

you'll be surprised, when she land in Delhi:). Depending upon what she is doing now with her CPA, she might get better job than IT testing/QA job.

QUOTE]

Good to know this...:p Now I really have to push myself for CPA… its just 4 exams.. Common Lakshya you can do it.

BTW OP not sure what CPA is getting in India but my cousin is CA and got offer in Bangalore with 30L. (Non consulting-Non Auditing Job).

[NoChaos]

Now I really have to push myself for CPA? its just 4 exams.. Best of luck... Becker is your helper.

[samv]

Here is a NYT article about a village wedding near Delhi. The weddings seem to be becoming more flashy as people are becoming rich due to real estate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/world/asia/19india.html

For India?s Newly Rich Farmers, Limos Won?t Do


NOIDA, India ? Bhisham Singh Yadav, father of the groom, is stressed. His rented Lexus got stuck behind a bullock cart. He has hired a truck to blast Hindi pop, but it is too big to maneuver through his village. At least his grandest gesture, evidence of his upward mobility, is circling overhead. The helicopter has arrived.

Mr. Yadav, a wheat farmer, has never flown, nor has anyone else in the family. And this will only be a short trip: delivering his son less than two miles to the village of the bride. But like many families in this expanding suburb of New Delhi, the Yadavs have come into money, and they want everyone to know it.

?People will remember that his son went on a helicopter for his marriage,? a cousin, Vikas Yadav, shouted over the din. ?People should know they are spending money. For us, things like this are the stuff of dreams.?

In India, when you start living with your support system (friends and relatives), you will have 5-10 parties / occasions a month. Some close ones, you may have to give jewelery as gift and gold is 17k+ per 10 grams (which may well be 30K/10gms after sometime). So the cost of socializing is very high compared to west. You will have to distribute 'best of luck' greeting cards to your boss's kid before every exam plus other gifts (T-Shirt etc which adds up to 1000).
I hail from a fairly large family in Delhi and sometimes this thought makes me wonder. People are not happy with small gifts. A dinner in South Delhi restaurants costs minimum 4k.
Air-conditioning in Delhi is a bare necessity for 5-7 months a year. 2 X 2Ton A/C bill would be over 10K/month @Rs 6/Unit.

So, advise for people new to Delhi, is to maintain a low profile and avoid making flashy friends. Buy food from CP's SuperMarket or Nafed. Buy Louis-Phillips/Arrow shirts / trouser / brazers on sale or buy in Lajpat Nagar/SN Market/ Kamla Market and you can easily survive for 40k/month (provided you have no home loan).

[dcnri2india]

Soooooo what happened?

Any update on OP experience or OP decided against moving to NCR?

I am looking at Noida/Greater Noida location. Any update would be useful.


I am hoping Noida/Greater Noida are tier 2 cities in expenses.

Cheers

[dbs]

I am hoping Noida/Greater Noida are tier 2 cities in expenses.

Definitely.
Renting is definitely cheaper than Delhi for comparable accomondation. Purchase prices as well.
Food stuff is not much cheaper, but traffic is not as bad even with current turmoil that promises to end in about a year.
Greater Noida may be a bridge too far for some one working in Delhi. From Noida it all dpends on the area of Delhi one needs to go to. South and central delhi are easily commutable while west and north-west Delhi and can be a chore. North Delhi is distant but there are good roads leading to it, I have been told.
__________________________________________________________
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars,
but check when you say the paint is wet?

[Sid]

Where is the real estate crash that a bunch of people were talking about not so long ago in this forum???

[oasis138]

Where is the real estate crash that a bunch of people were talking about not so long ago in this forum???

We infact discussed why we WONT see a crash in RE prices.

[Imissindia]

One can always find good deals just like we do abroad. One can rent a whole floor of a decent newish house in West Delhi (Janak Puri, Vikas Puri) or South Delhi (just on the edge of posh areas like East Of Kailash) for 8000 to 15000 Rs- within walking distance to the metro. Many of our relatives are personally renting houses currently to tenants at those prices. These are decent 1200 to 1500 sqft homes. There is no power back up but the tenants use their own inverters. Living like a normal middle class person, you can easily do it at the 50,000 Rs level mentioned earlier. Simply avoid any brand names item craze. I am happy to buy my slacks of tshirts for Rs 50 to 100 at places like Sarojni Nagar market or a shop in Goa. I couldn't care less what label they have as long as they feel comfy and look good. As a matter of policy, I would rather support a local Indian merchant than a big foreign company that exploits poor labourers and then sells the merchandise at inflated prices. Similarly, I eat at Nirula's (fast food) for Rs 140 per couple. We look at the menu and find the best deal - one veg pizza and one burger with a potato patty. Not because of money, but that is what we want and it is the cheapest option. Similarly, we can eat at Saravna Bhavan in CP for about 250 Rs by simplt ordering one dosa each or one combo and no drinks. We can use the metro to go back and forth quite cheaply and quickly. Just like in Paris or NYC, we don't mind walking a km to the nearest metro.

Since when did the "middle class life" become living in ultra top end apartments with luxury cars and servants, eating at top places and giving lavish gifts?