India: Where your £s go further
Possibly India's most iconic building, the Taj Mahal in Agra.
A recent survey by Thomas Cook has shown that India is easily the best place in terms of making your £s go further.
Their 2010 Cost of Living survey shows that you can buy a beer there for the equivalent of just 68 pence, and if you want a three course meal to go with it, you’ll pay just £5.48.
In fact, the top six are all places that Audley can arrange tailor-made trips to:
| Three course meal | Beer | Total daily expenses | |
| India | £5.48 | 0.68 pence | £17.10 |
| Cuba | £10 | £1.07 | £24.23 |
| Malaysia | £14 | £2.24 | £31.33 |
| Mexico | £25 | £1.80 | £39.80 |
| South Africa | £17 | £1.16 | £40.34 |
| Canada | £19.50 | £2.40 | £45.60 |
3 Responses to “India: Where your £s go further”
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mberndorfler on June 8th, 2010
Interesting to see Mexico up there at 25 quid for a meal! But I can say that the numbers for South Africa are definitely spot on – you could even go cheaper if you avoid the main tourist areas.
Shaun Embury on June 9th, 2010
I’ve spoken to a couple of our Mexico specialist’s and they reckon you could get a good 3 course meal for around £15 but this would be at the lower end of the spectrum. They also said you’d pay about £1.50 for a beer so not too far out there.
That all said I would assume Thomas Cook has used a lot of statistical data rather than just personal experiences.
Shaun
ShunyataUnltd on June 9th, 2010
I think Thomas Cook is using data from the mass group stuff they do in India (where buffet lunches and dinner for large groups comes as cheap as 2-3 GBP), rather than taking into account the highly personalised tailor made holidays. As such these figures, atleast in my personal opinion, are not helpful for someone looking at tailormade stuff, and misleading too about India as a cheap destination which it is not when you are “handheld” by your tour operator back home and a DMC on ground.
I have handled Audley clients in India for nearly 5 years. An average Indian from the middle class would pay more than £5.48 or INR 375 pp for a meal in a restaurant. That too in the lower end of the spectrum. The places where Audley clients eat or would like to eat in India is defintely more expensive.
Cheers