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I was practically glued to the TV last week when the events in Mumbai happened; couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Hard to get in front of a computer again, didn’t feel like posting anything at all about long-term traveling in India.
But then, isn’t that what those terrorists tried to achieve? To paralyzing the country and make an economical impact? Most people in this thread on the IndiaMike Forum, discussing the repercussions of this hatred, agree that they want to continue traveling to India.
So I will follow their example and won’t stop recommending it. Read on for a “Cost of Living Chart” for living in Goa, India:
This is done again in the tradition of the following charts:
I updated the currency exchange rates for those above as well, so you can have a direct comparison. What’s interesting also is that the Exchange Rates of Indian Rupee and Philippine Peso are pretty similar in Dollar and Euro, making for an easy direct comparison.
The prices aren’t updated this time, as it’s hard for me to verify from a distance.
As well there are some prices I couldn’t find out yet here in Goa. Anyway - just bear in mind that prices go up all the time and some items aren’t available in every place.
About Goa
While India is certainly one of the cheapest countries regarding Purchasing Power Parity (read: how much bang you can get for your buck), the state of Goa is one of India’s most expensive places. Simply because it’s the most famous with tourists (locals and international ones alike).
As well it’s very dependent on the monsoon season, you basically only have a short season of 6-8 months, where the place is up and running at all. That is a big difference to an island like Bali, which sees plenty of visitors all year round, although a bit fewer in the rainy season.
With the monsoon and torrential rains coming full swing here in Goa, the whole place shuts down basically from June/July to early October every year. That means the restaurants, hotels and other businesses have less time every year to earn their living.
Maybe that’s another reason why prices here were heavily on the rise over the last couple of years.
Still, the whole state of Goa is very affordable for the Western or 1st World Traveler. Food and drinks are surprisingly cheap and generally of very high quality.
The prices listed here refer to the main touristy area around Calangute/Candolim, they might be lower for locations further away, depending on type of products (local/imported) and your bargaining power.
Without further ado, here are the numbers:
The official inflation rate in India is currently above 11%, although the Reserve Bank of India is targetting a mere 4.1%. Obviously the rise of commodity prices like oil, food and energy made that target impossible to reach this year.
Good for you - if you earn your money in a country with less inflation and your base currency is stable or appreciating, you still save more or spend less over a year - even with rising prices in Rupees.
Would you like to see additional items or expenses in this list?
Please let me know via the Comment Form and I will update the spreadsheet accordingly.
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nice and cheap! just how i like it!!!
goa’s a dump. RIP. If you think it’s quality, think again. The sea is toilet, the beach is a toilet, much of the food is of questionable quality, products are fake, accommodations are crap.
try SL.
bobuuncle, although I can understand your hygienic concerns, I find the beaches and the sea here less polluted than most other places in Asia. Okay, you have the holy cows running around here dumping their stuff here or there. But not so many stray dogs, plastic garbage or sewage like for instance in Bali, around Singapore or at Malaysia’s beaches. Or take Pattaya in Thailand as an example, the sea will give you skin rushes or an oil film, depending on the direction of the currents.
Food is depending on where you go, avoid empty restaurants, places with plenty of customers have usually good quality. And most meals are simply a great deal, if you think what you get for your money. I paid 10 times as much at one of the 3 Indian restaurants in Bali or still 3-5 times as much compared to Singapore. The quality is defnitely comparable.
The attitude of the local people here is another topic. One I will probably write a separate article about soon.
What is SL???
Hello again, I’m sorry to read of your distress about Mombai, particularly as its only less than two weeks ago I was telling you about the great three nights you could go there from DayTripper in Calangute. I, also, was upset, but not to anything like the extent after 9/11, I think because the scale was thankfully so much smaller. However, one death is one too many. On my journey with Daytripper we stayed literally only along the road from the Taj Mahal. Your cost charts from Goa have shaken me. Its three years since I was last there, I cannot believe the difference now. Even though Ive had to do some sums to convert to Sterling. It used to be easy, Eros divide by 3 and multiply by 2, dollars divide by 2. Not now!!!! Mike
Hi there, i fall into the ällready retired category, just sweet 61, found your list very interesting but could have done with some guide as to where you stay and what one would be paying for long term acommoadation. Am at present a resident of Phnom Penh but it’s going downhill rapidly as far as i’m concerned and im ready for a move, apart from Goa are there any other beaches you would recomend for a budget long stay traveler, have been to India on many occasions but always avoided the place, i was in Mammalapuram a few years ago and found that o.k. no good for bobuunkle though as the cows and locals used part of the beach to shit !!!. Great site will be using it regularly from now.
I’ll take a guess - South Laos
I just read the cost of living chart at 3:30a.m. my time and in my half asleep state , all I could see was ” cigs, pants, flip flops, and a bunch of alcoholic drinks ” . I thought the chart ended there and it was kind of funny in a ” well at least he’s giving us a rundown on what really matters way ” .
Thanks again for the great info ! The cost charts are awesome.
Mike Owen, yup the exchange rates of all major currencies are pretty volatile the last couple of months. Guess I have to update those charts more often in the future. Daytripper has now several outlets, one in Baga, one in Calangute/Candolim, so I’m still pondering, where to go first. Probably Hampi, no urge for Mumbai right now.
jungleland - wow Phnom Penh sounds very nice to me. I made it there for 2 days only a few years back, when visiting Angkor. Why is it going downhill? For further long-term stay I can so far recommend Bali or any of your favorite islands in the Philippines, as they both offer ease of living for reasonable costs. I stayed in Phuket/Thailand for 8 months as well, but the recent Visa changes and the constant Bar Scenes were quite depressing for me. Maybe some other Thai island? Here in Goa I stay just between Candolim and Calangute and pay Rs 11.500/month for a brand-new, furnished 70sqm, 2-bedroom apartment.
Trug, or maybe Sri Lanka? But bobuuncle didn’t return yet, so it’s maybe even some more remote.
Amanda B. - yeah, first things first, right? Although I gave up smoking meanwhile and only drink rarely a beer or two. Have to watch my health, now that I get older without doing much, hehe! Anyway, thanks for the thumbs up!
Hi Chris, Yea the Penh was o.k. but with all the rapid (over) development going on it’s a bit like living on a huge building site right now, a building site that has “bars” popping up in every corner i should add. And, although i realize it HAD to happen, you really would not believe Siem Reap now, how ironic that you have to stay in the most un - Khmer town in the country to visit it’s most iconic attraction. Never done the P.I. or Indo because of the visa bit, as a Brit i would get six months for India so i may well try Goa, off season though for me im just an old fart who dont like crowds and is to ancient to party now. Keep us all updated.Cheers
I am ready to locate but I was thinking of maybe some small village up from Manali (india) - I love the mountains and apple Juice up there.
or maybe Madura (Indonesia). Cheap, great beaches, no tourists but visa issues!
Bali, Singapore, Goa..maybe not!
anyway, keep up the good work!
SC
jungleland and Michael, yup the Visa situations seem to get worse in Asia. Just did read yesterday that Thailand now only extends for 15 days when you do a Visa run via any land border.
Indonesia’s Social or Tourist Visas are quite a pain, the Philippines’ up-to-2 years Visa extension sound very nice, if it wouldn’t be that expensive. They have another one though, if you invest up to USD 50.000 in the country (for instance in your condo), then it costs only one-time USD 1.400 and USD 10 every year extension. But I don’t want to invest or buy property, just to live cheaply!
Malaysia has a similar scheme “Malaysia my second home” (MM2H), but the amount to invest is even higher. India offers 6 months, but isn’t so liberal like the others, so maybe not so interesting in the long run?
Hmmm. Are we running out of options?
Maybe I have to return to Singapore or even Germany one day to stay pain-free for longer than 6 months…hehehehe! Just joking. The Costs of Living would eat me alive there.
The cost of living wouldn’t so much eat me as kill me, that wouldn’t be a problem however as the only time I would return to the u.k. would be in a coffin. So I guess it’s six (months) here, three there, two wherever, one on a train and fourteen days in the land of smiles !!
If you open your door one day to a pensioner who’s a Gandhi look - a - like in a sixty’s flower power outfit it’s me. Quiz Q for you: My last abode in the u.k. ( a 6m x 6m room with the bathroom down a hallway, $900 a month !!!) was in the only place in Britain to be occupied during the 2nd world war, any guesses: Cheers
Hi Chris, sorry mate and wont bother you again after this, BUT, (there has to be one) where would you recomend as a place to look for a long term house/apartment rental within the Goa area. Cheers
jungleland, that would really depend on your taste. I live now in the Candolim/Calangute area in North Goa, here are most of the facilities, restaurants but also most of the tourists. Thus a bit more pricey. Okay, currently it’s pretty quiet, as there must have been plenty of cancellations after the Mumbai events.
Further north in Anjuna or Vagator it’s even less hectic, less traffic and I heard, a bit cheaper. Or try Morjim further North, very idyllic, quiet, but very charming.
Plenty of long-term tourists stay in the south as well, Colva, Benaulim or Palolem at the south border of Goa. I was to the first 2 places only for 1 day with the bike and it seems very nice, can’t say about the prices. Food was similar priced as in the North. Another area I like is close to the capital Panaji/Panjim and called Miramar Beach, has plenty of apartments and looks quite local. The Beach looks okay and you have the capital with all its amenities (shops, restaurants, cinemas; more civil prices).
I saw about 10-15 apartments (1-2 bedroom w/ bath/kitchen) in the North and most were pretty run-down in the range of Rs 7.000 to 20.000/per month. But that was 6 weeks ago, when the season started and before the Mumbai events. The season so far seems to be a catastrophe for the tourism industry, so prices are currently in free fall.
We pay Rs 11.500/month for a 2-bedroom apartment, which is fortunately brand new, the paint was still smelling and beds, fridge, tv (with tata-sky) all still sealed in plastic, when we moved in.
The main thing about Goa is maybe its dependency on the monsoons, as they say that after April/May they whole place is pretty deserted and plenty of shops/restaurants shut down until October. But maybe that’s what you like?
You could try to come here with your 6-month visa, rent a guesthouse for 1 week and drive around with bike or even local bus (dirt cheap) to explore the areas around the coast, which would suit you. That’s what we did as well.
So far I’m quite happy with our choice of Candolim/Calangute and am sure, that we can survive fairly well here over the next 5 months. When the Visa is up for renewal, that’s a different story. With the monsoon approaching, I guess it will probably be a different country further to the East for a while, as I’m allergic to too much rain.
Oh yeah jungleland - and I’m late with my guess regarding the only occupied spot in Britain during WWII. Tough to say, but I can only imagine some island in the channel or maybe even some part of a former British colony? Please, can you can enlighten us?
The cost of living advice is a real help, Thanks
I was thinking of taking Sterling and changing it in Goa
But some people have advised me to take travellers cheques
What do you advise? =D>
I would just withdraw it via bank card from an ATM here. That’s what I do here. You can withdraw up to Rs 25.000 at once from most ATM (Axis, HDFC) and the exchange rates are better than what you get from a Money Changer. And without trials to getting ripped off.
Appreciate the chart, makes bargaining in a new country easier! Although I’ve been living in Bali for many years myself, it is certainly a completely different ballgame in India. Can you recommend any bungalows close to the beach, for a decent price? Preferred area: Arambol, Palolem or Anjuna. I am travelling with my children and will be on the coast for about 2-3 weeks.
Where abouts in Bali did you live? I had my home in Seminyak.
Hi Tina, yep I lived near Seminyak as well. Jalan Marlboro, just from the intersection Jl. Petintenget passing the jail direction to Denpasar.
I’m sorry, can’t help regarding beach bungalows for these 3 areas. I’m only here 2 months now, so far I didn’t make it to Palolem. Arambol and Anjuna I’ve been, but didn’t check for accommodation. I’m staying here between Candolim and Calangute.
Hi Chris,
Recently joined the discussion……
I quite agree to the costs given by you - excellent.
So, if a couple have their own accommodation and wish to lead a normal life without too much of fussing around, Rs 20,000/- per month as expenses seem pretty good…….What says?
Cheers,
Amit.
Amit, If you take that amount besides accommodation and transport, I would say ‘yes’ - it’s possible. It would depend of course on how much you want to party, shop and spend on other things.
about S$900 a month for a couple to live in Goa…. i would seriously consider staying there for 3 to 6 months…a simple room (for single) in singapore costs min. S$600/month…it is a wonderful world in South and S.E Asia.