Daily costs
| Typical daily cost | €20-40 / €60-110 |
|---|---|
| Budget level | $ / $$ |
| Trip length | 7 - 14 days recommended |
| Region | South Asia |
What things cost
Illustrative planning allowances for North India. These are not verified current prices. Replace these allowances with dated quotes before booking. Check whether each price is per person, room or vehicle.
| Budget hotel or guesthouse (per night) | INR 800–1,800 ($10–22) |
| Mid-range hotel (per night) | INR 3,500–7,000 ($42–85) |
| Thali, chaat or street meal | INR 80–200 ($1–2.50) |
| Restaurant dinner | INR 600–1,200 ($7–15) |
| Auto-rickshaw ride (per km-ish) | INR 30–100 ($0.40–1.20) |
| Taj Mahal entry (foreigner) | INR 1,300 ($16); mausoleum extra |
Daily budget by travel style
| Shoestring — €20/day ($22) | Guesthouses, thalis and street food, trains in sleeper class, shared autos. |
| Comfortable — €55/day ($60) | Good hotels, restaurant meals, AC trains, private car for Agra day trips. |
| Upside — €110+/day ($120) | Heritage hotels (havelis, palaces), private driver throughout, guides at every site. |
The page-wide figure of €20-40 / €60-110 per day (at the $ / $$ level) matches the 7 - 14 days recommended. Flights are separate.
How to save money in North India
- Travel by train, not plane: the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur triangle costs a fraction by rail, and AC chair class doubles as sightseeing.
- Eat the street-food classics where the queue is local — a CNY-of-INR-100 thali often beats a hotel dinner twice the price.
- Book monuments at official counters or the ASI site: the "skip-the-line" resellers at the Taj gate mark up a fixed-price ticket.
- Shoulder months (October, March) and monsoon (July-August) cut hotel rates 30–50% outside the hill stations.
Related guides
Ready-made itinerary · Best time to visit · General budget tips · Full North India guide
FAQ
How cheap is North India really?
A €20–40 per day budget buys genuine comfort: guesthouses, thalis three times a day, autos everywhere. The floor is lower than almost anywhere; the ceiling (palace hotels) is famous.
What do monument entries cost?
Foreigner pricing runs INR 500–1,300 ($6–16) at the major sites — the Taj is INR 1,300 plus the mausoleum ticket. Indians pay a fraction; carry your passport for the ticket windows.
Is tipping expected?
Small tips smooth everything: INR 50–100 for porters and drivers, 5–10% in mid-range restaurants. Not obligatory, but it is the social lubricant of the service economy.
What does a 7-14 day trip to North India really cost?
Multiply the daily figure by your days: at the mid-range (€60 per day per person), on-ground costs for 7-14 days land around €400–€1,500, before international flights. The style table above shows which choices move you between the columns.
How to use these budget figures
These amounts are editorial allowances rather than a survey of current prices. Confirm the currency and whether the charge is per person, room, vehicle or group. Replace accommodation and activity figures with quotes for your dates. Flights, insurance and entry costs must be budgeted separately unless explicitly included.