$20 in India: How Far It Goes and What You Can Really Do

When you hear $20 in India, a daily budget that stretches farther than most travelers expect. Also known as a backpacker’s daily allowance, it’s enough to cover meals, local transport, and even a few cultural experiences across most of the country. This isn’t about luxury—it’s about real, everyday value. In India, $20 isn’t a stretch; it’s a standard day for millions of locals and savvy travelers alike.

Think about what that buys you: a plate of steaming dal-chawal at a street stall in Delhi, a 30-minute auto-rickshaw ride across Jaipur’s old city, or a temple entry ticket to a centuries-old shrine in Tamil Nadu. You can hop on a local train from Agra to Firozabad for under $1, then grab three samosas and a chai for less than $2. Even in tourist-heavy spots like Varanasi or Mysore, you won’t need more than $5 for a full day of food and transit. And if you skip the guided tours and use free walking paths, $20 can cover a full day of exploring without spending a dime on entry fees.

It’s not just about food and rides. That same $20 can get you a night’s stay in a clean guesthouse outside the main tourist zones in Rameshwaram, or a single night on a sleeper train from Mumbai to Pune. You can pay for a local guide to explain the history of a fort in Rajasthan for $10, then still have enough left for a boat ride on the Ganges at sunrise. The real secret? India doesn’t charge tourists for the experience—it charges for the illusion of luxury. Skip the fancy hotels and overpriced tours, and you’ll find the country opens up in ways guidebooks never mention.

What you won’t find here are inflated prices for bottled water or fake "authentic" souvenirs. Real India runs on local markets, family-run eateries, and buses that leave every hour. You’ll see people paying $0.50 for a bus ride across a city, or $1.20 for a full meal that includes rice, lentils, vegetables, and yogurt. Even in places like Kerala or Himachal, where prices creep up slightly, $20 still stretches further than in most countries. The biggest cost? Flights. Once you’re here, the country rewards those who move slowly and spend locally.

Some travelers assume India is cheap because it’s poor. That’s not it. India is cheap because its economy runs on scale, tradition, and efficiency. A temple priest doesn’t charge you for darshan—he accepts whatever you give. A tea seller doesn’t need a credit card machine—he needs your trust. And that’s why $20 in India doesn’t just buy you things—it buys you access. To quiet mornings at the Taj Mahal before the crowds, to hidden hillside temples in Uttarakhand, to conversations with locals who’ve never seen a foreigner before.

Below, you’ll find real stories from travelers who lived on $20 a day across India—from trekking in the Himalayas to sleeping on train platforms, from bargaining at spice markets to catching the last bus to a remote village. These aren’t tips from influencers. These are the habits of people who know how to move through India without spending more than they need to.