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This breakdown doesn't seem right to me. From my other comment (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1773273 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1773273), you c

This breakdown doesn't seem right to me. From my other comment (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1773273 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1773273), you can easily live on 250$/month in Surat, India. My friend runs an outsourcing company in Surat and he pays his programmers around 300-500$/month. When I started my IT career, I was in Mangalore (worked at Infosys) and my expenses were similar to what I listed above. [Except for the higher rent] I rented a two bedroom apartment with another guy and my share of rent was 4000 INR (approx 100$ USD). I think in Bangalore, you can expect to pay around 10 to 12k INR in Rent if you share a 2 bedroom apartment. Also, 4500 INR/month for Food and 2400 INR /month for coffee? That's really really high. In India, people mostly drink tea, which you can get for 5 to 10 rupees. Cafe Coffee Day (dare I say 'Starbucks' of India) charges 1$ for Cappuccino (http://www.foodiebay.com/menus/1/593/menu-photo-for-cafe-coffee-day-1.jpg http://www.foodiebay.com/menus/1/593/menu-photo-for-cafe-cof...), though I don't think someone making 500 USD a month will spend 30$/month (one coffee a day) on coffee.

RealGeek 16y ago
How many years ago was that? The rents were low until few years ago. The $500 rent I mentioned includes electricity and other utilities. When I moved to New Delhi, my rent was $100. These days a livable apartment in New Delhi will cost around Rs. 15,000 ($330) + add cost of electricity($100), water and maintenance. In summer, electricity bill shoots up to $200 to $300. The estimate of rent is very modest, a good two bedroom house can cost $2000 per month in Delhi or Mumbai. India tops the most expensive real estate market in the world. A coffee at Barista or Cafe Coffee Day will cost between $1 to $3. Most hackers will require at least one coffee day if not beer. $100 per month will get you only two modest meals a day. Food could cost more than $200 depending upon what you eat. Yes, most of the Indian population survives on less than $1 a day. They live on streets and barely get a single meal a day.
- boundlessdreamz 16y ago
  Dude, $2000 for a two bedroom? That's not true. I live in a Raheja Apartment, for 25K ($600) /month. Two bedroom , 1100 sq. ft. Comes with 24/7 security, car park etc etc.

RealGeek 16y ago

How many years ago was that? The rents were low until few years ago. The $500 rent I mentioned includes electricity and other utilities. When I moved to New Delhi, my rent was $100. These days a livable apartment in New Delhi will cost around Rs. 15,000 ($330) + add cost of electricity($100), water and maintenance. In summer, electricity bill shoots up to $200 to $300. The estimate of rent is very modest, a good two bedroom house can cost $2000 per month in Delhi or Mumbai. India tops the most expensive real estate market in the world. A coffee at Barista or Cafe Coffee Day will cost between $1 to $3. Most hackers will require at least one coffee day if not beer. $100 per month will get you only two modest meals a day. Food could cost more than $200 depending upon what you eat. Yes, most of the Indian population survives on less than $1 a day. They live on streets and barely get a single meal a day.

boundlessdreamz 16y ago
Dude, $2000 for a two bedroom? That's not true. I live in a Raheja Apartment, for 25K ($600) /month. Two bedroom , 1100 sq. ft. Comes with 24/7 security, car park etc etc.