Sabbatical Budget for 10 Days in India

India is famous as a budget-friendly backpacker destination, but how much does it really cost? I spent two days in transit and 10 days in Delhi with the least expensive hostel and dining expenses of any destination on my sabbatical itinerary. This budget also includes a long layover in Helsinki. I am counting it as part of my trip to India, as I only went into the city center with the express purpose of sorting out my Indian visa. I didn’t really get to devote time to seeing anything of Finland as a tourist.

Note: This portion of my sabbatical took place in 2016. I’ve made notes where I can about how prices differ in 2025.

Transportation $212.70

Heathrow Express $27.19
Flight to Delhi $161.58
Train to/from Helsinki center $9.10
Prepaid taxi to Saket $5.24
3 day tourist card on Delhi metro $4.49
1 day tourist card on Delhi metro $2.22
Train ticket cancellation fee $2.88

Note: One-way flights from London Heathrow to New Delhi currently appear to be close to $400. Tourist cards for the Delhi metro are comparable in 2025 to what I spent in 2016.

Accommodations $98.63

1 night in a sleep pod at Helsinki airport $38.84
10 nights in a 10-bed dorm at The Hosteller $59.79

Note: While I wouldn’t highly recommend this exact hostel, it and other all-female dorms are about $10 per night in 2025.

Dining $34.97

1 week groceries $8.65
1 lunch at Helsinki airport $12.21
5 lunches at The Hosteller cafe $6.72
1 lunch at Hotel Saravana Bhuvan $7.39

Note: I’ve seen other travelers with more recent experiences in India report a food budget of about $7 per day.

Entertainment $0

Miscellaneous $10.99

Snack at Heathrow Airport $2.47
1 coffee at University of Helsinki cafe $2.22
Printing visa letter at Helsinki public library $5.55
Bottled water at Delhi airport $0.75

Total: $357.29
Average Spent Per Day: $29.77

Total without Finland expenses: $289.37
Average Spent Per Day without Finland expenses: $24.11

Note: In 2025, I would probably opt to cover a flight with miles and then plan on roughly $25 per day in New Delhi to cover food, accommodations, and activities. I spent the majority of this leg of my sabbatical working and didn’t pursue much tourism, so really take my sabbatical budget for India with a big grain of salt!

How I Saved

• Knowing when to quit
  I’ve shared my failed attempt to visit the Taj Mahal. Knowing when to call it quits ultimately saved me money, although this is admittedly money I would have been happy to spend.
• Using a SteriPen
  Having my own means of water purification meant just buying one bottle of water and refilling it all week. It worked great. I made it through 10 days without the infamous ‘Delhi belly.’ And it was better for the environment than churning through plastic bottles.
• Taking the metro
  I took one taxi ride in Delhi and honestly it was enough for me. I thought going to the prepaid stand would offer some customer protection, but the guy at the counter seemed to just be quoting arbitrary prices and coming up with markups for my bag and my purse. I also had to argue for a few minutes to get my correct change back. And after all that, the driver still tried to claim I owed him more money. The metro was so much cheaper and felt safer.
• Finding free attractions
  Instead of spending what little cash I had on sights like the Red Fort, I found free things to do in New Delhi like going to the Lotus Temple or preparing for my Nepal trek with long walks around the city’s parks.
• Sticking close to home for meals
  My hostel had a rooftop cafe with super cheap meals available. It was really easy for me to focus on work and head up for a quick lunch of curried noodles or fried rice. I don’t think I ever paid more than a couple bucks per meal. And I had a few basic groceries so I could prepare food for myself even more inexpensively.