Budget for Food in India
 

I am planning my first trip to India and trying to put a budget together.

We are 50 and planning our first trip to India - probably should have gone 30 years ago, but hey - better late than not at all. We want to experience the wonderful local cuisine, but REALLY want to avoid getting sick.

I find loads of information on accommodation, car and driver, and other local transportation, but what I'm having trouble budgeting is the cost of food. I realize that if you're adventuresome, you can eat very cheaply, but I'm interested in what the 'average' ' middle of the road' - safe lunch and dinner will cost. I see that breakfast is often included with accommodation so I'm not too worried about that.

So....any ideas for me???

Thanks!

It all depends where & what all is on your menu. The prices could vary quite a bit. Eg. we were in Simla a couple of days back. While a dinner at Oberois Cecil cost Rs. 3435/- for 2, it was no more than Rs. 1018/- for 3 at Hotel Holiday Home. Lunch at the Baljees was Rs. 483/- for the 3 of us(excluding beverages).
I guess your dinners should be budgeted for Rs. 600/- PP at most of the medium heritage hotels in Rajasthan.
Bon appetite!

we found that food was not hugely costly...we tended to eat in the more lux places in order to try to avoid any sickness issues....many people had suggested not eating any meat while there, especially beef, but we did not do this....we had excellent meals and tended to eat mostly in lux hotels. We did have lunches in more local restaurants and relied on our driver to choose these...... we had a very good meal at the santucci shopping market in delhi.... in jaipur we ate twice in a local restaurant that our driver took us to....

budget is a very hard thing to do when travelling as it relates to food...

a thali is a good local thing to order and i found them not to be too expensive....you can often get either a veggie or meat one...

make sure you have kulfi ice cream....yum...its custard rich..

Food in India for travelers is very inexpensive. But to stay healthy, remember to eat only at either top hotels or well-known restaurants. Never eat at roadside stands where the snacks or a cup of tea are really, really cheap.

Try to order a thali as rhkkmk has advised as you can get a variety of items. Also remember a yogurt dish such as raita is often part of the menu and it is one good thing to eat as it helps digestion.
I think very roughly, you can budget approximately $30-40 daily depending of where you eat and what you order.
I always like to carry some granola bars, raisins etc. to have as a snack in between meals.
Have a great trip.

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies!!!!