What a student month contains
Budget in five lines: accommodation, food, local transport, mobile data, and health cover. Tuition sits outside this and varies far more by institution than by city.
A hostel place on campus with meals is usually the cheapest and simplest option in the first year, and in most cities costs less than half of a private shared flat.
City bands
Metro cities — Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru — run at the top of the range, mostly because of rent. Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai sit in the middle. Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and university towns are materially cheaper.
As a working range, a student month costs roughly USD 180–300 in the cheaper cities and USD 300–500 in the metros, with private accommodation pushing the top end higher.
Costs people forget
One-off arrival costs — deposit, bedding, a local SIM, the first month paid in advance — typically add up to one extra month of budget. Add annual travel home and visa extension fees to the yearly plan.
- Security deposit and first month in advance
- Health insurance, mandatory at many institutions
- Annual visa extension and FRRO fees
- Flights home during long breaks
