There are two price lists in India. This is an attempt to write down the first one, so you can recognise the second.
It is worth understanding before you feel cheated. Most Indian street commerce has never been fixed-price. A vegetable seller quotes differently to a regular and a stranger; that is not fraud, it is how the market has always worked, and everyone participates in it.
What changes for a visitor is the size of the gap. A local paying ₹150 for an auto and a tourist paying ₹400 is not being robbed — they are being quoted an opening figure and are expected to counter. The tourist who accepts the first number has simply not played their part in the transaction.
So the useful thing is not outrage. It is knowing roughly what the first price should be, and saying it first.
| Journey | Local pays | Tourist quoted |
|---|---|---|
| Auto, 3km in a small city | ₹40–70 | ₹150–250 |
| Auto, 3km in Delhi/Mumbai | ₹80–120 (meter) | ₹250–400 |
| Shared auto, per person | ₹10–30 | same — no markup |
| City bus | ₹10–25 | same |
| Metro (Delhi/Bengaluru) | ₹10–60 | same |
| Full-day car + driver, plains | ₹2,200–3,500 | ₹4,500–7,000 |
| Full-day car + driver, hills | ₹3,000–5,500 | ₹6,000–10,000 |
Train fares are fixed by IRCTC and there is no tourist price — this is the one part of Indian travel where you cannot be overcharged for the ticket itself. Sleeper class for an overnight journey of 500km runs ₹300–450; 3AC ₹800–1,200; 2AC ₹1,200–1,800.
Where money does get lost is the agent who books it for you. A ₹40 IRCTC convenience fee becomes ₹400 through a station tout. Book it yourself on IRCTC or a legitimate app.
| Meal | Real price | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Veg thali | ₹80–150 | Local dhaba, unlimited refills |
| Non-veg thali | ₹150–250 | Local dhaba |
| Masala dosa | ₹50–90 | South Indian tiffin place |
| Plate of momos | ₹60–100 | Street, hill towns |
| Chai | ₹10–20 | Street stall |
| Chai in a café | ₹120–250 | Tourist area |
| Café breakfast, tourist town | ₹250–450 | Rishikesh, Goa, Manali |
| Bottled water 1L | ₹20 | Printed on the bottle — check it |
The pattern: the further you eat from other travellers, the less you pay and the better you eat. A dhaba where the trucks stop serves better dal than a café with a chalkboard menu, at a fifth of the price.
The bottled water line matters. The maximum retail price is printed on every bottle in India and charging above it is illegal. Vendors in tourist spots try anyway. Pointing at the printed price is usually enough.
| Type | Small towns | Tourist towns | Metros |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostel dorm | ₹300–500 | ₹400–800 | ₹600–1,200 |
| Basic guesthouse | ₹600–1,000 | ₹1,000–1,800 | ₹1,500–2,500 |
| Mid-range hotel | ₹1,500–2,500 | ₹2,500–4,500 | ₹3,500–6,000 |
| Boutique homestay | ₹2,000–3,500 | ₹3,000–6,000 | ₹5,000–9,000 |
Two things move these numbers hard. Season — Goa in the last week of December is triple its November rate, and Himachal in June is double its April rate. And booking channel — a homestay that charges ₹2,000 on a booking platform often charges ₹1,600 if you call them, because the platform takes 15–25%.
Not everything is negotiable, and knowing which is which saves arguments:
| Style | Per day | What that looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Shoestring | ₹800–1,200 | Dorm, dhaba food, buses and shared autos |
| Comfortable backpacker | ₹1,500–2,500 | Private guesthouse room, mixed eating, occasional private auto |
| Mid-range | ₹3,000–5,000 | Decent hotel, cafés, some private transport |
| Boutique | ₹7,000–12,000 | Homestays with character, a car when needed |
Hill states run roughly 20–30% above these figures, mostly because transport costs more per kilometre and everything has to be carried up. Goa in peak season runs 50–100% above.
None of these are dangerous. They are all recoverable by asking one more question, and none of them should shape how you feel about a country of 1.4 billion people, the overwhelming majority of whom will go out of their way to help you.
Get a real budget for your trip →UPI works nearly everywhere including street stalls, but carry ₹2,000–3,000 in small notes for shared autos, rural stretches and hill towns where signal fails. ₹100 and ₹200 notes are far more useful than ₹500s.
Not in markets, with autos, or with independent shops — it is expected, and a cheerful counter-offer is normal. It is inappropriate in restaurants, fixed-price shops, hospitals and with train tickets.
Restaurants: 5–10% if service charge is not already added. Hotel staff: ₹50–100 for help with bags. Drivers on multi-day trips: ₹200–300 a day is generous and appreciated. Nothing for autos or street food.
Because opening prices in an unfixed market are set by what the seller thinks you will pay, and a visitor's willingness is unknown. It is not personal, and naming your own number first removes almost all of the gap.