It’s January 2021 and I am 69. (Probably older now, eh?) I live on my US Social Security checks and get cash through the State Bank of India ATMs. (Their fees per transaction are a flat $3. You can take out up 10,000 rupees (about $140) up to four times a day. Which means you only have to visit the ATM once a month to get as much money as you’ll need – unless you’re that big spender guy the girls all go for. I’m not.
Most nice restaurants will take your US credit card. And since the big demonetization emergency of 2017, now most store will, too. This is very handy as your bank gets the best conversion rates going.
Here are a few examples of the prices of things I like to buy.
– A liter of Thums Up (kind of like Coke) – 45 rupees (about 60c).
– A liter of Coke (almost as good as Thums Up) – 60 rupees (about 80c).
– A “big grab” bag of Uncle Chips (owned by Lays but better than Lays) – 20 rupees (about 30c).
– Lunch in a nice restaurant – 350 rupees (about $5 – including tip).
– Dinner in that same restaurant – 600 rupees (about $8). It can run much higher if you booze it up. A couple glasses of wine could double that price.
– A loaf of freshly made bread from a bakery – 40 rupees (about 55c).
– A dozen organic eggs – 60-70 rupees (less than a dollar).
– A gallon of milk – 200 rupees (under $3).
– General cleaner like Mr. Clean (uncannily like it) – 65 rupees (less than a buck).
– A nice pair of slip-on NCS tennis shoes – 700 rupees (less than $10).
– A two-mile taxi ride – 100 rupees about $1.40 – which includes a tip. This depends on the driver’s willingness to be reasonable. They sometimes look at a foreigner and double or triple the usual fare. Uber tends to be the most affordable. Being pre-paid, it doesn’t know you’re a rich foreign guy. (Though if you set it up to go to your credit card, you might have to explain all the 80 and 90-cent charges to your bank. )
– A small, furnished one-bedroom apartment in a nice area with a security guard is about 10,000 rupees a month ($140).
So as you can see, having a monthly social security check of $1000 (about 70,000 rupees) puts you solidly in the middle class.
Which means, about this time of year, you can actually BE Santa Claus to your new friends. (Remind me to tell you about them next time.)