Gurgaon
Information about Gurgaon city and places around Gurgaon India and NCR.

Cost of living in big cities is always going to be more than that in small cities or towns. But although Gurgaon is a small city the cost of living is quite high here. Is Gurgaon as expensive city? Well different people have different views. The general public opinion is that the cost of living in New Gurgaon is even higher than in Delhi which is metropolitan and capital city of India. So one tends to spend more and save less by staying in Gurgaon.

Gurgaon is known as the millennium city of India. The new Gurgaon is decades old development and is now the corporate and MNC hub of India. The city has experienced a real estate boom in the past few years and there has been a sudden influx of new population in Gurgaon.

Here are a few vital facts that will help us assess whether it is expensive to stay in Gurgaon:

1. House rent in well connected areas of Gurgaon range from Rs 15,000 for two bedrooms flat to Rs 20,000 for a three bedroom flat. In high end societies like Heritage, Beverly Park, or Central Park the ranges somewhere between Rs 40,000 – Rs 50,000.

2. Due to lack of public transport system people rely either on own vehicles or private taxi operators. Taxi operators charge Rs 150 (Non AC) and 200 (AC) for a local (within Gurgaon) pick up or drop. Rickshaws ply for limited distances and charge as much as 100 bucks for a 5-6 kms distance.

3. A full time driver charges Rs 7000 per month.

4. Most of the daily needs shops sell things on MRP and do not offer any discounts like done in normal middle class markets of Delhi and other adjoining areas.

5. If you do not want to compromise with the quality of vegetables and fruit you will have to shell out extra bucks and shop in supermarkets or high end daily needs shops like Needs, or Spencer. The cost of vegetables and fruits are higher in these places as compared to local type of stores.

We can’t deny that all types of products and markets are available in Gurgaon. One can opt to buy vegetables from Mother Dairy or other subsidized stores, but is the quality of products worth it. Similarly one may argue that house rent is quite affordable in Sohna Road apartments or areas like Sector 55, 56, and 57, but how many of us can choose to settle in such distant areas.

The cost of living in a city is directly proportional to the paying capacity of its residents. Gurgaon came up in such a way that young IT Professionals and affluent working class are ready to pay more for products and services that are available at lesser cost in other places. These people directly associate price with quality and are ready to pay extra bucks for higher standards.

A higher living standard in the city has made Gurgaon an expensive place for upper middle class and middle class people.

By Yana Suri, Sushantlok I, Gurgaon