What I Spend in a Day: American Living in South India 🤑

[@sandeep133]

This guy figured out how to live in India.

[@sirajhajififty]

Yea actually

[@n.adhithya1568]

Yes

[@therevolution91]

@Justus Ray Is this this bs where you can read in & outgoing messages? :-)))

[@boomeruncle.....8853]

You are the fully Old KZbin User 👀🙄 I Never Ever Seen From 2006 Huh ✌️ Babe Who R U

[@boomeruncle.....8853]

That's You're a 69 th You Tube User 🤔

[@abdev3941]

I like how u do a practical tour and not just verbal tour like others

[@bjenks]

Thanks KC

[@badtimegonesingh8883]

I am also noticing the same. Like as he shows yoga advert then also shows yoga class demo. For creating video 2 sec shot, he must put lots of efforts...

[@debarghyachattopadhyay2614]

Now the Americans can guess why we don't buy iPhone that much

[@nilanjandutta_]

You should get an Aquaguard or a Kent for water purification RO system..... instead of drinking distilled water

[@bjenks]

I have one but I have been needing to supplement recently as it needs repairs

[@manoharman4425]

@@bjenks no need of ro system ,you can buy from water plants

[@sirilreddy9508]

@@bjenks Potable water is also a very good option, i mean the 25 litre bottles that cost around 30 indian rupees. But not the bottle but just the water..

[@highpeaks3598]

167 bucks for this much space? In NYC, I paid 2200 for a walk in closet.

[@TheEddieToro]

LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! I hear ya'! India get ready for my second coming. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh yeaaaaaaaaaaaah! You welcomed me with wide open warm arms last year 2019 and this time around I'm gonna be in LA LA LAND! That means on cloud 9 or in ecstasy (SAMADHI)!

[@georgeramos3437]

I was born, and raised in New York Cityz. I believe u. One square foot in midtown Manhattan averages $10,000. #Ridiculous #Steep #SinfullyOverpriced

[@tubatikoushik3291]

$167 in a metro city like Chennai or Hyderabad will drain from ur pockets in a single day bruh!

[@sujith3914]

Tubati Koushik Please don’t spew nonsense because of some weird mindset you people possess. I know metros cost more, I have been living in Bangalore for 5 years but to say $167 will drain in a single day is too exaggerated. Ha, there are opportunities to throw away your money if you have enough or you have a compulsion to throw away, but a decent lifestyle in Hyderabad will cost less than $500 per month, I have enough friends and family members living well on lesser in Hyderabad, Bangalore is only a bit more costly.

[@ayandas874]

George Ramos why not start again at a new more affordable place? You will probably save money in the long run.

[@socratesapprentice5440]

When I discovered this channel , there 10.5 K subscribers. In 2 weeks it gas gone up to 14K. So happy. I like this guy. Not pretentious & respectful towards local culture

[@satyasiddhamishra4950]

The prices here are in between large cities and small towns in India. One can live in even lesser money in India.

[@SayeeswarAnirutho]

You don't need much paperwork for owning a SIM card. you will need your passport copy and your fingerprint impression thats it! Airtel and vodafone are the only ones that give sim cards to non residents!

[@bjenks]

Good info, thanks Sayeeswar

[@manasa-artwithoutfrontiers6176]

yes, its nuts to use someone else's sim card. I'm an expat living in Delhi with frequent foreign visitors. we just stop by the airtel in the neighborhood, give the ID required and have sim in a few hours. It's safe, legal, and using someone else's could be dangerous if misused and you will be blocked from future re entry. always follow the law if you want to be here, I've been here 47 years, a bit on and off and now permanently

[@vickichumuk]

Thirivannamalai is a really nice place to live in. The temple is called Arunacheshwara temple. The walk around the mountain is called girivalam. Pilgrims walk barefoot around the mountain thats a distance of approx 9 miles.

[@SHARATH_GOUD300]

3:46 you nailed it

[@prathappoojary3618]

You can pay electric bill online on Paytm ... Directly

[@bjenks]

Need Indian bank account for that it is more difficult for foreigners

[@vickylightspeed2750]

@@bjenks can get a AIRTEL SIM CARD and install MY AIRTEL APP and open a AIRTEL PAYMENT ACCOUNT ONLINE(like wallet)....

[@robertbruner7429]

I appreciate the way you broke down the supplemental expenses of your monthly expenses, otherwise these could come as a surprise to someone that's only looking at rent prices. The cost of living is indeed amazing, especially when one considers the growing issue of homelessness in America of people residing in their cars or tents, but with a small monthly income.

[@Learn-Once]

I think you are giving Idea to Westerner's to get a work from home job and move to India and save a lot.

[@guruprabhu_39915]

Let them do what’s wrong? They pay and stay , good for economy and people will learn good in each other cultures...

[@govabhaigojiya2546]

@China is responsible for corona R where r u from bro?❤️❤️😀

[@searchapostateprophetabdul2398]

What's wrong in that bro?😂. If Indians can flock every yr in huge numbers to immigrate to US, then why can't few Americans come here?

[@harmonyshorts]

He didn't say it's wrong.

[@MsChamakchalo]

I love love your channel. You provide so much non biased information about India. I am indian....but live in America for the past 34 years. Please continue the good work. God bless you Benjamin.

[@peednasm]

Visit Tirupati, it is the most visited Hindu pilgrimage around 50000-100000 people visits a day, 4 hr drive from there... Nature also very good there

[@bjenks]

I'll check it out!

[@shivaraml5692]

Actually you can live quite well at half that price in Thiruvannamalai.

[@jackneil7]

I know a guy from new jersey he come to tamilnadu every 2 years once he will stay for 4 months enjoy very well he said me he makes 15000 dollars maximum in a year . He is inspired how you guys kept price so cheaper your population is high even price in china is high but how your government is managing this place best for average guys like him

[@TheRexxrexx]

You are my favorite KZbinr. Thank you for the converting the price to dollars. It is very helpful.

[@suhasurubail3846]

The green things are guava.. you should try it if you haven't yet.. they are very cheap too

[@bjenks]

Oh thanks, will do!

[@wilsonmashi9358]

@@FUNPARKPkm It's from the tropical areas in America, which pretty much means South America, which might be reason for him not knowing about it, nothing wrong with it at all. I keep finding new things in India itself 🤣.

[@fabolousnature3873]

If you have plaque on your tooth dont try seed it it will deep seet on your mouth might be your worst nightmare

[@prathappoojary3618]

@@bjenks high in vitamins ..

[@kiranp5611]

But keep a guava trees in house garden and eat when ever one fruit comes ;

[@ShreedharaKedilaya]

This vedio is a proof...that 1 dollar in India is not just rs 75 , but much more. One can by more things for a dollar than a dollar in the west.

[@Viator9]

Not exactly. I have lived in the West and I can definitely say that the United States is one of the cheapest places to live in world (compared to the salaries). That's the reason why majority of them want to emigrate to the United States and not the other way around. There is cheap labour behind every cheap thing you get in India. Everything else is expensive. A man working as a car driver in India may never own a car in his lifetime.

[@searchapostateprophetabdul2398]

@@Viator9 yea

[@soulsofgamingtamil8112]

I live in the same place(Tamilnadu, Coimbatore) Averagely, spending more than 1000 rupees is more than enough for a middle class family to live normally. Some personal talk - You live a very luxurious life bro. •Buy fruits and vegetables in Sunday market. (sandhai in tamil) Cause farmers sell them so they are more cheap and hygiene. •And try some traditional food in road side shops and in resturant.😊

[@Observer9812]

Love the way you edit your videos...slick..👍👍

[@bjenks]

Glad you like them!

[@prasadr14]

This is lavish style considering the place he lives in .

[@searchapostateprophetabdul2398]

Yea

[@No1KoreanDrama]

if you are in tamilnadu.... you are spending way more than what we spend.... try to visit amma unavagam run by the govt where you get idli for 1 rs, rice for 5 rs and 2 chappatis for 3 rs. try that... it is really tasty and if you buy your break fast lunch and dinner for a month you can not spent more than 15$ on food... check that out man...

[@bjenks]

I will try that out and see! Thanks

[@nomessatall3777]

The little green things are guavas also known as the poor man's apple. Just like groundnuts being the poor man's cashew nut

[@highpeaks3598]

You are living middle class life-style for 7000 USD a year. That is a bang for your buck. You should advertise it more to Western nomads to move there.

[@muhammadswalih8923]

Bro, if more people move in the prices of goods will go up.

[@searchapostateprophetabdul2398]

@@muhammadswalih8923 Nah , its a bang if you are earning in dollars or high currency not for us.

[@bipinkumar-db1ip]

If you are in kerala you can use Ksrtc (state owned public transport) for long distance travel. Very cheap in cost. Also you will get a different experience ☺️☺️

[@smashmemes3109]

TN also has MTC , my frnd

[@geethaanjali6516]

It's bit costly when u compared to Madurai, Tamil Nadu...hope to see you in Madurai..u are such an amazing person

[@xyz-gh6yg]

Really cool. VIdeo bro soon you will heat 1lakh subscriber

[@bjenks]

Thank you so much 😀

[@syogamurthy]

Omg!! You are in my town tiruvannamalai! Whereas I am in delaware now

[@VikramKumar-jo8rk]

I bow to ur patience and explain about ur journey 💖

[@ArjRyderGaming]

That little green thing you mentioned is Guava

[@krishnamuruganantham5499]

U r lucky that's y u went to thiruvannamalai. If u r blessed u will definitely meet siddhar!.who knows u can also become a siddhar depends on ur destiny!

[@bjenks]

Hope so

[@KuldeepKumar-fr5uw]

What is siddhar?

[@sureshrendanathan4650]

@@KuldeepKumar-fr5uw south indian sadhu

[@NaaneVinu]

$20 is way beyond an average Indian spends. It's because most of the Indians buy food grains and in large quantities during its cropping times which costs lesser prices compared to small quantities and also we preserve them with organic preservation methods along with Indian weather condition which helps naturally. That way we save a lot of money. Also we buy clothing, and other items in bulk during some seasons when it will be of lesser prices. Of course electronic and electrical items will be costly as they are mostly imported.

[@sanjaykolvalkar2524]

Hi sir ,I like the way u explain and show the difference between currency's

[@tenton459]

It's cheap if you earn western salaries. For manufactured durables, Indians pay nearly international prices. Some imported stuff like laptops and iPhone are much more expensive because of import duties.

[@s....982]

In America 1 samosa cost is higher than full plate of Indian paneer tikka masala,

[@mannysubramanian8393]

Thanks for this nice video. It will be helpful to foreign visitors. Also Tiruvannamalai is a safe place.

[@bjenks]

Thanks manny welcome

[@nareshbisht7620]

Man, why not live in Goa it's by far the best place to live cheap with fun even though Goa is cheap it is a very very good place I will not shy to say that it is better than any place in the world.

[@donaldlee6760]

At 5:52 - are there hiking trails to the summit of the small mountain?

[@bjenks]

Yes but it is not possible anymore without a permit and it is difficult for foreigner to get. I have a video showing when I went up the hill

[@kaushikdas5301]

You can apply for Indian citizenship ..also you can apply for OIC card or NRI card ..you can buy a property but you can not vote though India is very good place for living ..no food shortage because we almost grow everything ..every state grows something hell ya

[@bjenks]

Heck yah Kaushik, thanks for the info

[@tenton459]

OIC and NRI cards are for people of Indian origin but who are not citizens of India.

[@dhruvnagori3795]

Bro there is nothing like South india It is the southern part of india

[@Rohit-Yaduvanshi]

Chill Bro.....

[@lilworld6060]

Yeahhh

[@mohba01]

thiruvannamalai is cool... go to jawadu hills nearby, its fully of mystery

[@brijendrasingh799]

You are a great explorer. Keep it .thanks i enjoy as well i get good knowledge .

[@kalaivanikumar7493]

3:00 it's gauva dude, my favorite and the tastiest fruit in the world 😛😛😛

[@debarghyachattopadhyay2614]

Dude come in kolkata you see how much you can save here!

[@madcapprof]

Word of advice : Don't have paneer dishes while in south India. In fact, better to go for rice based meals while in Thiruvannamalai. Of the breads, only phulka or tawa roti would be good for regular consumption. And the electricity tariff that you pay is a bit steep : Rs. 7000+/per month. See : www.tnerc.gov.in/orders/Tariff%20Order%202009/2019/SubsidyOrder-2019-20.pdf for the actual subsidised tariff that the govt. of Tamil Nadu is providing. You might have got these from experience...Just sharing mine.

[@krishnamuruganantham5499]

U r in holiest place in southern India. Thiruvannamalai is very very special place in the India because More siddhars are there. Thiruvannamalai is the destination for the people to get siddhis!. Thiruvannamalai is siddhars hill,they look like very ordinary man ( not look like bhabhas/godman which casted in movies). Don't get any wrong spells from them.be careful!.

[@bjenks]

Thanks Krishna for the info and I will try and be careful

[@manohars6997]

I would strongly suggest you to study deeply about Revered Ramana Maharahi. You are privileged to stay at that place, where the great saint practiced. Pray with your heart to find such a Master who can uplift your spirit. This is one of the reasons you find it peaceful just by being near that place.

[@bjenks]

Thanks Manohar 🙏

[@tintunbirha]

Approx cost of living $ 500 per person per month if living singly. If in a family then $750 for a family of 5. This is is cost of middle class family with food cooked at home.

[@dannyutils5584]

Annamalai.. Tiruvannamalai is a very scared place for Tamil people who worship Shiva . It so scared place that even if you think of that place you will get good vibes !!

[@digitalavatar5699]

you need to buy 50Litre jar instead of multiple 1 litre ,

[@bjenks]

With water? Yeah I have 20L. Got to get my filter system fixed too

[@kalidoss.s6111]

You help other foreigners by details of How to travel in india . Hands off your good habit

[@jayagopal50]

My brother is the Medical doctor in the Ashram.

[@ItsMe-vn2gi]

Hope your enjoying in India and plz do visit in himachal Pradesh uttarakhand Kashmir plz hare Krishna 🇮🇳 and also try to eat veg food only if you can save animals and save nature Jai Hind

[@bjenks]

Will do, thanks :)

[@ItsMe-vn2gi]

@@bjenks 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@subwaygroupoflearning5198]

Thanks a lot for providing such a geninue information. Really India is very Cheap.

[@gandhivsghodse1555]

How much he spends a day?

[@bjenks]

Yeah it is very reasonable

[@bjenks]

Gotta watch the video ;)

[@gandhivsghodse1555]

@@bjenks have subscribed... Will watch

[@eddyviajero530]

You know a bit about me only through KZbin channel Sweet Wanderings By Edwin Toro. This is my other travel and adventure channel which is for the most part in Spanish. Benjamin if you wanna learn a wee bit of Spanish, may I dare recommend English Your Way By Edwin Toro as on this channel I make English language lesson videos for Spanish speakers, Spanish is my second language, and it's in English and Spanish with lots of text on screen in both English and Spanish. You can learn some simple Spanish phrases to help you communicate with Spanish speakers when the occasion arises. Why not? The more you can communicate in other tongues, the merrier life becomes.

[@bjenks]

One day I would like to travel more in Mexico and South America so I'll check it out :)

[@thaoveiobed]

Come to north east India ! I'm from Manipur state India 🇮🇳

[@bbsingh7554]

You cracked how to live in India...

[@sashamellon822]

Well, what you’ve got are expenses for kids, and a budget for healthcare emergency. There isn’t standard free healthcare in india

[@aravindkrishnak1583]

Hey Benjamin, I'll just give you a quick flash about buying fruits from carts. I'm not against those ppl but be careful. All the mangoes are being ripened artificially now a days and it's very very bad for health in a long run. So instead get mangoes from a trusted guy who owns farm or something like that. There are many ppl with mango farms so dw. And now we'll come to bananas. A thing about banana is that a bunch doesn't ripe at the same time. Instead individual bananas in a bunch ripe at diff time. For this you can buy from a shop which has bunches of bananas hanging from the top. Don't buy bananas alone from supermarkets.

[@shenkary]

Very helpful ! Can you estimate the differnce in costs between the south and cities in the north like manali dharmasala or others ?

[@1trickaneesh58]

i say you should start living in bengaluru

[@manasa-artwithoutfrontiers6176]

foreigners (from most countries, not all, but all western courntries) can own a property, one only for residence, non agricultural land, paid for in foreign exchange transfer. these are RBI regulations

[@tenton459]

I don't think that's true. It's by way inheritance, or citizenship or being PIO or NRI

[@dhirajgupta9802]

"most local local food", yep you are one of us now :D

[@searchapostateprophetabdul2398]

😆

[@SMitra-su4ne]

Awesome video ☑️🎯 Spot on information THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE I'm on a binge watch of ur videos. Apartments available? While I come look for a house 😁

[@heathersullivan8833]

We are thinking of moving to India

[@poornimapujeri955]

Travel Noida city... It's Japan in India... Near Delhi Uttar Pradesh State....

[@bjenks]

Interesting! Thanks

[@arakesh4102]

I appreciate your work bro

[@bjenks]

Thanks A

[@bandasinghdevotee558]

In fact, as it is pilgrimage / tourist spot, this is one expensive place, almost equal to the cost in chennai as far as food is concerned. Anyways, renting a place in chennai, much higher than this place

[@bjenks]

Haha, yeah it can be more expensive since tourist spot

[@rithishkumar3608]

Dude come to Villupuram it's near to Tiruvannamalai

[@saiashwin9930]

8:08 whaaatt??!! 7900 rupees is too much! It's usually 10 times lesser if you use electricity judiciously. Ideally it would cost just around 1000 even with ACs.

[@RavirajSamant]

Almost 24 hours with an AC will always cost min 2k to around 4k per month. He's paying 8k for 2 months is what he said I guess. Seems reasonable.

[@artsydecor673]

Its bimonthly

[@krishnamuruganantham5499]

U r in Thiruvannamalai. U r telling Ramana Maharishi as this guy. Don't say like this next time. He is a saint,Holy man,Guru for lot of people's here and around the world.He did all the things what Christ did in his life.Ask the foreign disciples who is there in ashram and read about him bro!

[@bjenks]

Okay thanks for sharing

[@lord9562]

@@bjenks Yup. Its like a visitor to Rome calling one of the saints or popes of old as "this guy behind me". Little off putting, if I may say so.

[@antaresbnv3350]

45 $ for taxi to airport, is very expensive, in Bangalore it must be 15 or 20 $.

[@bjenks]

I am 4 hours away though

[@Grafield69]

Naah, You are guessing too high, $12 to $18.

[@tenton459]

180km x Rs 12/km + half return fare. Its reasonable.

[@sd-wm1sq]

Quite reasonable as it seems like outstation /intercity kind of ride which is generally expensive. I pay Rs 2500 from Delhi Airport to my hometown in Haryana which is 100kms away(2.5-3 hr ride) in Ola outstation.

[@sivanaruls8524]

Bruh that is 170+ kms travel for 45$ not like 15km in banglore for 15$

[@saumya_42]

Little green things are called guava

[@abercrom21guy]

Yep. Now I know where I'm retiring

[@MehulP30]

Glad I found your channel. Considering digital nomad life for a bit (or a decade 😂) Aside from the Ashrams, what do you down there for entertainment/leisure?

[@agytjax]

Dude, why did you do this eastward migration ? And, what do you do for a living to sustain yourself in India ?

[@siddharth6043]

In tamilnadu 100 units electricity free per month . 7000 too much

[@RaviSIyerSai]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@livescores777]

Hi friend, I want to relocate to India. How easy is it to get resident permit?

[@danielfrezza9837]

Benjamin, great videos very informative and a window into Indian living. Thinking of relocating from UK. In your videos you look baked a lot of the time, is that frowned upon?

[@Frik0z]

How did you go about finding an apartment? I've been looking around at some websites but I find them a bit messy. I will be looking to get a furnished one in Goa in November.

[@bjenks]

Join FB group in the area you are looking and post about wanting apartment

[@Frik0z]

@@bjenks ahhh great idea cheers bud

[@ajitkochikar9527]

Very true. Morever Indians respect n believe in hospitality to serve guests. 👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏

[@Abhisheksharma_200]

3:46 That isn't grocery man !!!!!!

[@alpana199]

Can I ask a question why did u choose Tiruvanamalai to live

[@eternallove830]

Thank you for sharing🤭

[@dineshpkm]

Please visit theertha malai 71 kilometre from thiruvannamalai..You will love it.i

[@anudhingra9258]

Why r u living in a small city. Pl see upscale societies in metropolitan cities like Delhi Gurgaon Mumbai. Living is very different from small cities

[@sarellavy1362]

How did you get to live in India for such a long time (documents, formalities)? What type of visa/permit do you need to be able to do that?

[@joeariaratne8426]

You can get 12 year multiple entry visa for long stay if you are an American citizen for a one time 150 dollars if I'm not mistaken..

[@NaaneVinu]

Seventy thousand or seventeen thousand for WiFi? But 100rs is little bit costly for hair cut. Because I stay in metropolitan city is just 80rs.

[@DeepadevadigaOfficial]

100 rs less because my brother spend 150 for normal haircut

[@tejasyadav1369]

what are you saying i spend 40rs for hair cut😂

[@makeit7tee124]

Please have subtitles when people speak in their local languages so that your viewers can understand what the locals are tryinh to say

[@krunalkumarpatel6006]

You are still paying quite more than you should be , there is lots of room of saving bucks , you can still save your 50% expenses ..anyways nice video

[@shaktis3947]

Btw u get everything in Tiruvannamalai.. right now where he is ...

[@ramgang6345]

Come to Hyderabad

[@Anu-bz1sw]

How easy it will be for someone to Know India if everyone watches your videos before making any plans..

[@priteshchaudhari4986]

well south india and north india what it's mean?,its not like North Korea and south korea, And it's not two separate country,its India

[@bjenks]

✌️

[@Bostonite1985]

@pritesh chaudhari....I am from South. There is a world of a difference between North and South. Culturally North India is almost a foreign country...particularly to rural South Indians. You sound like someone from a city.

[@alpana199]

Green things are koiya pazham yummy

[@gokulkrishnan0804]

Bro which place u r leaving

[@alagunarayanank6741]

You should visit Madurai and Karaikudi(chettinad houses)