Tips on living in Delhi, India

Here is a copy of the emails I sent to a friend before she moved here. If you are moving to India any time soon, they will be helpful. There is a lot to do and figure out. Things seem complicated. The more you know, the easier it will be.
We have looked for apartments twice and both times landed up spending more than we expected.
The following is for a 3 bedroom apartment:
For a basically furnished or an 'Indian' style furnished place, you are looking to spend between Rs40 000 - Rs100 000
For a high standard of western style furnishings, you are looking at spending above Rs80 000 depending on the area.
For about Rs150 000 you can get an amazing apartment that is furnished beautifully. There is also the option of looking into serviced apartments. This means that they provide maid, linen service, internet, tv... all inclusive. I am not sure the costs of this but would imagine it is expensive, but probably worth it, as it will save you a lot of admin. We have consistent problems with Tata Sky, Airtel and even had our electricity cut off when we had never received a bill. And a last option is to look into a farm house. These are about 30 mins out of central delhi, but if you can afford it, they are amazing. Big houses on a large piece of land. Again, this all depends on the area. A 2 bedroom apartment was very difficult to find. Be very very clear what you want when speaking to an agent. I have seen some of the most awful apartments as I was not sure what I wanted. We saw 35 apartments the first time and 20 the second. Name you budget clearly (maybe even state your budget a bit lower than the real one, as you will usually be shown stuff for 10 to 20 thousand more than you said) and say that you don’t want to see anything that is old and run down. A good thing I did was take photos and notes of each place so that we could remember and make the decision after. I am a little crazy like that, but it did help a lot with the decision.
The first apartment we got had huge windows and a lot of light. This was wonderful until it got hot. The AC’s could barely cool the apartment during the day. Make sure the apartment is not near a school. Our first one was and the schools start early and they are noisy. There are a lot of schools and they are hard to spot. Schools are also often open on Saturdays. And closed windows do not keep the sound out. A lot of apartments are not built as brilliantly as you would hope, so check for gaps in the doors.
Also try get one road away from a busy intersection. Visit your potential apartment in the morning as well as the evening to see what the noise, traffic, safety… is like. We were living in Defence Colony for 4 months. It is very nice and the market is great.
Other areas to look at are Safdarjung enclave, Hauz Khas, Panscheel Park, GK 1, GK2, SDA, Saket, Souh Extension 1, South Extension 2. All in South Delhi
Proximity to where you work is very important. If you are traveling a lot, it might be a good idea to look at something that isn;t too far from the domestic airport. This is the lady who helped us with looking at apartments and with the FRRO when we first arrived: Doris Delessard: +91 987331445 She is a relocation agent and can help you with a lot of other things as well. The second time we looked for apartments we found a place through Abhi: +91 99 99 606901 Most estate agents charge a 1 month finders fee and you will probably have to put down a 1-2 month deposit.
Be careful if you are here temporarily, most landlords want a lock in period of minimum 6 months. We have refused this as we were on a trial period with the company. I would highly advise buying a car and finding a driver if you can. Taxis are expensive and a pain to organise. Autos are almost unbearable in the heat. Easycabs is a taxi I use, their number is 011 43434343. Also Megacab are reliable: 011 41 41 41 41 I would definitely bring stuff with you. Creams are only a bit more expensive than SA, but because of the heat you often find that they have curdled and can't be used. Things like make up remover wipes are hard to find unless you like mint and orange scented ones. I brought with me: sunscreen, facewash, moisturiser, shampoo & conditioner, perfume, medicine (very hard to find the things you are used to - Corenza C, myprodol...) Your ordinary things like lux, pantene, hand soap, washing powder, deoderant... are readily available. Most things are actually available, but it takes long to figure out where to get what and how. If you have a driver and a cleaning/cooking person they are usually very helpful. It is very hot here at the moment and because you are going to be in and out of a car looking at apartments I would bring very, very light clothes that aren't revealing. We had to get a lot of shots before we came. If you go to a travel clinic they will tell you what you need. You will usually need booster shots after being here for a few months. We stupidly forgot. Most private hospitals will be able to do this for you. Max Hospital in Saket, near the Select City Walk mall is good. When you get here, don't eat anything raw at all. Especially in 5 star restaurants. Dan and I both got Delhi Belly from eating salads in 5 star restaurants. We slowly weaned ourselves onto raw food. I only ate fruit with skin for the first while. Wash other fruit in salted water. Cooked stuff is all fine. Don't drink the tap water (obviously). If you are in the sun a lot apparently you should put a bit of sugar, salt and lemon juice in your water bottle.
Basic beginner words:
Hello: Namaste
Thank you: Dha-nia-vad
Sir: Gee
Water: Paanee
Food: Chapatee
Let's go: Chalo
Tea: Chai
Goodbye: Alvi-dah
All the spelling is incorrect, but should help you pronounce the words.
If you get an unfurnished apartment, there are only a few immediate necessities. A fridge: In Gurgaon at the Ambience mall on the top floor is an excellent electronic shop. They have everything you will need. A bed: You can get cheap beds made in seven days at Amar colony, furniture market. They do not look great, but work fine. Sharma Farm in Chattarpur will also make bed for you in 1-2 weeks. They are excellent quality and medium priced. Yuninet and Dillinet are excellent places to get second hand furniture. It is an expat community group on Yahoo, once joining you will receive an email a day with requests and offers from other ex pats about furniture sales, drivers and house keepers to recommend and a lot of other important stuff. You will also be able to post your own requests and offers. I have found Hindi teachers, yoga teachers, furniture… through these sites. Springwell make really good mattresses and you can get a basic one for about Rs12 000. Springwell outlets are all over the place. Just driving around you will see mattresses for sale everywhere. I bought mine in a mall in Gurgaon, but they are standard sizes, qualities and prices. A water filter or large 20 litre bottled water: In Gurgaon at the Ambience mall on the top floor is an excellent electronic shop. They have everything you will need. For Bottled water, you will need to find the local person in the area you are living in. A simple dispenser can be found in market all purpose shops. The best one of these that I have been to is The Defence Store in the Defence Colony Market. AC’s: In Gurgaon at the Ambience mall on the top floor is an excellent electronic shop. They have everything you will need. We have window AC’s which are decent, but take a bit longer to cool the room and are noisy, but the price difference is huge. You can get them for between Rs12 000 and Rs 25 000. The next most important thing you will need to do, if you have not done it yet is hire someone to cook and clean for you. We have a woman who comes three times a week and does laundry, cooking cleaning, shopping. It makes living in this crazy place a lot easier as it takes time to figure out where to get what and what is safe to eat and how to get water... Yuninet is the best place to get a recommended person. I found an excellent woman via Yuninet. The people that come recommended speak English and are used to working with foreigners. English is essential, but it does come at a cost. Local people will think you are crazy for paying someone more that Rs4000 - Rs5000 per month for 6 days a week. I found it impossible to find someone this cheap. I also am not used to having someone in my apartment all the time, so I prefer to go part time. I think the average you should be looking to pay a permanent person is about Rs7000 – Rs8000 per month. The best thing you can do on arrival is find the local market, they can normally be found in most areas. Having an apartment close to one is useful. Spend some time finding out where everything is. Where to get fresh milk (a Mother Dairy store), where to get mobile airtime, where to get fruit, where to get groceries, if there’s a 24 hour shop… most of your basics are usually there.
Otherwise a lot can be found in the malls. The one I like the most is Select City Walk in Saket. The prices are higher than markets. Anything imported is very expensive, anything local is cheap. Alcohol is very expensive. When in a restaurant or bar add on 20% tax to the price in the menu. Buying alcohol yourself is cheaper. There is usually a alcohol shop near the markets.
Hope that helps!