Price(s) of living in Mumbai

• Milk: $5.26/gal (yummy milk straight from the dairy, delivered in 1 liter bottles every morning!)
• Loaf of sliced wheat bread: $1 (from the guy who comes to the door selling bread and eggs)
• 1/2 dozen eggs: $0.50
• Newspaper: $3 for a MONTH's delivery*
• 1.1 lbs. of tomatoes: $1.48 (from the veg/fruit guy who I texted to deliver this the next day!)
• A dozen mangoes: $5.55 (delivered by same veg/fruit guy) 
• Coconut (for fresh coconut water): $0.50 each (delivered to the door by who else but the coconut guy)
• A box of Cheetos: $10 (from now on I'm ordering from Amazon, where they are $3 for a bigger size)
• Boxed juices: ~$8/gal
• 2 liter of soda: $1.20
• 2 kilos (about 4.4 lbs) of wheat flour: $1.50
• Plastic bag to carry your groceries home (versus bringing a tote): $0.05/bag
• Diesel: $4.03/gallon (we have an SUV here, and it takes diesel)
• Mani-pedi: $14
• Men's haircut: $6
• Nice meal for two at the kind of place worthy of an infrequent date-night: $100
• Alcoholic Beverage (with liquor) at the same restaurant as above meal:  $20
• Bottle of Yellow Tail Chardonnay at the same restaurant as above: $70**
• Customized Birthday Cake of pirate design for S's 3rd birthday: $20 (enough for 8-10 people)

As you might expect, food and service/labor are quite cheap in India, but the concept of cheap is relative.  A couple of politicians recently went so far as to claim that one could purchase a full meal in Mumbai for $0.20 (Rs. 12).  Try to remember that while to you and me that is cheap as h*!!, it is not a paltry sum to millions of residents of this city.  And like politicians the world over who say dumb things and are out of touch, they had to eat their words (no pun intended) very shortly thereafter.

While it may not be as cheap as $0.20, prices are fairly reasonable (again, to you and me) when it comes to getting prepared food here.  When I find myself spending a lot of money on a meal, it usually means I'm eating somewhere fancy where I am paying for the ambiance and/or Western food offerings.  Maybe this will change as I have lived here longer, but for now, I find myself thinking there's just no reason to frequently spend money on either of those two.  After all, one of the things I looked forward to and am enjoying most about Mumbai is eating yummy Indian food; even with avoiding street stalls, there is plenty of that to be found and it is quite a bit cheaper! 

*Would you believe newspaper readership is on the increase in India?  It is opposite in the U.S. so it is hard for us to believe.  It is a combination of increase in literacy and accessibility (on every street corner, so cheap, and millions who don't have access to the Internet or electricity do have access to the newspaper).
**Please note that we did not engage in such foolishness as to spend $70 on a bottle of Yellow Tail Chardonnay!  I asked for the wine list, and when I saw that this was one of the least expensive bottles, I decided on a different drink!