Continuing with our series of FAQs on studying in America, we asked Indian students to share their queries with us. And we asked a selection of students, already in the US, to share the wisdom of their experiences with us.

Get Ahead reader Akbar asked: I heard that rice is very expensive in the US, around $9. Is that true? Then how can you cook food at home?

Students in the US answer:

Reply 1 from Nita

$9 for a 10 lbs bag (about 5 kgs) is not that expensive, believe me.

As you are converting everything in Indian rupees, you are probably shocked! It happens; everyone does that initially. You will get used to it.

Depending where you are going, there might be slightly cheaper deals too. It depends on how large the Indian locality is and how many Indian stores there are. Don't worry a lot about cost of food here. You will definitely manage, that's for sure.

The cost of living and the books are what burns the students' pockets. Try to find out what books you need in advance and see if you can get them here.

Good luck.

Reply 2 from Sridhar

You are right. A 10-pound (roughly 5 kg) bag of rice costs $9. But, in the general scheme of things here, this is not very expensive. You can cook Indian food at home. All the raw materials for that (dal, spices, atta) are available in any nearby Indian grocery store.

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Reply 3 from Saumen

In the USA, all most all food items are pretty cheap. So you shouldn't face any problem to cook your own food. Even rice is pretty cheap.

Reply 4 from Rediff student panel expert

It is best to avoid converting dollars to rupees, since it just doesn't work that way... That $9 rice will probably last you for a month, if not more.

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Reply 5 from Amarinder

It's very cheap in Queens, New York. You need only $40-60 per week for grocery, milk, all kitchen needs for one person. There are lots of Indian stores like Subzi Mandi, Apna Bazar, Patels, etc.

Reply 6 from Prashant Baldev

The real problem in the US will be to remove the time to cook the rice!

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Reply 7 from Kini

No! Sona Masoori rice is $9 for 20lbs. If you wanna eat Basmati everyday, then better buy in Costco. There it is $10 for 20lbs.

Reply 8 from Laxman

Rice here in US is very cheap. You can get 20 lbs bag of rice for $6 from a Chinese store or Sam's Club/ Costco.

Grocery is very cheap here. Don't worry!

Good luck.

Reply 9 from Anil

I buy rice from Sam's Club. People in US know about it. It is lot cheaper, almost $10 for 50 pounds. It certainly is not like Indian rice, but certainly not bad.

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