"How much for a website?" is the question I hear most, and the honest answer is: it depends on what the website must do. But "it depends" helps nobody, so here is the real breakdown after 11+ years of quoting projects.
The three price bands
Informative business websites — your services, gallery, contact forms, WhatsApp button — typically start around Rs. 20,000. This covers most shops, clinics, consultants and local service businesses.
eCommerce stores begin higher because carts, payment gateways, order management and product admin panels are genuinely more work. Expect a serious store to start from Rs. 40,000–50,000.
Custom applications — booking systems, portals, dashboards — are priced by features, because no two are alike. This is where a detailed requirement discussion matters most.
What actually changes the price
Number of pages, custom design versus template, payment integration, admin panels, third-party connections and content writing. What should not silently inflate the price: domain, hosting, SSL — these have known market rates you can verify yourself.
How to compare two quotations
Never compare the totals; compare what is included. Ask each vendor: is the design custom? Who owns the code and hosting? Is SEO setup included? What does support cost after launch? A cheaper quote that excludes all of these becomes the expensive one within a year.
My rule: the price agreed before work starts is the price paid, in writing, with a staged payment plan. If your current quotation cannot give you that, keep looking — or book a free estimate meeting and get a written one from me.