This used to be a village. The old city of the Nizams. In the past three years, the IT boom has transformed it into a bustling city, with malls and housing mushrooming out of the earth. The old city is fascinating. The weather is lovely from Sept-Oct - end of the monsoon season - until February / March. Then it gets hotter and hotter and dryer and dryer, until finally the first rains bring a little respite, around June / July.

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Huge houses, or services flats. Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills are nice. There are new apartment buildings, or enclosed communities sprouting all over the place. Just check the commute to work, at this can easily turn into a nightmare. It has more than doubled in the past three years. Between 2000 and 3000 US Dollars per month will get your a very nice house - but expect problems. Rare are those who haven't experienced plumbing, electricity or whatever problems, even when moving in brand new houses, or maybe especially when moving into brand new houses. You're usually expected to pay a few months in advance. This can be negociated.
Just make sure you check the renewal policies in your contract. You don't want to find your rent suddently raised.

Most everyone has at least a cleaner / housekeeper. Around 100 Us per month. The lucky ones have a good cook, but they're becoming a rarity, as there are more and more expats around - up to 200 US a month.
Drivers - starting at 150 US Dollars. Gardeners. Nannies. It's shamefully cheap, but there again, prices have gone up quite a bit since we arrived.

Cell phones work fine, and it's really cheap.
We gave up on using landlines, as their services are not reliable, and they routinely overbill. Airtel, Reliance, are good mobile phone companies.

Internet: I use SIFY and I've been happy with them. It costs me about 80 US for about 4 months of unlimited wireless access.
Internet is not a problem. The whole state should soon go wireless.

Newspapers: Indian papers written in English. The Herald Tribune. And more.
We don't have any TC cable, so cannot answer that.

Postal services are OK. Just don't have anyone send you CDs or DVDs as you'll pay huge taxes. We usually receive our parcels. Often open, sometimes some of it is broken, but for the most part, it gets here. Don't have English or Amercian magazines sent to you, though. Chances are you'll never get them.

Hard to learn the local language, as they are quite a few.
You can get by with English, even though it can be hard to communicate with house help.
Languages most spoken here in Hyderabad, are Telugu, Hindi, Urdu, and English for the educated people.

No.
We use Kinley water (Coca-Cola) and it costs about 12-15 US dollars per month.
Gas : there's only one. They deliver big bottles. Also cheap.
Electricity : only one company. That gets expensive, especially with ACs. Up to 300 US Dollars per month.

Indian Rupees.
Lots of paperwork and headaches. Indians love paperwork and they get lots in it - and loose you along the way.

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You can find all the medicines needed. Always check on the Internet, as some medicines prescribed here have been banned in the US or Europe. CHikungunya and Dengue fever are a problem. State of the art medical facilities : the problem is the diagnostic abilities of doctors.

Lots of schools. Lots of them claim to be international.
Oxbridge: has international students, not many international teachers, and from what I gathered, it relies on the Indian system. Offers the IB Program.
And they have good facilities.
Sloka follows the Waldorf philosophy. Infrastructure is poor but it seems they will be moving in a new campus next year.
International School of Hyderabad : the only alternative, really, for expats, even if a lot of parents have stong issues with the way things are run - very autocratical, under a pretense of openess, and a shrinking, tightly controlled board. Teachers are often willing and dedicated but not always properly trained and resolutely underpaid, in spite of unreasonably high fees. Due do the IT boom in the city and the massive arrival of expats, the school has more than doubled in three years, they have built a new high school outside town, and plan on building an elementary school, too. Very expensive, too. Offers the IB at the high school level.

It's crazy to drive here - on the left side. You can get your driver license. Be prepared to use your horn a lot. That's the way things go, here. You just drive ahead and honk whenever you see things coming at you, whether they are car, motocycles, autorickshaws, donkeys, camels or water buffaloes.

Lots of taxi companies, and some lease cars and drivers to expat families, so they always get the same. Communication with taxi drivers can be tricky, as they don't necessarily speak any English.

There are buses. Not safe. And a metro, not widely used, but supposed to be good.

Lots and lots of cricket, everywhere. Tennis. Hash club is very active. Golf.

Bring lots of patience, and your sense of humor. Prepare to feel frustrated, often, especially at the beginning. But you'll get used to it, eventually. India is a fascinating country. We've been here over three years and I feel we've seen so little of it, and yet we do make a point of travelling around as much as we can. Bring himidifers for the very hot and dry summers.

See too http://www.expatwomen.com/countries/links_india.php