http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/77744
Desertpearl, Check the above link for safety tips for women travelers in India. I feel certain you would benefit from buying a guidebook for your travels. Then you would have a good feel for what costs are for the level of comfort you would like. I am male and always travel solo. Bugs don't bother me, as long as they are not nibbling on me in bed. I much prefer fan cooling to AC. Earlier this year, I kept track of my daily costs, as there was a thread on TT about it at the time, and found that I averaged 1,100 rupees a day over a two-month period. Note that this was my average without scrimping. I did everything I wanted to do, traveled in 2A on long distance trains and happily paid entrance fees to whatever I wanted to see. During that time I traveled from Kolkata down to Vizag and back, with a stop in Bhubaneswar as well. In Kolkata, where I spent several weeks, there were days when my total cost was 650-700 rupees. My room in Kolkata, just off Sudder Street, was 350 rupees and it had a private bathroom. I kept that room (to good to give up) even when going out of town for a couple nights to places like Bishnupur, so there were days that I paid for two rooms. It really just depends on what you are comfortable with. Last year, in the hot summer I had a fan room in Varanasi for 200 rupees at the Golden Lodge, which was very clean and comfortable with private bathroom. They had private rooms for 150 rupees at the time, as well. Do buy a guidebook; you will be happy to have it.
