- CostAffordable≈20% under Asia
- SafetyCaution1.0/5
- MobilityLimited2.0/5
- CultureRich3.8/5
- ClimateWarm11–41°
Top cities
- Mumbai20.5M residents
- Delhi31.4M residents
- Bengaluru15.2M residents
- Hyderābād9.5M residents
- Ahmedabad7.9M residents
Source: GeoNames
Cost of living in India
Affordable for Asia.
India is cheaper than 21 of 22 Asian countries — roughly 20% below the Asian median of $1,032/mo.
The city you choose shifts your budget — Mumbai ($1,135) runs 1.5× Pune ($763).
Good to know — low cost often trades against local salaries and visa options — budget for income, not just spending. Learn how we measure this →
Safety in India
The one thing to watch: property crime.
India is less safe than 21 of 22 Asian countries — well below the Asian median (2.1/5).
Property crime: fairly even across India, not concentrated in any one city.
Good to know — a calm national average can hide neighbourhood-level crime — research the specific district you would live in. Learn how we measure this →
Getting around India
Mobility in India needs more planning across its cities.
India is harder to get around than 15 of 22 Asian countries — a notch below the Asian median (2.2/5).
Across 4 cities, getting around stays within a narrow band — no single city is a real outlier.
Good to know — strong airport access can coexist with weak everyday transit — check the mode you would actually use. Learn how we measure this →
Culture in India
India has a strong cultural scene across its cities.
India is richer in culture than 15 of 22 Asian countries — a notch above the Asian median (3.5/5).
Across 4 cities, cultural life stays broadly present — no single city stands far apart.
4.1/5- Theatre
- Nightlife
- Festivals
3.9/5- Museums
- Festivals
3.5/5- Festivals
1983UNESCO ↗- Cultural
- Artistic masterpiece
1983UNESCO ↗- Cultural
- Ancient civilization
1983UNESCO ↗- Cultural
- Living heritage
1986UNESCO ↗- Cultural
- Architectural landmark
1986UNESCO ↗- Cultural
- Ancient civilization
Good to know — a strong national culture score can be carried by one or two big cities — check the specific city, not only the country average. Learn how we measure this →
Airports in India
Indira Gandhi International Airport is India's busiest gateway.
India is busier than 84 of 87 countries worldwide. It sees ~24 air passengers per 100 residents a year — a derived figure, not itself ranked.
16 major airports handle about 324M passengers a year. Tap any to see its nearest cities and how far they are.
Good to know — passenger volume is total throughput, not direct-route breadth; a large hub can still lack flights to your region. Learn how we measure this →
Passport strength in India
India's passport ranks #77 worldwide — 58 destinations visa-free.
This is the passport you’d gain by naturalizing here — a long-horizon payoff measured in years of residency, not a signal for the move itself.
- Mobility
- #7758 destinations
- GDP reach
- #1318.3% of world GDP
- Heritage
- #116213 of 1,353 UNESCO sites
Good to know — a mobility rank counts how many destinations you can enter, not how useful they are; a strong passport can still gate the one place you care about. Learn how we measure this →
Climate in India
Warm summers, gentle winters.
Where most people in India live, it's typically 11° to 41° feels-like across the year; sun is plentiful, up to ~309 days a year in Jodhpur.
Feels-like °C — where most people live, vs the city-to-city spread
Good to know— a country isn't one climate but a range; the extremes here are different cities, not the same place across seasons. Learn how we measure this →
Who thrives in India
India suits a wide range of lifestyles.
Fit is scored per lifestyle and anchored to the cities that serve each best — Winter Escapist leads. Pick one to see exactly where it works.
Great fit
Decent fit
Poor fit
Good to know — fit is by city, not country; a lifestyle that thrives here may only do so in one or two of its cities. Learn how we measure this →