📌 Overview

"Living in India 2025" is a synthetic yet realistic dataset that explores the cost of living and quality of life across 200 Indian cities. It combines key indicators such as average rent, food cost, internet speed, healthcare rating, safety score, and happiness index to help analysts, students, and data enthusiasts perform in-depth comparisons and uncover meaningful insights. 📊 What’s Inside

The dataset contains 200 rows (one per city) and the following columns:

City – Name of the Indian city.

Average Rent (₹) – Estimated monthly rent for a standard apartment.

Food Cost (₹) – Average monthly food expenses per person.

Internet Speed (Mbps) – Typical broadband download speed.

Healthcare Rating (1-10) – Quality and accessibility of healthcare services.

Safety Score (1-10) – Perceived safety level in the city.

Happiness Index (1-10) – Overall life satisfaction rating.

💡 Potential Insights You Can Explore

Which Indian cities provide the best happiness for the least money?

How safety and happiness correlate across regions.

Which cities are most digital-nomad-friendly based on internet speed and cost.

Regional patterns in healthcare quality vs cost of living.

🛠 Ideal For

Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)

Data Visualization Projects

Regression & Correlation Studies

Geospatial Mapping

Urban Economics & Policy Research

As of September 2025, Mumbai had the highest cost of living among other cities in the country, with an index value of ****. Gurgaon, a satellite city of Delhi and part of the National Capital Region (NCR) followed it with an index value of ****.  What is cost of living? The cost of living varies depending on geographical regions and factors that affect the cost of living in an area include housing, food, utilities, clothing, childcare, and fuel among others. The cost of living is calculated based on different measures such as the consumer price index (CPI), living cost indexes, and wage price index. CPI refers to the change in the value of consumer goods and services. The wage price index, on the other hand, measures the change in labor services prices due to market pressures. Lastly, the living cost indexes calculate the impact of changing costs on different households. The relationship between wages and costs determines affordability and shifts in the cost of living. Mumbai tops the list Mumbai usually tops the list of most expensive cities in India. As the financial and entertainment hub of the country, Mumbai offers wide opportunities and attracts talent from all over the country. It is the second-largest city in India and has one of the most expensive real estates in the world.

According to a survey conducted in July 2023, the average monthly medical expenses in India for chronically ill patients not availing free medicine was about ************ Indian rupees. Meanwhile, patients with chronic illness incurred an average monthly expense of nearly ************* rupees.

This dataset provides detailed budget allocation insights for urban and rural households in India, capturing present living standards. The data includes various spending areas such as housing, food, transportation, healthcare, education, and discretionary expenses. The dataset is designed to help researchers, policymakers, and individuals understand spending habits and optimize budget planning.

Context: The dataset is derived from various government reports, surveys, and market research studies that provide a snapshot of the current economic conditions and living standards in India. It includes average income levels, typical expenses, and common savings patterns for both urban and rural households.

Sources:

National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) Various market research reports and publications Inspiration: The inspiration behind this dataset is to provide a clear and detailed picture of how households in different regions of India allocate their budgets. This can be a valuable resource for economists, social scientists, financial advisors, and anyone interested in understanding the financial behavior of Indian households.

Indian students studying abroad in higher education courses are estimated to spend around ****** U.S. dollars in 2023. The expenditure includes tuition, accommodation, and other living expenses. The average expenditure in Australia is also estimated to be over ****** U.S. dollars. English-speaking countries like the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, are most preferred destinations by Indian students.

In 2023, Ahmedabad had the most affordable housing market of the eight biggest metropolitan areas in India with a proportion of ** percent of income to monthly instalment of a housing unit. In Mumbai the affordability index was at ** percent, the only city with higher than threshold affordability ratio set at ** percent. However, the affordability index has significantly improved from pre-pandemic times in 2019 for many cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru and NCR.

India HUDCO: Project Cost: Cumulative: Kartanaka data was reported at 404,917.700 INR mn in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 393,995.400 INR mn for 2017. India HUDCO: Project Cost: Cumulative: Kartanaka data is updated yearly, averaging 562,261.000 INR mn from Mar 2008 (Median) to 2018, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 759,751.900 INR mn in 2016 and a record low of 202,323.500 INR mn in 2008. India HUDCO: Project Cost: Cumulative: Kartanaka data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Construction and Property – Table IN.ED013: Housing Statistics: Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO): Project Cost: by States.

Cost of food in India decreased 5.02 percent in October of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides - India Food Inflation - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

India HUDCO: Project Cost: Cumulative: Total data was reported at 5,962,002.900 INR mn in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,191,665.700 INR mn for 2017. India HUDCO: Project Cost: Cumulative: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 5,309,914.150 INR mn from Mar 2008 (Median) to 2018, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,962,002.900 INR mn in 2018 and a record low of 2,832,636.900 INR mn in 2008. India HUDCO: Project Cost: Cumulative: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Construction and Property – Table IN.ED013: Housing Statistics: Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO): Project Cost: by States.

BackgroundOutreach and promotion programs are essential to ensuring uptake of new public health interventions and guidelines. We assessed the costs and operation dynamics of outreach and promotion efforts for up front Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) testing for pediatric presumptive tuberculosis (TB) patients in four major Indian cities.MethodsXpert test costs were assessed as weighted average per-test costs based on the daily workload dynamics matched by test volume specific Xpert unit cost at each study site. Costs of outreach programs to recruit health providers to refer pediatric patients for Xpert testing were assessed as cost per referral for each quarter based on total program costs and referral data. All costs were assessed in the health service provider’s perspective and expressed in 2015 USD.ResultsWeighted average per-test costs ranged from $14.71 to $17.81 at the four laboratories assessed. Differences between laboratories were associated with unused testing capacity and/or frequencies of overtime work to cope with increasing demand and same-day testing requirements. Outreach activities generated between 825 and 2,065 Xpert testing referrals on average each quarter across the four study sites, translating into $0.63 to $2.55 per patient referred. Overall outreach costs per referral decreased with time, stabilizing at an average cost of $1.10, and demonstrated a clear association with increased referrals.ConclusionsXpert test and outreach program costs within and across study sites were mainly driven by the dynamics of Xpert testing demand resulting from the combined outreach activities. However, these increases in demand required considerable overtime work resulting in additional costs and operational challenges at the study laboratories. Therefore, careful laboratory operational adjustment should be evaluated at target areas in parallel to the anticipated demand from the Xpert referral outreach program scale-up in other Indian regions.

Hourly rates, project breakdown percentages, provider costs, and complexity cost ranges in INR.

Daily, monthly, and annual costs in the table below are based on a part-time care schedule of 4 hours of care per day, 5 days per week.

In a survey conducted between ************* and ************, it was found that over ** percent of land-owning farmers and ** percent of landless agricultural laborers found it difficult to manage their daily expenses as compared to last year. An average of over * percent of total respondents' expenses had gone down. This was weeks before farmers decided to camp at Delhi borders for the second round of protests against the government policies.

According to a survey conducted in 2015 across India, over ** percent of the surveyed households had an average monthly income up to 10,000 Indian rupees. This percentage varied among the rural and urban areas, where over ** percent of the rural households and ** percent of the urban households earned up to 10,000 Indian rupees monthly. India had a high rate of rural to urban migration, as Indian cities provided better standards of living and employment opportunities.

Multiple income generators

For most of the population, income is earned in form of wages or salary, rent from residential or commercial property, interest from financial investments, and profits from family businesses. Most Indian households have multiple earning members to support consumption expenses on a day to day basis. During the surveyed year, around ** percent of the households had a single earner, mostly the head of the family, followed by about ** percent of households with two earning members.

Employment scenario

There are a lot of uncertainties in the job market in India. Non-availability of jobs matching education and skills was one of the main reasons for unemployment among Indian graduates. Underemployment was also a problem, and it was higher in urban areas than rural ones. Even though a majority of the population was self-employed, most jobs taken by workers had no written job contracts in both the salaried and casual employment sectors.

According to a survey on Indian subscription consumers, the respondents stated that on an average they spent the most amount per month, *** Indian rupees, on e-learning subscription services per household. In comparison, the least amount was spent on music streaming subscriptions with approximately *** Indian rupees per month per household.

The average salary for male employees in urban area was the highest during the months of April to June 2020 at about ** thousand Indian rupees. The average salary drawn by female workers was the highest in the months of April to June 2020, however, lesser compared to their male counterparts. Unsurprisingly, the urban earnings in terms of wages and salaries are always higher than rural employees. Urban versus rural employment The gender gap in salaries was more prominent in rural areas, where, the male workers earned nearly an average of *** times more. However, urban employees just earn a few thousands more than their rural counterpart, while, the cost of living in cities is twice as expensive as villages. Moreover, a majority of the Indian households belonged to the middle-income bracket and this is expected to increase in the future. Wage disparity Wage inequalities are present in almost every sector and widens with higher skill levels. With the evident gender disparity in the country, women with lower educational qualifications, such as a high school diplomas continue working despite the pay gap. This is among women who primarily come from the lower economic sector. Moreover, the social mobility index for fair wage distribution was **** as of 2020, indicating a need for improvement.

Cost of Cultivation: Oilseeds: Coconut: Kerala: Economic Life: 8-50 Years: Operating Cost: Human Labour: Family data was reported at 32,837.160 INR/ha in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 22,060.500 INR/ha for 2020. Cost of Cultivation: Oilseeds: Coconut: Kerala: Economic Life: 8-50 Years: Operating Cost: Human Labour: Family data is updated yearly, averaging 11,361.285 INR/ha from Mar 2006 (Median) to 2021, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 32,837.160 INR/ha in 2021 and a record low of 5,745.150 INR/ha in 2008. Cost of Cultivation: Oilseeds: Coconut: Kerala: Economic Life: 8-50 Years: Operating Cost: Human Labour: Family data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Agriculture Sector – Table IN.RIH102: Cost of Cultivation: Non Foodgrains: Oilseeds: Coconut: Kerala: Economic Life: 8-50 Years.

The food inflation in India fell to ***** percent year-on-year in July 2025. In 2024, the food inflation peaked in October at about ** percent. Impact of inflation Inflation is a key economic indicator of an economy, influencing purchasing power, investments, and economic growth. The rise in food prices, which comprise about **** of the consumer price index (CPI) basket, affects large sections of the Indian population. Supply chain disruptions, increased cost of production, global market dependency, weather conditions, and government policies on minimum support prices are some reasons leading to food inflation. TOP drivers of food inflation Price-sensitive vegetables viz. tomato, onion, and potato (TOP) were the leading drivers of food inflation as per the Economic Survey for the financial year 2025. Experts argue that price pressures are not mainly due to a shortfall in production but post-harvest losses, seasonal production, and regional dispersion in production.  

As of 2022, Israel had the highest price level index among listed countries, amounting to 138, with 100 being the average of OECD countries. Switzerland and Iceland followed on the places behind. On the other hand, Turkey and India had the lowest price levels compared to the OECD average. This price index shows differences in price levels in different countries. Another very popular index indicating the value of money is the Big Mac index, showing how much a Big Mac costs in different countries. This list was also topped by Switzerland in 2023.

In 2024, the monthly seat price for flex workspaces in Mumbai was approximately ** thousand Indian rupees, making it the city with the most expensive coworking spaces in India. In contrast, a flex seat in Noida costs only ***** Indian rupees per month.