6 Most Expensive Cities In India  To Live In

18 AUG, 2023

Adhya Moona

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A new report has been released by Knight Frank India, a leading property consultant, where they have ranked the most expensive Indian cities to live in.

the knight frank affordability index

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This index measures living affordability based on the EMIs a resident in that city has to pay if they get a house with a home loan, divided by total income of an average household in that city.

how does the index work?

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The EMI/Income ratio over 50% is considered unaffordable because it is the limit beyond which banks rarely underwrite a mortgage.

the emi/income ratio

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The most expensive city to live in in India is Mumbai. Mumbai has an expensive housing market. In Mumbai, the home loan EMI to income ratio is 55%.

1. mumbai

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So, in Mumbai, an average household has to pay more than half of its income on home loan EMIs if they have to get a house on loan. 

mumbai is expensive to live in

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Hyderabad is the second most expensive city to live in. Here, the EMI-to-income ratio is 31%. 

2. hyderabad

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Delhi and the National Capital Region ranks third where one has to dedicate 30% of their income to home loan EMIs.

3. delhi-ncr

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Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is the fourth most expensive city in India. In Chennai, the EMI-to-income ratio is of 28%. 

4. chennai

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Pune, another city in the state of Maharashtra is considered an expensive city to live in. Here, an average household has to pay 26% of their income on home loan EMIs.

5. pune

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Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal, shares the fifth position on the list of the most expensive cities in India along with Pune. 

5. kolkata

According to this index, the most affordable city to live in in India is Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Households here have to pay 23% of its income for home loan EMIs. 

most affordable city

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