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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cost of living in Bhopal, India (2026): cost index 72 (-21 vs national avg), rent ₹8,500/mo, median income ₹3,60,000/yr. Rent takes 28% of gross income. Full breakdown vs Madhya Pradesh peers below.
Cost of living in Bhopal, India (2026): cost index 72 (-21 vs national avg), rent ₹8,500/mo, median income ₹3,60,000/yr. Rent takes 28% of gross income. Full breakdown vs Madhya Pradesh peers below.
Bhopal: cost index 72 (-21 vs national avg 93), rent ₹8,500/month.
Madhya Pradesh region average cost index: 93. Bhopal is -21 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 63/100 — safety 65, healthcare 58, walkability 40.
Safety score: 65/100 (crime rate 42.8/1k). National average: 62/100.
Most comparisons stop at rent. We didn't. Bhopal has a cost index of 72 — 21 points below the India national average of 93. Median income is ₹3,60,000 with rent at ₹8,500/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 28%. This combination is rare — and valuable.
And here's the trade-off: looking at Madhya Pradesh as a whole, the spread across all 28 cities is 70 points on the cost index. Mumbai sits at the other end with index 142 and rent of ₹35,000/mo. This combination is rare — and valuable.
On quality of life, Bhopal scores a composite score of 63/100 — reflecting its safety (65), healthcare (58), and walkability (40) metrics. Pair that with the housing data, and the pattern sharpens. affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and India is a good example of that tension.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhopal | 72 | ₹8,500 | ₹3,60,000 |
| 2 | Patna | 68 | ₹7,500 | ₹3,20,000 |
| 3 | Raipur | 68 | ₹7,000 | ₹3,40,000 |
| 4 | Ranchi | 70 | ₹7,500 | ₹3,50,000 |
| 5 | Bhubaneswar | 72 | ₹8,000 | ₹3,60,000 |
| 6 | Indore | 75 | ₹9,000 | ₹3,80,000 |
| 7 | Guwahati | 75 | ₹9,000 | ₹3,80,000 |
| 8 | Nagpur | 78 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 9 | Lucknow | 78 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,00,000 |
| 10 | Coimbatore | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 11 | Surat | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,50,000 |
| 12 | Visakhapatnam | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 13 | Dehradun | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 14 | Jaipur | 85 | ₹11,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 15 | Kolkata | 88 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,50,000 |
| 16 | Ahmedabad | 88 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
| 17 | Thiruvananthapuram | 88 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,40,000 |
| 18 | Kochi | 95 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
| 19 | Chandigarh | 98 | ₹14,000 | ₹5,20,000 |
| 20 | Panaji | 105 | ₹15,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
Bhopal — cost index 72, rent ₹8,500/mo, income ₹3,60,000, QoL 63/100.
Patna — cost index 68, rent ₹7,500/mo, income ₹3,20,000, QoL 51/100.
Raipur — cost index 68, rent ₹7,000/mo, income ₹3,40,000, QoL 59/100.
Ranchi — cost index 70, rent ₹7,500/mo, income ₹3,50,000, QoL 59/100.
Bhubaneswar — cost index 72, rent ₹8,000/mo, income ₹3,60,000, QoL 63/100.
Bhopal has a cost index of 72 (national avg: 93). Median rent is ₹8,500/month, median income ₹3,60,000/year, giving a rent-to-income ratio of 28%.
The Madhya Pradesh region of average QoL score is 57/100. Bhopal leads with 63/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include MoSPI CPI, RBI, NHB RESIDEX, PLFS.
Bhopal: cost index 72, rent ₹8,500/mo, income ₹3,60,000/yr, QoL 63/100. Patna: cost index 68, rent ₹7,500/mo, income ₹3,20,000/yr, QoL 51/100.
This analysis uses data from MoSPI CPI, RBI, NHB RESIDEX, PLFS to rank cities in India. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.