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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cost of living in Patna, India (2026): cost index 68 (-25 vs national avg), rent ₹7,500/mo, median income ₹3,20,000/yr. Rent takes 28% of gross income. Full breakdown vs Bihar peers below.
Cost of living in Patna, India (2026): cost index 68 (-25 vs national avg), rent ₹7,500/mo, median income ₹3,20,000/yr. Rent takes 28% of gross income. Full breakdown vs Bihar peers below.
Patna: cost index 68 (-25 vs national avg 93), rent ₹7,500/month.
Bihar region average cost index: 93. Patna is -25 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 51/100 — safety 48, healthcare 48, walkability 35.
Safety score: 48/100 (crime rate 72.5/1k). National average: 62/100.
The conventional wisdom says one thing. The data says another: Patna has a cost index of 68 — 25 points below the India national average of 93. Median income is ₹3,20,000 with rent at ₹7,500/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 28%. That gap is hard to ignore.
Here's where it gets complicated: looking at Bihar as a whole, the spread across all 28 cities is 74 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, Patna scores a composite score of 51/100 — reflecting its safety (48), healthcare (48), and walkability (35) metrics. Here's where it gets complicated: 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 | Patna | 68 | ₹7,500 | ₹3,20,000 |
| 2 | Raipur | 68 | ₹7,000 | ₹3,40,000 |
| 3 | Ranchi | 70 | ₹7,500 | ₹3,50,000 |
| 4 | Bhopal | 72 | ₹8,500 | ₹3,60,000 |
| 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 |
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.
Bhopal — cost index 72, rent ₹8,500/mo, income ₹3,60,000, QoL 63/100.
Bhubaneswar — cost index 72, rent ₹8,000/mo, income ₹3,60,000, QoL 63/100.
Patna has a cost index of 68 (national avg: 93). Median rent is ₹7,500/month, median income ₹3,20,000/year, giving a rent-to-income ratio of 28%.
The Bihar region of average QoL score is 57/100. Patna leads with 51/100, 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.
Patna: cost index 68, rent ₹7,500/mo, income ₹3,20,000/yr, QoL 51/100. Raipur: cost index 68, rent ₹7,000/mo, income ₹3,40,000/yr, QoL 59/100.
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.