Loading
Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Is Lucknow good for expats? It's worth considering — QoL score 54/100, safety 55/100, rent ₹10,000/mo, median income ₹4,00,000/yr. Compared to 27 other Uttar Pradesh cities below.
Is Lucknow good for expats? It's worth considering — QoL score 54/100, safety 55/100, rent ₹10,000/mo, median income ₹4,00,000/yr. Compared to 27 other Uttar Pradesh cities below.
Lucknow: cost index 78 (-15 vs national avg 93), rent ₹10,000/month.
Uttar Pradesh region average cost index: 93. Lucknow is -15 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 54/100 — safety 55, healthcare 62, walkability 38.
Safety score: 55/100 (crime rate 55.2/1k). National average: 62/100.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucknow | 78 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,00,000 |
| 2 | Thiruvananthapuram | 88 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,40,000 |
| 3 | Kochi | 95 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
| 4 | Coimbatore | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 5 | Dehradun | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 6 | Chandigarh | 98 | ₹14,000 | ₹5,20,000 |
| 7 | Panaji | 105 | ₹15,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
| 8 | Indore | 75 | ₹9,000 | ₹3,80,000 |
| 9 | Bhopal | 72 | ₹8,500 | ₹3,60,000 |
| 10 | Bhubaneswar | 72 | ₹8,000 | ₹3,60,000 |
| 11 | Nagpur | 78 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 12 | Visakhapatnam | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 13 | Guwahati | 75 | ₹9,000 | ₹3,80,000 |
| 14 | Surat | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,50,000 |
| 15 | Ranchi | 70 | ₹7,500 | ₹3,50,000 |
| 16 | Raipur | 68 | ₹7,000 | ₹3,40,000 |
| 17 | Kolkata | 88 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,50,000 |
| 18 | Ahmedabad | 88 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
| 19 | Chennai | 112 | ₹18,000 | ₹5,80,000 |
| 20 | Pune | 108 | ₹18,000 | ₹6,20,000 |
The conventional wisdom says one thing. The data says another: Lucknow has a cost index of 78 — 15 points below the India national average of 93. Median income is ₹4,00,000 with rent at ₹10,000/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 30%. Financially, that's significant.
Zooming out, looking at Uttar Pradesh as a whole, the spread across all 28 cities is 64 points on the cost index. Mumbai sits at the other end with index 142 and rent of ₹35,000/mo. That's a strong position by any measure.
On quality of life, Lucknow scores a composite score of 54/100 — reflecting its safety (55), healthcare (62), and walkability (38) 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.
Lucknow — cost index 78, rent ₹10,000/mo, income ₹4,00,000, QoL 54/100.
Thiruvananthapuram — cost index 88, rent ₹10,000/mo, income ₹4,40,000, QoL 70/100.
Kochi — cost index 95, rent ₹12,000/mo, income ₹4,80,000, QoL 67/100.
Coimbatore — cost index 82, rent ₹10,000/mo, income ₹4,20,000, QoL 65/100.
Dehradun — cost index 82, rent ₹10,000/mo, income ₹4,20,000, QoL 65/100.
Lucknow scores 54/100 on the relevant index for expats — with rent of ₹10,000/month and cost index 78 (15 points below the national average of 93).
The Uttar Pradesh region of average QoL score is 57/100. Lucknow leads with 54/100, 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.
Lucknow: cost index 78, rent ₹10,000/mo, income ₹4,00,000/yr, QoL 54/100. Thiruvananthapuram: cost index 88, rent ₹10,000/mo, income ₹4,40,000/yr, QoL 70/100.
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.