Assembling your view…
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Cost of living in Thiruvananthapuram, India (2026): cost index 88 (-5 vs national avg), rent ₹10,000/mo, median income ₹4,40,000/yr. Rent takes 27% of gross income. Full breakdown vs Kerala peers below.
Cost of living in Thiruvananthapuram, India (2026): cost index 88 (-5 vs national avg), rent ₹10,000/mo, median income ₹4,40,000/yr. Rent takes 27% of gross income. Full breakdown vs Kerala peers below.
| # | City | Cost Index | Rent/mo | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thiruvananthapuram | 88 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,40,000 |
| 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 | Bhopal | 72 | ₹8,500 | ₹3,60,000 |
| 6 | Bhubaneswar | 72 | ₹8,000 | ₹3,60,000 |
| 7 | Indore | 75 | ₹9,000 | ₹3,80,000 |
| 8 | Guwahati | 75 | ₹9,000 | ₹3,80,000 |
| 9 | Nagpur | 78 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 10 | Lucknow | 78 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,00,000 |
| 11 | Coimbatore | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 12 | Surat | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,50,000 |
| 13 | Visakhapatnam | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 14 | Dehradun | 82 | ₹10,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 15 | Jaipur | 85 | ₹11,000 | ₹4,20,000 |
| 16 | Kolkata | 88 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,50,000 |
| 17 | Ahmedabad | 88 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
| 18 | Kochi | 95 | ₹12,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
| 19 | Chandigarh | 98 | ₹14,000 | ₹5,20,000 |
| 20 | Panaji | 105 | ₹15,000 | ₹4,80,000 |
Thiruvananthapuram: cost index 88 (-5 vs national avg 93), rent ₹10,000/month.
Kerala region average cost index: 93. Thiruvananthapuram is -5 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 70/100 — safety 75, healthcare 80, walkability 38.
Safety score: 75/100 (crime rate 28.2/1k). National average: 62/100.
One stat flips the usual narrative: Thiruvananthapuram has a cost index of 88 — 5 points below the India national average of 93. Median income is ₹4,40,000 with rent at ₹10,000/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 27%. That gap is hard to ignore.
Zooming out, looking at Kerala as a whole, the spread across all 28 cities is 54 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, Thiruvananthapuram scores a composite score of 70/100 — reflecting its safety (75), healthcare (80), and walkability (38) metrics. And here's the trade-off: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and India is a good example of that tension.
Thiruvananthapuram — cost index 88, rent ₹10,000/mo, income ₹4,40,000, QoL 70/100.
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.
Bhopal — cost index 72, rent ₹8,500/mo, income ₹3,60,000, QoL 63/100.
Thiruvananthapuram has a cost index of 88 (national avg: 93). Median rent is ₹10,000/month, median income ₹4,40,000/year, giving a rent-to-income ratio of 27%.
The Kerala region of average QoL score is 57/100. Thiruvananthapuram leads with 70/100, 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.
Thiruvananthapuram: cost index 88, rent ₹10,000/mo, income ₹4,40,000/yr, QoL 70/100. 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.