Home to more than 15,000 startups and global technology giants like Google, Amazon and Infosy, Bengaluru has long been India’s IT capital and a top destination for young professionals. But over the past decade, India’s urban landscape has changed rapidly. Better infrastructure, expanding metro networks, booming startup ecosystems and improved quality of life have made several other cities attractive places to live and work. Property consultant ANAROCK helps decode which cities are emerging as the best places to live and work, beyond Bengaluru. And we also explore how the cost of living compares across these cities
Which Indian city can be the next Bengaluru?
The key success ingredients of Bengaluru – namely, IT/ITeS and GCC ecosystem, skilled talent pool, and residential real estate price momentum – are currently most visible in Hyderabad and Pune.
Hyderabad
It is the prime candidate. According to ANAROCK data, it has seen the highest residential price appreciation of 64% between 2019 and H1 2024, ahead of even Bengaluru’s 57%. In Q1 2026, Hyderabad’s residential prices rose another 6% year-on-year, while Bengaluru and Pune saw 8% and 5% annual growth, respectively.
Office rentals grew by 25% in 2019-24, with the Kokapet micro-market clocking 89% capital appreciation alone. Hyderabad remains one of the southern cities driving GCC activity, with Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad together accounting for 64% of GCC office leasing in Q1 2025.
Cost of living one person: ₹41.9K
Cost of living Family: ₹102K
Pune
The city has emulated Bengaluru’s early growth story, recording over 150% growth in new home purchases over six years. This is among the highest in all metro cities. In H1 2025, Pune also featured among the top land markets with 214 acres transacted, reinforcing continued development momentum.
Pune and Hyderabad account for a meaningful share of the GCC leasing market, with a lot of Grade A office supply under active development to cater to the surging demand.
Cost of living one person: ₹46.9K
Cost of living Family: ₹112K
Chennai
The metro city is also witnessing rapid growth in the commercial real estate segment, with office rentals rising by 20% between 2019 and 2024. It also accounts for a substantial share of GCC leasing in India’s southern corridor, which continues to dominate the category.
Cost of living one person: ₹38.7K
Cost of living Family: ₹95.3K
Which other Indian cities emerging as attractive places to live and work?
Outside of the top 3 cities, GCCs are actively expanding in cities like Ahmedabad, Kochi, Coimbatore. In H1 2025, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, and Amritsar emerged as the biggest Tier-2 land deal destinations, with 714 acres, 590 acres, and 520 acres respectively, while Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities together accounted for 1,907 acres out of India’s 2,898-acre total land deals.
Here’s a look at cost of living in these cities:
Ahmedabad
Cost of living one person: ₹41K
Cost of living Family: ₹97.6K
Kochi
Cost of living one person: ₹37.1K
Cost of living Family: ₹92K
Coimbatore:
Cost of living one person: ₹31.5K
Cost of living Family: ₹76.8K
While Bengaluru still stands out as India’s technology powerhouse, cities like Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and several emerging Tier-2 hubs are steadily narrowing the gap with strong job growth, improving infrastructure and relatively affordable living costs.