Want to live and work in India?

India is one of the cheapest countries in the world by international standards. A one-bedroom apartment in good neighborhoods of Bangalore (Indiranagar, Koramangala) or Pune rents for between USD 250 and 600 per month. In Mumbai (Bandra, Powai) and Delhi (Vasant Vihar, Greater Kailash), rents double, with USD 600 to 1,500 for quality apartments. Smaller cities offer housing from as little as USD 100.

Grocery shopping costs about USD 100 to 250 per month for one person. Eating at local restaurants (thalis, dhabas) is extremely cheap: USD 2 to 4 for a full meal. Restaurants in expat neighborhoods in Bangalore or Mumbai charge USD 15 to 30 per person. Full-time domestic help costs USD 150 to 350 per month, a common practice in middle-class families.

Electricity, water, gas, and internet together come to about USD 80 to 150 per month. Home internet is good in major cities and cheap (USD 15-25 for 200 Mbps). Public transport varies: modern metro systems in Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai; ride-hailing apps like Ola and Uber are universal and much cheaper than in the US. Private health insurance costs USD 50 to 250 per month, with access to hospitals such as Apollo, Fortis, and Manipal.

Basic education in India is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 14 by the Constitution (RTE Act). Quality varies greatly between states and between urban and rural areas. There is also a large private supply, from local schools to international ones (Indus International, American Embassy School, British School, Pathways), especially in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai.

Higher education is vast and unequal. At the top, institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs, with campuses in Mumbai, Delhi, Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati), the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs, with IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta leading), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi are extremely competitive. Admission requires exams such as JEE Advanced, NEET, and CAT, with acceptance rates of 1 to 2%.

For foreign students, specific study visas are available, and several universities accept students directly without national exams. International interest is growing in yoga, Ayurveda, religious studies, and technology, with students coming from Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Tuition fees at private universities range from USD 2,000 to 15,000 per year, a competitive price in the global context.

Safety in India is a nuanced and regionally variable subject. For most tourists and foreign residents, violent crime is uncommon. The most frequent issues are petty scams (inflated prices, fake guides, fake taxis), pickpocketing at stations, markets, and shops, and online fraud. These are generally avoided with prior research and using trusted apps (Uber, Ola).

Women travelers or residents need specific precautions, especially in Delhi and some cities in the North. Avoiding solo late-night travel, staying alert in crowded metros and buses, and using the women-only metro cars in Delhi are common practices. The South (Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kerala) and Mumbai (one of the safest megacities for women) are generally considered more secure.

Middle- and upper-class residential neighborhoods in Mumbai (Bandra, Powai, Andheri West, Juhu), Bangalore (Indiranagar, Koramangala, Whitefield, HSR Layout), Delhi (Vasant Kunj, Greater Kailash, Defence Colony, Gurgaon, Noida), Hyderabad (Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills), and Chennai (Adyar, Besant Nagar) are preferred by expats. Some northeastern areas and border regions have special travel restrictions.

India is an astonishing cultural mosaic. Religion is woven into daily life: Hindu temples on every corner, mosques, churches, gurdwaras (Sikh temples), and Jain temples coexist in close proximity. Festivals mark the calendar: Diwali (festival of lights, October/November), Holi (festival of colors, March), Eid (Muslim), Christmas (especially in Goa and Kerala), Navaratri (with Garba in Gujarat and Durga Puja in Bengal), Ganesh Chaturthi, and Onam.

Cuisine varies completely by region. In the North: tandoor, naan, butter chicken, dal makhani, biryani. In the South: dosa, idli, sambar, rasam, coconut-heavy curries and curry leaves in Kerala. In Bengal: fish, mustard, sweets (rasgulla, sandesh). In Gujarat: elaborate vegetarian fare. In Goa: Portuguese-influenced curries. In Punjab: abundant dairy. Spices (cardamom, cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, garam masala) are essential throughout.

Bollywood is Mumbai's film industry, producing more movies per year than Hollywood. Regional film industries (Tollywood in Telugu, Kollywood in Tamil, Mollywood in Malayalam) are also enormous. Cricket is practically a national religion, especially during the IPL (Indian Premier League). Indian weddings are grand affairs, spanning 3 to 5 days of ceremonies, hundreds of guests, and traditional attire (saree, lehenga, sherwani).

India occupies almost the entire Indian subcontinent in South Asia, with about 3.3 million km². It borders Pakistan (west), China and Nepal (north), Bhutan (northeast), Myanmar and Bangladesh (east), and has a maritime border with Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The territory extends from the high Himalayas (the world's highest mountain range, with peaks shared between Kashmir and Sikkim) to tropical beaches in the south.

Three regions dominate: the Indo-Gangetic Plains (Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal) shelter more than 500 million people and are the agricultural heartland; the Deccan Plateau in the center-south is drier and higher, with cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad; and the coastal strip on both sides (Arabian Sea to the west, Bay of Bengal to the east) has shorelines, mangroves, and estuaries. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are in the Indian Ocean, far from the mainland.

The climate is governed by monsoons: torrential rains from June to September from the southwest feed agriculture. The north (Delhi, Punjab) has very hot summers (up to 47°C) and cold winters. The south is tropical year-round. Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have snow in winter. Goa and Kerala have a coastal climate with palm trees and beaches. The Thar Desert (Rajasthan) is one of the most arid regions in the country.

The Employment Visa is the main entry route for skilled professionals. It requires a job offer from an Indian company and a minimum annual salary of $25,000 USD (with exceptions for language teachers, ethnic chefs, and certain specific professions). The visa is typically issued for one year, renewable for up to five years. The Business Visa covers representatives of foreign companies for meetings and business activities, but does not permit employment as a local worker.

The Project Visa covers professionals on specific projects (energy, infrastructure). The Research Visa is for academics and researchers. The Student Visa covers students enrolled in recognized institutions. The OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card is a form of quasi-citizenship available to people of Indian origin (up to four generations back in some cases) and their spouses, granting the right to enter and exit freely, work, and reside, but without voting rights or eligibility for public office.

India does NOT have a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation with the United States. Indian citizens are NOT eligible for US E-1 or E-2 visas based on a treaty. India also does NOT allow effective dual citizenship: Indian citizens who acquire another nationality lose their Indian citizenship and may apply for OCI status. Naturalization in India is difficult for foreigners (generally 12 years of residence required) and rarely granted.