Metro Take-Home Index 2026

Snapshot

The thesis: pay is similar, cost isn't

Job seekers obsess over the salary number and barely price the city. The data says that's backwards. For the same role and experience, tech packages across India's metros typically sit within about 10–15% of each other. Cost of living, by contrast, ranges from an index of 68 (Pune) to 100 (Mumbai) — a far bigger spread. The city you pick moves your real take-home more than the offer you negotiate.

Cost of living, indexed

WIB's cost-of-living index (100 = most expensive) across the six metros our city guides cover:

Rent — the single biggest variable

Rent explains most of the cost gap. A good-area 2BHK ranges nearly 3× between the cheapest and priciest metro:

The take-home test

Hold the package flat and adjust only for cost of living: here's what a ₹20 lakh salary is really worth in each metro, indexed to Mumbai's cost base. Think of it as the lifestyle that salary buys, not the number on the offer letter.

Worked example: Bangalore vs Hyderabad

The classic dilemma for Indian tech workers. A senior engineer (5+ years) earns about ₹25–45 lakh in Bangalore and ₹22–42 lakh in Hyderabad — Bangalore edges ahead, thanks to its denser startup and product-company market. But Bangalore's cost index (85) and rents (₹35–65K) sit well above Hyderabad's (72; ₹22–45K). For most engineers the modest Bangalore pay premium is eaten by higher rent and living costs, leaving comparable — sometimes better — take-home in Hyderabad. Bangalore wins on career optionality and ESOP upside; Hyderabad wins on money kept.

Who should move where

• Maximising savings / early career: Pune, Chennai or Hyderabad — the same pay stretches ~40% further than Mumbai.
• Career optionality & startup upside: Bangalore — you pay for it in rent, but the job market and ESOP density are unmatched.
• Finance / media / absolute top salaries: Mumbai — the pay premium can be real at senior levels, but you need it to be large to beat the cost base.
• Balance of pay, cost and lifestyle: Hyderabad and Pune consistently score as the best all-round value in our city index.

Compare any two cities

Key takeaways for 2026

1. Negotiate the city, not just the CTC. Moving from Mumbai to Pune does more for your real income than a 15% raise.
2. Rent is the whole game. It's the one line item that varies ~3× between metros; everything else is second-order.
3. Bangalore's premium is optionality, not take-home. You pay Bangalore rents for the deepest job market and ESOP density — worth it for ambition, not for savings.
4. Hyderabad and Pune are the value sweet spot. Near-metro pay, clearly sub-metro cost.
5. A big Mumbai number can still be right — but only if it's large enough to clear a cost base 30–47% above the cheaper metros.

Methodology

Cost-of-living indices and rent ranges are drawn from WIB's city-living comparison guides, which compile rent, salary, schooling, healthcare and lifestyle data per city. The "real value" column holds a ₹20 lakh package flat and divides by each city's cost index (indexed to Mumbai = 100) — a simplified purchasing-power illustration, not a tax or net-of-savings calculation. Salary bands reference WIB's India Salary Index 2026 and are similar across metros for a given role; city rankings draw on our India City Living Index. Figures are indicative for 2026; individual take-home depends on rent choice, lifestyle and tax.

Read more about WIB's approach at editorial-process.