Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

India's 5 best cities: Bengaluru is No. 1

Last updated on: December 1, 2011 08:30 IST
Bhagmane Tech Park.

Which are India's best cities to live in? While the question is highly debatable on various issues, a Mercer survey finds that India's 'Silicon Valley', Bengaluru, is the best city to live in India.

Despite the economic boom, India's biggest cities are still ranked way behind the world's best cities.

1. Bengaluru

Though Bengaluru has been ranked as India's best city, it has been placed at 141st position worldwide for quality of living. It stood 117th in personal safety survey of 221 countries.

India's information technology hub, Bengaluru is home to the biggest IT companies, colleges and research institutions in India. Bengaluru is the third most populous city and fifth-most populous urban agglomeration in India.

The city is a major economic and cultural hub and the second fastest growing major metropolis in India

Click NEXT to find out which are the other best cities to live in...

India's 5 best cities: Bengaluru is No. 1

Last updated on: December 1, 2011 08:30 IST
New Delhi International Airport.

2. New Delhi
Global rank: 143

India's capital, New Delhi is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

The National Geographic's Traveler Magazine describes it as 'one of the Ultimate Cities of a Lifetime to visit and explore'.

New Delhi is the second most expensive city in India for expatriates in terms of cost of living.

The foundation of the city was laid on December 15, 1911. The city was planned by two British architects namely Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker.

Click NEXT to read more...

India's 5 best cities: Bengaluru is No. 1

Last updated on: December 1, 2011 08:30 IST
A vehicle drives past residential buildings in India's financial capital Mumbai.

3. Mumbai
Global rank: 144


The entertainment and financial hub of India, Mumbai is ranked the third best city to live in India.

Besides being the most populous city in India, it is the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million.

Mumbai has been named an Alpha world city. It is also the richest city in India and one of the world's top 10 centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow, generating 5 per cent of India's GDP.

Click NEXT to read more...


India's 5 best cities: Bengaluru is No. 1

Last updated on: December 1, 2011 08:30 IST
Chennai.

4. Chennai
Global rank: 150

Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India.

Chennai's economy has a broad industrial base in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare industries.

The city is the second largest exporter of software, information technology and information-technology-enabled services (ITeS). Chennai is also home to India's automobile manufacturing industry.

Click NEXT to read more...

India's 5 best cities: Bengaluru is No. 1

Last updated on: December 1, 2011 08:30 IST
Bablu Das, walks on stilts for an advertisement campaign of an up-coming tourism fair in Kolkata.

5. Kolkata
Global rank: 151

The erstwhile capital of India, Kolkata with a population of about 14.2 million is the third-most populous metropolitan area in India.

It is also the 13th-most populous urban area in the world.

Once the hub of education, science, culture, and politics in India, Kolkata saw a fall in economic activity following India's independence in 1947.