Moving to India

Why move to India

People move to India for a fairly specific set of reasons: a multinational posting into one of its tech, finance or manufacturing hubs; a startup or consulting role chasing the country's scale and growth rate; a return move for the Indian diaspora and their families under OCI status; or simply following an employer that's expanding into what is now the world's most populous country. What changes day to day depends enormously on which city absorbs you — a posting in Bengaluru's tech corridor has almost nothing in common with one in Kolkata beyond the passport and the currency, which is why this guide stays at the national level and leaves rent, commute and neighbourhood detail to the individual city guides. What catches newcomers off guard almost every time is the gap between India's reputation for low costs and the real cost of an expat-standard lifestyle in a major metro, where good housing, international schooling and private healthcare can run close to costs in far wealthier countries even while street food and domestic staff remain genuinely cheap. The other recurring surprise is how much bureaucracy runs on paper trails and in-person registration rather than online self-service — a FRRO registration, a bank account, or a mobile SIM in your own name all take longer and more documentation than most Western newcomers expect. Shipping a full household by sea generally only pays off for a posting of two or more years; for anything shorter, most relocators ship a partial load and rent furnished.

• One of the world's fastest-growing large economies, with deep tech, finance and manufacturing hubs
• OCI status gives people of Indian origin a lifelong, largely visa-free route back
• Street-level costs are genuinely low, though expat-standard housing and schooling are not
• Extreme regional diversity — language, climate and daily life shift completely state to state
• A young, English-speaking workforce underpins a lot of the inbound corporate relocation
• Bureaucracy leans on in-person registration and paperwork more than online self-service

India is famous for

• The world's most populous country

  India overtook China as the world's most populous nation in 2023 and now accounts for close to a fifth of the global population, concentrated overwhelmingly in a handful of huge metro regions.

• A 28-state, 8-union-territory federal structure

  Language, local regulation and even the working week can differ meaningfully by state, which is why so much of the practical detail in this guide gets pushed down to the individual city guides.

• A global technology and back-office services hub

  Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune anchor one of the largest concentrations of IT services, software engineering and multinational global capability centres anywhere in the world.

• The monsoon

  The southwest monsoon (roughly June to September) shapes the agricultural calendar and daily life across most of the country, and its arrival and strength is tracked as closely as any other economic indicator.

• Extraordinary geographic range

  The country spans Himalayan alpine terrain in the north, the Thar Desert in the west, tropical coastline in the south, and the Gangetic plains in between.

• A large, young domestic consumer market

  A median age in the late 20s and a rapidly growing middle class make India one of the most closely watched consumer and labour markets globally.

• A dense, improving freight and logistics network

  Major ports on both coasts and continued expansion of container capacity at hubs like Mundra and Nhava Sheva have made international shipping into India steadily more competitive over the last decade.

Regions & cities

India is organized into 28 states and 8 union territories, and which one you land in shapes daily life more than almost anything else — the working language, the state-level bureaucracy you'll deal with, and the climate you'll actually experience. Broadly, the west coast states (Maharashtra, Gujarat) and the southern tech corridor (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana) carry the deepest corporate and multinational presence and the highest cost of living outside a handful of premium Delhi neighbourhoods; the National Capital Region around Delhi combines government, corporate and diplomatic activity with some of the country's worst seasonal air quality; and eastern hubs like Kolkata offer a lower cost of living with a smaller expatriate footprint. The city guides below cover eight of India's major relocation destinations in detail — this page only sets the national context they build on.

Other notable cities (guide not yet published): Jaipur, Surat, Lucknow, Kochi, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Noida, Gurugram

Browse all city moving guides

Shipping & container logistics

Sea freight carries almost every full household move into India, since ocean rates run a small fraction of air freight per cubic metre and India's Transfer of Residence customs concession is built around a shipment that arrives separately from the traveller by sea. Air freight gets reserved for a narrow slice of urgent or high-value items — documents, electronics, a first week of essentials — because the cost premium over ocean freight is severe enough that shipping furniture by air rarely makes financial sense. Most household shipments route through one of the west-coast gateways near Mumbai or Gujarat if the destination is anywhere in western, northern or central India, or through Chennai if the destination is further south, with the mover generally choosing the routing rather than the customer. Whether a shipment goes FCL (a container booked exclusively for one household) or LCL (space shared with other consolidated cargo) comes down to volume in the same way it does everywhere else: a one- or two-bedroom household rarely fills a 20ft container, so LCL keeps costs proportional to what's actually being shipped, while a full house of furniture usually clears the point where a dedicated container becomes the faster and often cheaper option. LCL cargo has to wait for a container to be consolidated with other shipments before it sails and again for deconsolidation on arrival, which adds real time on both ends, and Indian port and customs clearance itself is a further variable — clearance for a well-documented Transfer of Residence shipment is often quick, but incomplete paperwork or a customs audit can add days to weeks. Door-to-door timing for a shipment from North America or Europe typically runs eight to fourteen weeks once inland trucking, port handling and Indian customs clearance are added to the ocean transit.

• FCL 20FT: Suits a one- to two-bedroom household's full furniture and boxes — roughly 25-28 cubic metres of capacity, generally the better option once a shipment moves beyond what LCL can carry economically.
• FCL 40FT: Suits a three-bedroom-plus household — around 55-58 cubic metres, the practical ceiling before a shipment needs to split across two containers.
• LCL: Suits partial households, a handful of large items, or anyone moving into a furnished Indian rental — cheaper for small volumes than booking a whole container, but slower, since the shipment waits for consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at an Indian port before final delivery.

Major freight gateways

• Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva/JNPA) (Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, sea) — India's single busiest container port, handling close to 8 million TEUs a year and the default gateway for household shipments headed anywhere in western or northern India.
• Mundra Port (Mundra, Gujarat, sea) — India's largest port by overall cargo volume and a major, fast-growing container hub, increasingly used as an alternative gateway to Nhava Sheva for west-coast-bound shipments.
• Chennai Port (Chennai, Tamil Nadu, sea) — The principal container gateway for southern India, the natural entry point for shipments headed to Chennai, Bengaluru or Hyderabad.
• Kolkata Port (Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port) (Kolkata, West Bengal, sea) — The main gateway for eastern India, smaller in container volume than the west-coast ports but the practical routing for Kolkata-bound shipments.
• Indira Gandhi International Airport (New Delhi, air) — India's busiest airport and the main air-cargo gateway for the north, used for a small, urgent portion of a household shipment rather than a full move.
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai, Maharashtra, air) — India's second-busiest air-cargo gateway, relevant for urgent shipments and courier freight into the west coast.

Customs & duties

India's Transfer of Residence (TR) scheme is the mechanism almost every long-term relocator uses to bring a household into the country without paying full import duty on it. It's built around a genuine change of residence rather than a short posting: the applicant generally needs to have lived abroad for a minimum of two years immediately before returning, and the shipment needs to arrive within a defined window of the person's own arrival. Used personal and household effects owned for a reasonable period generally clear duty-free, but a specific list of higher-value electronics and appliances — televisions, air conditioners, larger refrigerators and similar goods — only get one duty-free unit each under the scheme and are charged a concessional duty rate beyond that, so anyone shipping brand-new big-ticket electronics should expect to pay something on them rather than assume a blanket exemption. New (never-used) goods generally don't qualify for the TR concession at all.

Duty-free allowance: Used household and personal effects owned before the move generally qualify duty-free under the Transfer of Residence scheme for anyone who has lived abroad 2+ years, with the shipment expected to arrive within a set window of the applicant's own return; specified electronics/appliances (TVs, ACs, larger fridges, etc.) get one duty-free unit each with a concessional customs duty (commonly cited around 15-19%, subject to change with the Union Budget) applying beyond that.

Commonly restricted items: Narcotics and psychotropic substances, Firearms, ammunition and other weapons, Pornographic or obscene material, Ivory, wildlife products and other CITES-restricted items, Gold and silver bullion above personal-allowance thresholds, New (unused) goods generally don't qualify for the Transfer of Residence duty exemption

Typical clearance time: Roughly 3-5 days for a well-documented FCL shipment once it reaches port; LCL shipments commonly take longer, often 9-12+ days, due to the extra deconsolidation step — incomplete Transfer of Residence paperwork is the most common cause of delay in both cases.

Source: Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (Baggage Rules) via secondary relocation-industry summaries — CBIC's own site returned access restrictions during this research, so figures here are cross-checked across multiple freight-forwarder and relocation-guide sources rather than the primary regulation text

Indicative shipping cost

These are indicative market ranges pulled from published freight-industry pricing, not a quote — get an actual price for your specific route and volume through MoverQuoteEngine's calculator.

• 20ft FCL: roughly $2,000-$5,000 port-to-port from North America, generally somewhat less from Europe
• 40ft FCL: roughly $3,200-$8,500 port-to-port from North America, generally somewhat less from Europe
• LCL: roughly $30-$180 per cubic metre depending on route and consolidator, with total LCL shipments for a partial household commonly landing in a $500-$2,000+ band before local destination fees

Source: SFL Worldwide — USA to India Container Shipping Cost guide; Suaid Global — LCL Shipping Rates 2026

Average transit time: 8-14 weeks door-to-door by sea from North America or Europe, including inland trucking, ocean transit and Indian customs clearance on both ends

Shipping a vehicle

Shipping a personal car into India is rarely worth it, and most relocators sell their vehicle at home and buy locally instead. India's import duty on used cars is punitively high by international standards — commonly cited around 100%+ of assessed value once all duty components are combined, with new/luxury vehicle imports taxed even higher — and the country only allows used-car imports through a small number of designated ports with strict age and right-hand-drive-conformity rules. Since India already drives on the left with right-hand-drive vehicles as standard, a car bought in a left-hand-drive market can't simply be imported and registered; combined with the duty burden, this makes personal vehicle import a niche option reserved mostly for enthusiast or vintage-car cases rather than routine relocation.

Typical cost: Freight alone typically runs a few thousand dollars by container or RoRo, but total landed cost is usually dominated by Indian import duty, which is commonly cited in the 100%+ of value range for used passenger cars — high enough that most relocators don't attempt it

Source: Hizuno — Import Duty on Cars in India: A Complete Guide; Eximpe — How to Import Cars Into India

Visas & immigration

India doesn't have a single relocation visa — the route depends heavily on your situation. Most foreign professionals move on an Employment Visa sponsored by an Indian or foreign company operating in India, which currently carries a minimum salary threshold (with exemptions for some government-notified roles and sectors) and generally ties the holder to a single employer for its duration. People of Indian origin and their spouses have a far simpler long-term option in the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, which functions as a lifelong, largely visa-free entry and residence document rather than a renewable visa. Short business trips run on a separate Business Visa, and casual visitors use the e-Visa system, neither of which permits paid employment. This section is general orientation only, not legal advice — anyone planning an India move for work or long-term residence should confirm current requirements directly with India's Bureau of Immigration, the relevant Indian consulate, or a qualified immigration adviser before committing to dates.

• Employment Visa

  Skilled professionals sponsored by an Indian or foreign company operating in India, generally subject to a minimum salary threshold and tied to a specific employer.

• Business Visa

  Those making business trips, attending meetings, or exploring investment/setup opportunities — does not authorize salaried employment in India.

• e-Visa (tourist/business/medical)

  Short-term visitors from eligible countries applying online in advance; a fast route in but not a pathway to residence or work.

• Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card

  People of Indian origin (and their spouses, in most cases) — a lifelong multiple-entry status with most of the practical rights of residence, though not full citizenship or voting rights.

• Student Visa

  Those enrolled in a recognized Indian educational institution for the duration of their course.

• Employment Visa (E-3, voluntary/NGO)

  Foreign nationals working with nonprofits or NGOs on a largely voluntary basis, subject to a low monthly compensation cap.

India doesn't operate a Western-style points-based permanent residence system for most foreign nationals; long-term presence is generally managed through renewable employment/business visas plus mandatory registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for most stays beyond 180 days, while the OCI card is the closest equivalent to permanent status for eligible people of Indian origin.

Source: Bureau of Immigration, Government of India (boi.gov.in); Ministry of Home Affairs FAQs on work-related visas

Cost of living overview

There's no meaningful single number for "cost of living in India" — a one-bedroom rental in South Mumbai can cost many times what the same size apartment costs in Kolkata or a second-tier city, and street-level costs (food, transport, domestic help) sit in an entirely different bracket from expat-standard housing, international schooling or private healthcare. What's useful at the national level is the shape of the picture: everyday goods and services are genuinely cheap by international standards, housing in the handful of premium metro neighbourhoods most expats gravitate toward is the major exception, and the gap between a modest local budget and an expat-standard one is wider in India than in most countries covered in this guide. Treat the figures below as a very rough national backdrop only; the real budgeting numbers are in each city guide.

rent 1br city center range

roughly ₹7,000-₹61,700/month for a one-bedroom in a city centre nationally on Numbeo's aggregated figures, with major metro premium neighbourhoods (South Mumbai, central Bengaluru, South Delhi) landing well above the national average

groceries relative index

Numbeo puts India's overall cost of living around 70-75% lower than the United States on average, with groceries a particularly large gap; this narrows sharply for imported goods and Western-brand items common in expat shopping habits

currency note

All prices are in Indian Rupees (INR); India has no separate national sales tax — GST is the consumption tax, applied at the point of sale and generally already included in listed prices.

These are national bookends, not a budget — see the specific city guide linked above for realistic rent, grocery and overall cost-of-living figures for the metro you're actually moving to.

How costs compare

India's national average one-bedroom city-centre rent is dramatically lower than the United States, United Kingdom or Singapore on Numbeo's aggregated figures, though this national number is pulled down heavily by lower-cost cities and doesn't reflect what premium neighbourhoods in Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru actually cost.

• vs United States

  India's national average 1BR city-centre rent runs roughly 90%+ lower than the US average

  Numbeo national averages, Aug 2026: India ~$155-165/month vs US ~$1,646/month — India figure pulled down by lower-cost cities, premium Indian metro neighbourhoods run far higher

• vs United Kingdom

  India's national average 1BR city-centre rent runs roughly 88-90% lower than the UK average

  Numbeo national averages, Aug 2026: India ~$155-165/month vs UK ~$1,357/month

• vs Singapore

  India's national average 1BR city-centre rent runs a small fraction of Singapore's, one of Asia's most expensive rental markets

  Numbeo national averages, Aug 2026 — directional comparison; Singapore's city-centre 1BR rent is among the highest of any country in this guide set

Taxes overview

India's new-regime individual income tax (the default regime as of recent budgets) for FY 2026-27 is progressive: nil up to ₹4 lakh, 5% from ₹4-8 lakh, 10% from ₹8-12 lakh, 15% from ₹12-16 lakh, 20% from ₹16-20 lakh, 25% from ₹20-24 lakh, and 30% above ₹24 lakh, plus a 4% health and education cess on the tax due; a ₹75,000 standard deduction and a Section 87A rebate mean income up to roughly ₹12 lakh is effectively tax-free for most salaried residents. An older regime with different slabs and more deductions/exemptions remains optional for those who prefer it. Foreign nationals working in India are generally taxed on India-sourced income, with residency status (based on days present) determining the scope of any additional liability.

India replaced its old multi-rate VAT/service-tax system with a unified Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017, and a major GST 2.0 reform effective September 2025 simplified the structure to four bands: 0% on essentials like basic staples, education and select healthcare items; 5% on daily-consumption goods and public transport; 18% as the standard rate covering most consumer goods and services; and a new 40% band on luxury and "sin" goods such as high-end cars, tobacco and online gaming. Petroleum products and alcohol sit outside GST entirely and are taxed separately by individual states.

There is no separate state or city income tax layer in India, unlike in some other federal countries — GST is the main consumption tax nationwide, though states set their own excise-style rates on alcohol and fuel; see the relevant city guide for any city-specific cost context.

Climate

India's climate ranges from Himalayan alpine cold in the far north to tropical heat and humidity along the southern coast, so "Indian weather" isn't one thing any more than "American weather" is. Most of the country follows a broadly three-season pattern: a hot, dry summer from roughly March to June with peak temperatures often exceeding 40°C across much of the interior and north; the southwest monsoon from June to September, which brings the bulk of the year's rainfall (heaviest on the west coast and northeast, lighter and later arriving in the interior); and a cooler, drier winter from October to February, when northern cities like Delhi see genuinely cold mornings alongside seasonal air-quality problems, while southern coastal cities like Chennai stay warm year-round. A secondary northeast monsoon brings a second rainy season to parts of the southeast, including Chennai, between October and December.

The climate difference between Delhi's winter smog and cold snaps and Chennai's year-round warmth, or between the Himalayan foothills and the Thar Desert, is more extreme than the difference between many entire countries, so climate should be treated as a city-level decision — each city guide covers seasonal specifics and monsoon timing for that location.

Working & economy

India is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing major economies, with services — led by IT and business-process outsourcing, financial services and a rapidly expanding domestic consumer sector — the single biggest contributor to GDP, followed by manufacturing and a still-substantial agricultural sector that employs a large share of the workforce relative to its economic output. The labour market most relevant to relocators is heavily metro- and industry-concentrated: technology and global capability centres cluster in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, financial services in Mumbai, and manufacturing across Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and the National Capital Region, so job search strategy depends far more on industry and city than on the country as a whole. Government policy has actively courted multinational manufacturing investment in recent years alongside the established services export base.

Unemployment: 5.1% (July 2026, national) (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Periodic Labour Force Survey / monthly estimates)

Key industries: Information technology and business process outsourcing, Financial and professional services, Manufacturing (automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals, textiles), Agriculture and allied sectors, Telecommunications, Construction and real estate, Tourism and hospitality

Working legally in India as a foreign national requires a valid Employment Visa tied to a specific sponsoring employer and, for most stays over 180 days, registration with the local Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) — there is no general open work permit, so employment authorization and FRRO registration both need to be confirmed before accepting a role or finalizing move dates.

Moving logistics checklist

1. Confirm your visa route (Employment Visa, OCI, or other) and start that process well before booking shipping — employment visas require an employer sponsor and a minimum salary threshold in most cases
2. Check your Transfer of Residence eligibility (generally 2+ years living abroad) if you want household goods to clear duty-free, and time your shipment's arrival within the required window of your own arrival in India
3. Book your container (FCL) or consolidated (LCL) shipping slot at least 4-8 weeks ahead of your target move date
4. Prepare a full inventory and TR-related documentation before your shipment departs, since incomplete paperwork is the most common cause of Indian customs delays
5. Budget separately for specified electronics/appliances beyond one duty-free unit each (TVs, ACs, larger fridges), which attract a concessional customs duty under the TR scheme
6. Research pet import requirements early — India requires an import permit (NOC), rabies titre testing and specific health certification timed to a strict pre-arrival window
7. Register with the local Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) promptly after arrival if your stay exceeds 180 days — this is a legal requirement, not optional paperwork
8. Set up an Indian bank account and understand FEMA rules on bringing in and converting foreign currency, since this affects renting, utilities and larger purchases
9. Plan private health insurance before you land, since expat-standard care runs through private hospitals rather than the public system in most major cities
10. If moving with school-age children, time the move around India's academic year, which for most schools runs April to March (though many international schools follow an August-to-June calendar aligned with Western systems)

Frequently asked questions