Moving to India

Expats moving to India will find an ancient country rich in culture and diversity, and those willing to step out of their comfort zone will find a nation ideal for exploring. For expats in India, the country remains a cheap place to live in, especially if one is paying and playing in a strong foreign currency.

 

Mumbai, with a population of 12 million, is the financial capital of India, as well as being the home of the prolific Bollywood film industry. Like most global cities, the lifestyle in Mumbai is fast paced with large financial houses, good infrastructure, inventive architecture, high street boutiques and quality shopping venues.

However, India, despite record growth since 1991 (averaging 7.5% in the 2000s), has one of the highest rates of wealth inequality in the world, so anyone wandering the streets of any of the Indian cities will find both the ultra wealthy and the ultra poor stepping side by side. Much of India's people (70%) live rural lifestyles and a visit will find many local customs and specialities to try.

 

The three main expat destinations are Mumbai for finance, Delhi which is the country's capital, and Bangalore, the centre of the Indian IT industry and heavy industry. English is the lingua franca for business as India was formerly colonised by the British, and English speakers will generally find it easy to communicate with the locals. Textiles and agriculture are the largest sector employers in India, followed by industry and services. Despite economic reform, much of India’s industrial production comes from small cottage industry.

 

Expats may be overwhelmed by the sheer human scale of India, and few locations compare in scale to world's second most populous nation. There is great pride in diversity in India, and local culture is strong. Manners and customs can often be very different from Western norms, as our India expat guide will explore further. Still India can be a welcome mixture of quality lifestyle with rough adventure and cultural exploration, making it a expat destination with much to offer.