Bengaluru was the best place to live in India for over a decade. It provided excellent job opportunities, a mild climate, and a large number of startups. However, there is a significant change in the new data for 2025-26. Another city has been named the best place to live in India. Let us explore the best city for living in India.
Most Liveable City in India
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has released its rankings based on the Ease of Living Index 2025-26, and according to the report, Pune is the most liveable city in India. It achieved the top position in the Economic Survey 2025-26. The city is highly ranked for its educational, health, and economic opportunities for its citizens.
Which is the most livable city in India today?
Pune has been named as the most liveable city in India for the year 2025-26 as per the Ease of Living Index, released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. This Maharashtra city has jumped from second to first position this year. It surpassed Bengaluru, the erstwhile leader. Pune has a very good score in the social and economic categories.
The city is one of the hubs for education and IT services. IT is an acronym for Information Technology, which encompasses software and computer services. The climate and local culture are highly satisfactory for the residents of Pune. These factors contribute to the city having a high quality of life.
How are the cities ranked?
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs uses an index known as the Ease of Living Index. The index quantifies the ease of living in a city. It examines four key pillars for its final score. The four pillars are institutional, social, economic, and physical.
The institutional pillar looks at how well the local government works. The social pillar measures health and education services. The economic pillar is the one that assesses jobs and growth. The physical pillar focuses on housing, water and waste management.
The government also conducts a Citizen Perception Survey. This survey is about asking people what they do in their daily lives. It reflects the level of security and well-being that people feel in their homes.
What are the top-ranked Indian cities in the rankings?
Several big cities are included in the 2025-26 rankings. Navi Mumbai is the second in the list after Pune. Greater Mumbai is ranked as the third on the list. All three cities are in the state of Maharashtra.
Tirupati is the highest-ranked city from South India this year. Chandigarh is still on the list of the best places to live because of its planned layout and greenery.
Why Pune was ranked first?
Pune's balanced growth helped the city to reach the top position. The city's economy is robust, with a focus on automobiles and technology. It also has a huge number of parks and open spaces. This means that the air is cleaner than that of many other big Indian cities.
Also, recently, the city has improved its public transport. Many have found that travel time has been shortened with the new metro lines. The healthcare services in Pune are among the best in the country. All these factors help in giving it a high liveability score.
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