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The world’s cheapest city to live and work in is in India and it’s our very own financial capital of the country, <keyword id="6358070" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai">Mumbai</keyword>. London, Hong Kong and New York are the world's most expensive cities for companies to accommodate employees, with costs in London going through the roof, says <keyword id="674707" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Savills">Savills</keyword> World Research. 

	The cheapest city in the index among 12 top metropolitan cities of the world is Mumbai, where it costs just $29,088 to accommodate an employee, up only 2.4% since 2008, while Shanghai comes in at $38,089, up 15.6%. 
 

	On comparison, the index which measures the combined cost of residential and office rental per person per year found that London's costs averaged $118,425 in the first half of 2015, an increase of 20.7% since the index was launched in 2008. This is marginally more expensive than Hong Kong where costs have risen just 0.4 per cent since 2008, and New York which has seen 28.4% growth. 
 

	San Francisco has been the biggest riser, with growth of 59.8% since 2008. 
 Yolande Barnes, director of Savills World Research told TNN "Our Live/Work report says that while London, Hong Kong and New York are the world's most expensive cities for accommodating employees, relatively speaking Mumbai's <keyword id="6354553" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="real-estate">real estate</keyword> costs are more expensive as they are five times the average <keyword id="35050" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="gdp">GDP</keyword>, compared to London and New York where real estate is only twice and 1.5 times the GDP respectively." 

	"Mumbai is the only city we looked at as it is the only 'world city' in India which shares in the same fame, prominence, international reach and 'investability' as other global cities such as New York, Hong Kong and Sydney. The average cost of living and working in the city has risen over the past seven years, from US$ 28,394 per year in December 2008 to U$29,088 per year by June 2015, but in comparison to other global cities it has seen the smallest increase - only 2.4%". 
 

	"With India now likely to outperform China economically in the near future, we anticipate that there will be even more interest in Mumbai's real estate, leading to the average live/work cost continuing to increase and making Mumbai even less affordable if the GDP doesn't also increase at a rate that exceeds accommodation costs." 
 

	So what makes London so expensive and Mumbai so cheap? 
 

	Barnes said "Mumbai's live/work costs are low but it is actually the most expensive city to live and work in relative to productivity, with live/works costs a very high - five times per head GDP. This reflects the fact that most workers in the city do not live and work in the international-standard accommodation that Savills measures. London, meanwhile, has the highest live/work costs, but when this is compared to its GDP they are only twice the GDP, meaning that it is relatively cheaper to live and work in than Mumbai." 
 

	Sydney and Los Angeles offer the best value live/work rent combination at 70% and 80% of per head GDP respectively, followed by San Francisco. 
 

	The average cost per head across the 12 leading world cities in the Savills study is $74,945 per year, which is 1.4 times the average city GDP per head of population. 
 

	Three cities - Tokyo, Dubai and Singapore have all seen live/work costs fall between minus 8% and minus 16.6% over the period since 2008. 

	 
	 
	(Image credits: Indiatimes)

World's cheapest city is Mumbai: Report

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZ3BBG83U&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1433&amp;RH=694#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZ3BBG83U&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1433&amp;RH=694&amp;POPUPPN=49&amp;POPUPIID=2C040806F8A1L">Vivek Prakash</a> Software jobs have the biggest UK-India pay gap. </div></div></div>Indian workers who do the exact same job as people in the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> earn up to seven times less, according to <a href="http://www.emolument.com/" target="_blank">salary-benchmarking site Emolument</a>.Analysing 3,071 salaries and bonuses in both countries, Emolument found that strategy consultants are the best-paid jobs in India, but employees in that sector still earn more than three times less than their UK counterparts.But the pay gap becomes even wider in the IT sector.Software developers have the biggest UK-India pay discrepancy, with Indian workers earning almost £64,000 ($92,000) less on average than British developers.Software employees who want to earn the most should work in finance, according to the findings, which pays the most in both countries of any IT sector.Strategy consulting is also relatively lucrative for Brits and Indians, with similar bonus-to-salary proportions, while auditing and HR are on the low end of pay spectrum.Here's a rundown of the different pay scales in the UK and India:<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.emolument.com/">Emolument</a></div></div></div>Alice Leguay, co-Founder and COO at Emolument said the pay discrepancies in both countries were somewhat evened out by the different costs of living. She added that job outsourcing to India would only increase:The cost of living in India is one of the lowest globally while the UK is one of the most expensive places to live. This can partly explain the difference in salary. However with ever-increasing imports, Indian purchasing power is likely to be pushed down. Global companies in the meantime are outsourcing more and more of their non-client facing activities to India making huge savings on staff costs. We expect this phenomenon to increase as companies across all industries recruit highly educated technical staff locally to deal with key value-add processes such as research and analytics. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yanis-varoufakis-dealt-stress-during-greek-default-2016-5">FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: How I dealt with stress when Greece nearly defaulted</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Znb2JtMzE6i918oifewTuusBpkFQvgTa" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

This is how much cheaper it is to hire someone in India than you

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Of all the cities in the world, your dollar will go the furthest in Mumbai, India.It's currently the cheapest city to live in, according to the Economist's <a href="http://www.eiu.com/public/topical_report.aspx?campaignid=Wcol2014">World Cost of Living Index</a>.The index, which is calculated every other year, compares countries based on the cost of things like food, drink, clothing, rent, transportation, and utility bills.It's designed to help companies figure out how much to compensate employees who are working overseas. Some of the world's cheapest cities, like fourth-ranked Damascus, Syria, are also among the most dangerous. This list shouldn't be considered a guide for people who are looking to save money by moving overseas - try this <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/4-countries-where-expats-can-live-for-cheap-2014-10">list of places where expats can live for cheap</a> instead - but rather as a look into the cost of living in places far away from home.All prices listed are from the Economist's <a href="http://www.eiu.com/public/topical_report.aspx?campaignid=Wcol2014">World Cost of Living Index</a>. Mandi Woodruff contributed to an earlier version of this article.

The 10 most affordable cities in the world

We think about cost of living all the time, especially when we're looking to move from one location to another. Our perspective is, therefore, generally rather narrow.
The folks at <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0CCAQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.movehub.com%2F&amp;ei=xb25VKf4NKO0sATw6oDIDg&amp;usg=AFQjCNE8iUc0Zz_m9TbquRKL8LqkC0vc6A&amp;sig2=1nm_ryQ-Iam5W9raRVXBaw&amp;bvm=bv.83829542,d.cWc">Movehub.com</a> have compiled some awesome data that forces us to take a look at the entire world.
This is an infographic of the cost of living all over the world and when you look at the data, presented in this way, the results are a bit staggering.
For example, the top three countries for cost of living are Switzerland, Norway, and Venezuela. While the lowest are India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Take a look at the whole eye-opening infographic here:
 <a href="http://www.movehub.com/blog/living-costs-world-map"></a>

The Cost Of Living In Every Part Of The World In One Incredible Infographic

India has emerged as the least expensive foreign destination for university undergraduate students among 15 countries, as per a survey by HSBC. Australia, Singapore and USA are placed at the top three positions in the expenditure chart for overseas students. 
 
In India, the average cost, including university fees and and the cost of living, of an undergraduate foreign student in India is $5,642, out of which, $581 is university fees. 
 
The survey titled ‘The Value of Education: Springboard for success’ says that at $42,093 per annum, Australia is the most expensive destination for <keyword id="382324" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="foreign-education">foreign education</keyword> globally, followed by Singapore at $39,229 and USA at $36,564. 
 
The report, which surveyed over 4,500 parents in 15 countries and territories, examines parents’ attitudes and behaviour towards children’s education around the world. 
 
Sanjiv Sud, head of retail banking and wealth management, HSBC India, said: “The HSBC survey reasserts the perception that the quality of education is better overseas. However, the fact remains that the costs of international education are substantially higher.” 
 
He added, “Education costs are lower in emerging markets such as India because the state-run universities are heavily funded by the government and also the cost of living for overseas students is lower here.” 
 
USA perceived to provide the highest quality of education 
Indian parents believe that USA provides the highest quality of education. About 62% of Indian parents ranked USA in their top three destinations for quality education, the survey said. USA was followed by UK (54%) and Australia (47%) in terms of the quality of education. 
 
India ranks 8th in terms of the quality of education among the 15 countries. Only 5% of the total respondents put India in their top three preferred destinations. 
 
More than four in five (85%) Indian parents would consider sending their child abroad for a better university education, according to the survey. 
 
 “If Indian parents want to send their children overseas for quality education, they must have a long-term plan to support the funding requirements,” said Sud. 
 
He added, “Long-term savings products and cross-border fund transfer services would always be needed by parents willing to send their children overseas. HSBC’s expertise in financial products and its global footprint makes it the right bank for such aspirational parents and their children.”

India Least Expensive Destination For Foreign Education: HSBC Survey

If you’re staying in Mumbai, it’s time to feel motivated in your pocket. Well, as per Mercer's Cost of Living Survey 2015, Mumbai has crawled up 66 places to become the 74th most expensive city in the world, the first in India. 
 As per a news report in The Economic Times, Luanda, the capital of <keyword id="36463" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Angola">Angola</keyword>, has been rated the world's costliest city to live in, for the third consecutive year by Mercer's Cost of Living Survey 2015. Hong Kong (2), Zurich (3), <keyword id="6356662" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Singapore">Singapore</keyword> (4) and <keyword id="13027" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Geneva">Geneva</keyword> (5) top the list of most expensive cities for expatriates. Asian cities dominate the top 10 costliest cities rankings along with major cities in Switzerland in the report. 
 
The city, says the report, has witnessed higher inflation over the last one year as compared to other metros, higher cost of fuel, transportation, increased prices of food items, home services and rentals, impacting the overall cost of living. Mumbai is followed by New Delhi (132) and Chennai (157), which rose in the ranking by 25 and 28 spots, respectively. Bangalore (183) and Kolkata (193), the least expensive Indian cities, climbed in the ranking, as well. 
 Mumbai is ranked higher and more expensive than cities like <keyword id="95097" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dallas">Dallas</keyword> (77), Munich (87), Luxembourg (94), <keyword id="12970" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Frankfurt">Frankfurt</keyword> (98) and Vancouver (119) of the world. The world's least expensive cities for expatriates, according to Mercer's survey, are Bishkek (207), <keyword id="288933" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WINDHOEK">Windhoek</keyword> (206), and Karachi (205). 
 
"With a large number of Indian multinational organisations progressively expanding their footprint abroad, 85 per cent of multinationals are expecting expatriate assignments to increase over the next two years to address business needs. Indian companies have been bullish on sending employees abroad," said Ruchika Pal, India Practice Leader, Global Mobility at Mercer in a release. 
 
"Organisations continue to recognise the importance of international assignees. What they need to evaluate even more closely is the impact of political and economic factors such as currency stability, inflation, and political instability, to balance cost versus competitiveness of the expatriate's compensation package," added Ms. Pal. 
 Across continents, countries with the highest expected increase in the number of Indian international assignto liees are South <keyword id="12925" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Africa">Africa</keyword>, UAE, UK and USA. 
 
The survey includes 207 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment. Currency fluctuations and the impact of inflation on goods and services have influenced the cost of expatriate programs as well as the city rankings. 
 
(Image: Wikimedia)

To live in Mumbai is expensive than Dallas, Munich and Frankfurt

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Getty ImagesYour dollar can go a long way in some countries.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>If you up and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-20-best-countries-for-expats-2014-10">moved to a different country</a>, the money you have in your bank account right now could make you relatively wealthy once you get there. </li><li>Across the world, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/typical-salary-americans-at-every-age-2018-6">average yearly income</a> varies greatly.</li><li>However, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-most-expensive-places-to-live-2018-5">cost of living</a> also differs - therefore, even if a country's average income is very low, their goods could be much less expensive than they would be in the US. </li><li>From Monaco to Madagascar, this is how much money an individual makes per year, converted into USD. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Depending on where you live in the world, your average yearly income can look very different. Individuals living in wealthy countries like Monaco earn more than double what Americans make on average, while people living in poorer countries can earn as little as $440 USD a year. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/poorest-countries-in-the-world-2018-5">RANKED: The 28 poorest countries in the world - where people live on less than $1,000 per year</a>There are many things to take into account when comparing yearly income averages across international lines. For example, while people living in countries like Brazil, India, and Madagascar report low yearly incomes once those numbers are converted into USD, the cost of living in those countries is also lower than it is in the United States. In order to get a well-rounded idea of the relationship between average yearly income and how individuals in that country live off of those incomes, you need to take into account the cost of living index. In addition to gathering data from <a href="https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php">World Data on the average income around the world</a>, we also looked at <a href="https://www.worlddata.info/cost-of-living.php">World Data's list of the cost of living</a> indexes for each country compared to the United States.World Data set the average cost of living inside the USA to 100. Therefore, if a country's cost of living index was 80.00, it would mean that everyday expenses in that country were 20% less than they are in the United States. The average yearly income was calculated from the gross national income and population. Not enough information was available for World Data to report the cost of living indexes of Madagascar or Monaco, but Numbeo was able to report <a href="https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Monaco">Monaco's cost of living</a> compared to the United States.Here are the average yearly salaries of people around the world, ranked from lowest average salary to highest.

Here's the average annual income in 25 countries, ranked from lowest to highest

It can be a complicated experience for an outsider who is visiting a country where culture comes in vibrant hues, shades and expressions. Turning it into even a temporary home can be a daunting task. More so if the food habits change with every city and not to forget the language of communication too. Ask the expatriates or expats living in any city in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and they will tell you how intensely they have felt the need to hang on and leave at the same time during their stay here.

	Compared to the third world countries, India presents a decent lifestyle for expats. Although the western countries can offer a better lifestyle in terms of better quality of life and education for children, India and China present the best of every opportunity with their starkly contradicting facilities created for the ultra rich, moderately rich, middle class and the poor.<o:p></o:p>

	Being an expat isn’t all glory just because one has a high-paying job. It can also mean a range of things for the family involved. Change in the education system for the children, a different kind of lifestyle, varied personal choices, level of endurance, work culture – all tend to get compromised when one settles for the life of an expat. From that point where the choice is made, life becomes somewhat an Alice in Wonderland kind of a saga with the most unexpected twists and turns. Although in the end, an expat leaves a country with memories that are a good mix of bitter and sweet moments, it is never too boring.<o:p></o:p>

	Although countries like Singapore, Israel, United Kingdom, France, America, Spain, UAE and others present a very tempting picture of an opulent lifestyle, what plays a decisive role in fixing the tenure of an expat’s stay in any country would be a few primary things – safety, weather, taxes, education and the cost of living.<o:p></o:p>

	Singapore has had a reputation of being home to some baffling legal structure. The UK, the US and France are mostly expensive when it comes to living and saving. Although Spain, UAE and China are moderate in their cost of living, expats are exposed to somewhat a monoculture that can make the country predictable. Beyond this, laws are also stringent in these countries, making living in these countries a tricky proposition for an outsider. Israel, though with its claim to have turned into a powerhouse of technology, the violence that’s tearing it up isn’t helping its image.<o:p></o:p>

	Living in India can be both heaven and hell, depending on the city where one chooses to live. Some of the favourites are Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad, which have been home to emerging technology. <o:p></o:p>

	What makes the life of an expat tick in India?<o:p></o:p>

	The cost of living is very low for an expat who commands an overseas salary in the company he/she is working. The support system in terms of domestic assistance comes at a pittance. Lifestyle can be moderate to opulent depending upon where one chooses to live. The local community in any city can be highly accepting of an expat and his/her family owing to the nature of courtesy. And the education system for the children is well within the reach of an expat with every city boasting of scores of international schools.<o:p></o:p>

	The process of integrating into an Indian neighbourhood is always easy as it is a post-colonial nation which is already exposed to many cultures from the West. The education system in India is moderately global, making it easier for the children to get absorbed into the existing framework.<o:p></o:p>

	The legal framework for an expat in India is fairly simple. If an expat is in for a long haul, it is expected that one registers himself or herself at the <keyword id="2435822" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Foreigners-Regional-Registration-Office">Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office</keyword> (FRRO) within the first two weeks of arrival in the country. Failure to do so would attract a punishment of cancellation of the Indian visa. This apart, the basic laws that apply to a local/foreigner would apply to the expat families too, unless any relaxations are specifically mentioned. Mostly, when working with private companies immunity is out of question; unless one is in India on an assignment with the government directly or indirectly.<o:p></o:p>

	Laws for drinking, driving, insurance etc work as they do uniformly for the rest of the country. Domestic help at lesser rates is a major boon. Food and local culture can pose a challenge in terms of depth and varied understanding, depending on the city an expat chooses to live. Cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai are global and cosmopolitan in their outlook with pockets of Kolkata coming close to any British colony. This apart, the work culture in corporate companies is not entirely different from that of offshore facilities that an expat would have worked in.<o:p></o:p>

Home Away From Home: Living The Life Of An Expat

<ul><li>The expenses of living have increased across the country due to inflation, white-collar jobs and people are looking for ways to go back to their hometowns.</li><li>According to a report by Nasscom and Boston Consulting Group, 65% of the employees in India want to shift to tier 2 or tier 3 cities.</li><li>Top tech majors like <keyword id="6354512" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="infosys" source="Orion">Infosys</keyword>, Wipro and <keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword> have opened offices in Tier-2 and Tier-3 locations like Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Jamshedpur.</li></ul>After a long hiatus, software engineer Jatin Sharma moved back to Gurugram from his hometown Jaipur. His company has called him back to the office - and he has to be present at least twice a week. Since it’s too far for him to make the trip from home, he shifted back to the city and has been living there for the last six months. “I’ve realized that my monthly expenses have increased at least by 20-30% in the last six months. It was comparatively lesser before Covid. I am unable to save anything like earlier,” Sharma told Business Insider India. The expenses of living have grown across the country in the last four months due to food and fuel inflation. Moreso, urban areas are tighter on the pocket, making him look for ways and means to go back home. “If I had the option I would want to move back to my hometown. My expenses over there are quite low,” Sharma further added. He is not the only one who thinks so. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Surat vs Mumbai, Kochi vs Chennai" comment="subhead" text="Surat vs Mumbai, Kochi vs Chennai">Surat vs Mumbai, Kochi vs Chennai</cmsannotation> According to a report by Nasscom and Boston Consulting Group, 65% of the employees in India want to shift to tier-2 or tier-3 cities. The cost of living in Surat is 50% lower than Mumbai, while in Jaipur it is 35% lower than the national capital city. Similarly, the cost of living in Kochi is 30% lower than the cost of living in Chennai, says the report titled Shaping the Future of Work in India's Tech Industry. Urban migration of white collar workers is very prevalent in India as a significant portion of employees are from tier-2 or tier-3 cities. Since most of them moved back to their hometowns during the pandemic and enjoyed the comfort of their homes and near and dear, they’re reluctant to come back to hefty rents, lonely life and also miss the pleasures of living at home. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The reverse migration of tech cos" comment="subhead" text="The reverse migration of tech cos">The reverse migration of tech cos</cmsannotation> As the saying goes, – if Mohammed doesn’t come to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed. To cater to this trend, top tech majors like Infosys, Wipro and TCS have opened offices in tier-2 and tier-3 locations like Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Jamshedpur. In the last 18 months, this expansion has intensified. “A large number of our people are working from hometowns. We have looked at it and (want to) ensure that they have opportunities to work closer home. These are not satellite offices. It is at least 1,000 seaters and we will expand them as we go forward. In the next quarter-end, all these offices will be ready,” Krishnamurthy Shankar, group head of human resource development of Infosys told ET. Infosys is <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/information-tech/infosys-sets-up-four-new-offices-in-tier-ii-cities-in-a-bid-to-get-closer-to-talent-pool/articleshow/92186996.cms">setting up new offices</a> in Coimbatore and Vizag, to access the talent pool. Opening offices in tier-2 or tier-3 cities is also beneficial for organizations too. These companies which have been struggling with increased salary hikes, can receive access to a wide talent pool at salaries that are at least 20-30% lower. As of <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/tier-2-and-tier-3-cities-the-sunrise-destination-of-indian-it-industry/">now</a>, about 976 MNCs have set up 1,257 Global In-house Centres (GICs) in India. Of this, only 68 GICs are in tier-2 locations, by Zinnov, a management consultancy. There are more towns which can be tapped, across the length and breadth of this vast country. “Indore, Chandigarh, Warangal, Kochi are some of the tier-2 cities of high potential for the company and it expects to narrow down to two to three cities for launching new offices,” as per Nasscom report. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/india-heads-into-the-thunderstorm-zone-right-after-the-heatwave-orange-alerts-issued/articleshow/92333863.cms">India heads into the thunderstorm zone right after the heatwave, orange alerts issued</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/indians-found-inner-peace-during-the-pandemic-but-now-they-seek-less-of-it/articleshow/92336707.cms">Indians found inner peace during the pandemic but now, they seek less of it</a>

India’s tech talent pool is from Vizag, Indore and Warangal — that’s where Infosys, TCS and others are heading

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The pre-wedding festivities for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant cost many millions of dollars.</li><li>Critics say the big spending highlights the wealth disparity in India, where many live in poverty.</li></ul>The lavish <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ambani-wedding-guests-celebrities-performance-dress-code-party-billionaire-2024-3?r=US&amp;IR=T#the-couple-hosted-a-communal-dinner-for-51-000-people-1">pre-wedding festivities for Anant Ambani,</a> the son of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-rich-mukesh-ambanis-india-2020-1">Asia's richest person,</a> and Radhika Merchant, also the child of a billionaire, made headlines worldwide for their extravagance.But critics say it showed a telling disregard for the struggles of the many millions of Indians living in poverty.Spanning three days, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anant-ambani-mom-nita-worked-hours-months-pre-wedding-reliance-2024-3">pre-nuptial event</a> included a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rihanna-ambani-wedding-performance-india-lazy-pregnant-first-show-years-2024-3">private performance by Rihanna,</a> which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-costs-music-star-rihanna-beyonce-ambani-wedding-performance-2024-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">estimates suggest cost up to $9 million</a>. There was a trail featuring live animals and a nine-page dress code.The mother of the groom-to-be, Nita Ambani, wore a necklace worth valued at some $60 million, which Business Insider noted was perhaps one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nita-ambani-jewelry-at-anant-ambani-pre-wedding-celebration-2024-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">biggest shows of wealth.</a>Almost half of the 1.4 billion people in India live below the median poverty line of $3.65 a day, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://pip.worldbank.org/country-profiles/IND">World Bank,</a> and activists say the ostentatious displays of wealth are an affront to the country's poor.<h3>'It feels unfair'</h3>"There is so much poverty all around," said Shyam Bihari, a Delhi fruit seller and social worker, in a conversation with BI."It feels unfair to see this amount of money being spent on a wedding when so many people are still unable to access basic necessities like food and water," he said.Large swathes of India's population have long grappled with food insecurity and water scarcity.According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wfp.org/countries/india">World Food Programme,</a> a quarter of the world's undernourished people live in India. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wateraid.org/in/stories/the-daily-struggle-for-water-in-bundelkhand#:~:text=India%20is%20home%20to%2063.4,make%20such%20challenges%20more%20acute.">WaterAid says</a> that around 35 million Indians lack access to safe water.Rajni Haldia, a Delhi-based cleaner who earns $25 a month, told BI that she felt "very bad" watching the coverage of the lavish pre-wedding festivities while knowing the extent of poverty in India.Haldia said: "I hope all the rich people who came to India for the wedding are seeing the difference between the rich and poor, and I hope the government can do more to tackle this."Rakhi Tripathi, a peace activist and associate professor at New Delhi's FORE School of Management, told BI that the extravagant celebrations show a "disconnect" between India's elite and the rest of the population.Tripathi pointed out that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/india-allots-142-billion-for-free-grains-to-800-million-people-1.2004794">800 million of India's 1.4 billion population receive monthly food rations</a> of wheat or rice.She said: "In a country like this, when we have such a huge event, spending crores of rupees, yeah, lack of empathy is the correct word."(Crore is an Indian term for 10 million; 1 crore rupees is around $120,000.)Sohini Kar, an associate professor at the London School of Economics, whose work focuses on urban India, told BI she agrees."I certainly think there's a lack of empathy, awareness," she said.(A representative for the Ambanis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.)Kar also said the festivities were emblematic of the troubling levels of wealth disparity in India.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://bi.slack.com/archives/D06089ABVLM/p1709898345719679">Oxfam International</a>, the top 10% of the Indian population holds 77% of the total national wealth.In the US, the St Louis Fed says <a target="_blank" href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/institute-for-economic-equity/the-state-of-us-wealth-inequality">the figure is 66.6%</a>.The groom-to-be's father, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-rich-mukesh-ambanis-india-2020-1">Mukesh Ambani</a>, has an estimated net worth of $113 billion, making him the richest person in Asia and the 11th richest person globally, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/?embedded-checkout=true">Bloomberg Billionaires Index</a>.Kar noted that the family is known in India for its extravagance, and lives in a skyscraper.She said: "Their house itself in Mumbai is a stark reminder of the kind of disparity of wealth, where you can sort of visually see this massive house for one family over the slums around their area."According to Architectural Digest India, the 27-story property cost an estimated <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ambani-house-photos-altamount-road-mumbai-spa-parking-amenities-art-2024-3?r=US&amp;IR=T#:~:text=The%20Ambani%20family%20owns%20the,contains%20a%20168%2Dcar%20garage.">$1 billion to build</a>. It towers over <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/?embedded-checkout=true">Mumbai's Golibar slum.</a>In 2011, Ratan Tata, another of India's richest men, told <a target="_blank" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Antilla-Mukesh-Ambanis-house-shows-lack-of-empathy-for-poor-Ratan-Tata/articleshow/8506287.cms">The Times of India:</a> "It's sad because this country needs people to allocate some of their enormous wealth to finding ways of mitigating the hardship that people have."The Ambani family does donate to charitable efforts through the Reliance Foundation. That body, founded by Nita and Mukesh Ambani, is one of the largest nonprofits in the country.<div type="image" title="Anant Ambani, son of Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, and Radhika Merchant, daughter of industrialist Viren Merchant, serve traditional Gujarati food to villagers ahead of their pre-wedding celebrations on the outskirts of Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, February 28, 2024." height="2812" width="4251" msid="108333407" hostid="261" sizebytes="852730"></div>The wedding also featured a communal dinner that fed some 51,000 local residents in Gujarat, <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/anant-ambani-radhika-merchants-pre-wedding-celebrations-begin-with-anna-seva/article67898600.ece">The Hindu</a> reported.But, still, Kar suggested that the tens of millions spent on the festivities could have been spent on charitable initiatives, like addressing child malnutrition.She said: "The amount of spending they had on one event could certainly go toward a much larger program for that kind of thing."

The extravagant Ambani pre-wedding party was an affront to the millions of Indians in poverty, critics say

<a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/paris-france-gm507628634-84820141?st=b0a725f">iStock/TomasSereda</a>An apartment in Paris will cost you nearly $2,300 a month.Housing costs likely eat up the biggest share of your paycheck, no matter where in the world you live.But looking at the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the world's largest cities, that number can range dramatically from about $300 in Bangalore, India, to more than $3,400 in San Francisco, according to <a href="http://www.finews.ch/images/download/Mapping.the.worlds.prices.2017.pdf">a report by Deutsche Bank</a>.The report sources prices from <a href="https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living">Expatistan</a>, a site that tracks cost-of-living expenses in over 200 countries, for "monthly rent for mid-range two-bedroom apartment" in nearly 50 cities.Below, check out the 21 most expensive cities in the world to rent an apartment.All prices are average and in US dollars.

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