India's Costliest Cities in 2014: Mumbai Tops the List

BANGALORE: Life in India’s financial capital Mumbai is at a premium level and as such emerged as the most expensive city for travelers. The cost of living in this city is much higher than the average of all-India cities, reveals TripIndex, a survey conducted by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.

Economist Vibhuti Patel of SNDT University pointed "Many factors make Mumbai a more expensive city than other metros, chief among them is the high cost of rents, hotels and essential household comodities. Over 40 percent of the salary of an average Mumbaikar goes into paying his/her rent," reports TNN.

Patel also said that basic food items like vegetables, fruits and grains cost more in Mumbai than Delhi which has an advantage as it is closer to the agricultural states of the country. "Mumbai imports much of its vegetables and foods, whose transportation adds up extra costs at every check point. These costs are passed on to the common man," she added.

Budget analyst Ravi Duggal, who has resided both Mumbai and Delhi said there were different reasons for differential living costs among cities including the aspirations of people. He believes for instance, that the high cost of living in Bangalore has come about as a result of the IT industry

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