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City Profile

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

India · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

Compare Thiruvananthapuram Custom Comparison
80
Overall Score

Thiruvananthapuram, also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala, nestled on the country's southwest coast. Renowned for its distinguished British colonial architecture and numerous art galleries, the city also serves as a major IT hub in the region. Characterized by its rolling hills of green terrain and bustling commercial alleys, it offers a harmonious blend of traditional heritage and modern urban development. People frequently move here for its high standard of education, progressive healthcare infrastructure, and tranquil coastal lifestyle.

About Kerala

Kerala, located on India's Malabar Coast, is characterized by its serene backwaters, lush greenery, and a unique blend of traditional and modern lifestyles. The economy is largely service-oriented, with tourism, IT, and healthcare being major contributors, alongside significant agricultural output of cash crops like rubber, coffee, tea, and spices. Living in Kerala generally offers a peaceful environment with a high Human Development Index, literacy rate, and life expectancy. The climate is tropical with two monsoon seasons, and while the cost of living is generally lower than the Indian average, it can vary by city, with Kochi being among the more expensive areas.

957,730
Population
$10K
Avg Salary
28
Cost Index
79.6
Quality Score
How this 80/100 was calculated five components, with every reading behind them
Component Readings used Points Weight Contributes
Safety Safety score: 78 / 100 78.0 30% 23.4
Affordability Cost of living index (100 = national baseline): 28.0 100.0 25% 25.0
Economy & jobs Median household income: $8,500 Income needed to live here: $6,000 Unemployment rate: 5.2% 68.5 20% 13.7
Growth Population growth rate: 1.1% Job growth rate: 3.2% 68.3 15% 10.2
Business climate assessment Business climate assessment: 72 / 100 72.0 10% 7.2
Overall score 79.5

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Tier 1 (fast) (q=54, partial — below threshold), last refreshed 16 October 2026. They are researched estimates drawn from public sources, not a licensed data feed.

Each component is scored against fixed published endpoints, so this number is comparable with any other city and does not move as the dataset grows. Scoring framework 2026.10 — full methodology, weights and accepted ranges.

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Performance

Quality Scores

Business
72
Livability
78
Affordability
85
Growth
74

Expenses

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Thiruvananthapuram is notably lower than the national average of major Indian metropolitan areas, making it an attractive destination for retirees, remote workers, and young professionals. Everyday expenses such as local produce, public transportation, and street-side dining remain exceptionally affordable compared to cities like Mumbai or Bengaluru. While housing demand has steadily driven up real estate prices in prime central neighborhoods, overall utility and grocery costs stay modest, ensuring a high purchasing power parity for residents earning standard regional wages.

Average Rent
$350/mo
Groceries
$180/mo
Transport
$30/mo
Utilities
$45/mo
Healthcare
$50/mo
Gym membership (monthly)
$25.00
Cinema ticket
$4.00
Restaurant meal (mid-range)
$8.00
Monthly groceries
$150.00
Doctor visit (without insurance)
$15.00

Income

Salary Insights

Thiruvananthapuram's economy is anchored by Information Technology, biotechnology, space research, and tourism. Technopark, one of the largest IT parks in India, employs tens of thousands of professionals and serves as the primary engine for high-tech job growth. Additionally, major public sector institutions, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, and government administration provide stable employment opportunities. The remote work scene is also flourishing, supported by widespread fiber-optic internet availability and numerous collaborative co-working spaces across the city.

The average salary in Thiruvananthapuram is $9,500 per year. You would need approximately $6,000 to live comfortably.

Employment

Top Industries

Information & Technology +4.50% Tourism and Hospitality +3.10% Education and Research +2.00% Public Administration and Defense +1.50% Healthcare and Biotechnology +3.80%

Weather

Climate

🌡️
27°C
Avg Temp
☀️
28°C
Summer High
❄️
23°C
Winter Low
🌧️
77.60"
Annual Rain
💧
80.00%
Humidity
🌤️
140
Sunny Days

Mobility

Transport

Getting around Thiruvananthapuram is facilitated by an extensive network of public buses operated by KSRTC, auto-rickshaws, and app-based ride-hailing services. The city is also served by the Trivandrum International Airport and a robust railway junction connecting major national destinations. While traffic congestion has increased during peak commuting hours along major arterial roads, overall transit times remain manageable compared to India's mega-cities. Walkability varies, with older commercial zones offering pedestrian-friendly pathways while newer suburbs lean toward vehicular dependency.

25 min
Avg Commute
52.00/10
Transit Score
58.00/10
Walkability
Medium
Car Dependency
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At a Glance

Pros & Cons

Advantages
Exceptionally low cost of living compared to major Indian tech hubs like Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Home to Technopark, providing robust employment opportunities in the IT and technology sectors.
Consistently ranked among the safest cities in India for families, women, and seniors.
Proximity to world-famous beaches, backwaters, and the Western Ghats hill stations.
High literacy rate and access to top-tier healthcare and educational institutions.
Drawbacks
Hot and humid tropical climate for a significant portion of the calendar year.
Increasing traffic congestion along primary arterial roads during peak morning and evening hours.
Limited direct international flight connectivity compared to larger metropolitan airports.
Rising real estate and rental costs in prime central residential neighborhoods.
Public mass rapid transit options are still developing relative to the city's geographical expansion.

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Nearby Cities

Kottayam
78
Kochi
82
Palakkad
80
Kunnamkulam
73

Community Q&A

Questions about Thiruvananthapuram

What people ask about living in and moving to Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

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Gathering the most common questions about Thiruvananthapuram…

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The consumer market basket tracks everyday necessities, including staple grocery items (such as milk, bread, eggs, and produce), residential energy bills (electricity, gas, and water), public and private transit costs, routine outpatient medical care, and standard consumer goods and services to ensure a representative monthly budget.

Even in close geographic proximity, local tax jurisdictions, municipal utility rates, zoning laws, and micro-housing markets can create wide cost discrepancies. For example, a city with strict land-use regulations or higher local sales taxes will typically exhibit elevated housing and consumer goods costs compared to an adjacent county with looser zoning and lower tax burdens.

Even in close geographic proximity, local tax jurisdictions, municipal utility rates, zoning laws, and micro-housing markets can create wide cost discrepancies. For example, a city with strict land-use regulations or higher local sales taxes will typically exhibit elevated housing and consumer goods costs compared to an adjacent county with looser zoning and lower tax burdens.

Local tax climates significantly shift a city's affordability score by directly affecting disposable income. Urblytica factors in state income tax brackets, local municipal property tax millage rates, and combined sales taxes to measure the true tax drag on median household earnings.

Core economic indexes and consumer price metrics undergo a comprehensive quarterly recalibration. This update cycle integrates the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) releases, municipal utility rate adjustments, and regional housing data feeds to ensure all index comparisons reflect current economic conditions.

Housing is weighted as the single largest component in Urblytica's cost-of-living algorithm, typically accounting for roughly 30% to 35% of the composite score. It incorporates both median monthly gross rent and median single-family home purchase prices relative to local median income levels.

Normalization involves adjusting raw economic inputs against localized purchasing power parities (PPPs) and population-weighted density scales. This ensures fair, apples-to-apples comparisons between dense metropolitan hubs and smaller suburban or rural towns.

Utility indexing applies a rolling annual average that captures seasonal climate variations, such as increased summer air conditioning loads in southern climates or heavier winter heating demands in northern regions, providing a realistic year-round average utility expense.

Remote workers leverage the index to calculate real purchasing power parity when moving from a high-cost-of-living area to a lower-cost region. By comparing index differentials against their fixed salary, users can determine if their net savings and lifestyle quality will improve post-relocation.

While the raw Cost of Living Index measures pure expense levels, it is frequently paired with Urblytica’s local wage index and median household income benchmarks. This combined view highlights whether local salaries keep pace with local consumer goods and housing expenses.

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