The startup hub of India Bengaluru is the most affordable of 22 tech cities in the world according to Savills Tech Cities Index.
As per Savill’s website, Savills Tech Cities aims to understand the diverse factors that make places a good location choice for the tech sector. Twenty two global centres have been identified, which are thriving and growing tech industries and are at the top of global shopping lists for tech companies looking for a place to locate to.
In terms of weekly residential rent for tech employees and household standing, Bengaluru is at $236 dollars, making the cost of living the cheapest as against other cities which are at an average of $368. Bengaluru ranks first followed by Cape Town, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Berlin.
While Bengaluru is the most affordable city, it ranks 20th overall. Austin, the state capital of Texas tops the list followed by San Francisco and New York.
The Savills Tech Cities Index looks at factors like the buzz and wellness index, which examines factors like commuting time, crime rates, healthcare, pay equality under wellness and things like nightlife, entertainment under buzz.
And in this category, Bengaluru ranks lowest with Berlin on top, followed by London and Tokyo.
Average commute time has come as a disadvantage to Bengaluru. Its commute time is 47 minutes while the average across cities is 32 minutes.
For the rest of the categories, Bengaluru ranks anywhere between 17 to 20th. For example, under the tech environment category, Bengaluru comes 21st. While the number of startups per 1000 people is at an average of 2.3, Bengaluru has only 0.4.
It ranks 19th in the business environment factor, which is topped by New York, followed by London and Tokyo. Investment opportunities, research and development is looked at in this category.
Also, in terms of talent pool, which looks at talent attractiveness and education opportunities, Bengaluru is at the 17th position and the list is topped by Boston.
Image: Prateek Karandikar