Cost of Living Rankings: What They Really Mean for Your Health and Finances

When you see a cost of living rankings, a measure comparing how expensive it is to live in different cities or countries based on housing, food, transportation, and healthcare. These numbers don’t just tell you if rent is high—they reveal whether you can afford insulin, a knee replacement, or even a single dose of Ozempic. In India, where healthcare costs vary wildly between cities, these rankings expose hidden gaps. A city ranked low on cost of living might still leave you broke after a single doctor visit or prescription refill.

Take Ozempic, a weight loss and diabetes medication that’s become one of the most sought-after drugs in India. semaglutide—its price at Walmart or local pharmacies isn’t just about supply. It’s tied to local income levels, insurance coverage, and whether your city’s cost of living allows for discretionary spending on health. Same goes for IVF, a fertility treatment whose cost can exceed a year’s salary in some regions. If your city ranks high in living expenses, IVF, dental implants, or even basic joint pain tests might be out of reach—not because they’re unavailable, but because they’re priced beyond what your paycheck can handle after rent and groceries.

Dental implants, a long-term solution for missing teeth that requires multiple visits and upfront payment, are another example. In low-cost-of-living areas, you might find clinics offering full packages under ₹50,000. In high-cost cities, the same procedure can hit ₹1.5 lakh. And yet, cost of living rankings rarely include medical care in their calculations. That’s why people in expensive cities often delay treatment, end up with worse outcomes, and pay more later. Even something as simple as walking for stiff knees, a low-cost, high-impact remedy recommended by doctors becomes harder when you live in a city without safe sidewalks, parks, or clean air—factors that aren’t in most rankings but directly affect your health.

These rankings don’t just reflect economic data—they expose real trade-offs. You might live in a place where rent is cheap, but your arthritis painkiller costs twice as much. Or you’re in a metro where IVF success rates are higher, but you can’t afford the cycle. The truth? Cost of living rankings are incomplete without healthcare costs baked in. That’s why the posts below dig into what you actually pay for medicine, treatments, and care across India—not what the numbers say on paper, but what you see at the pharmacy counter, the clinic desk, or the hospital billing office. What you’ll find here isn’t theory. It’s what people are really spending to stay healthy.