Why is the South Side of Most Indian Cities More Expensive?

Pull out a map of any Indian city — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, or even Lucknow — and you’ll likely notice a curious pattern: the southern part is almost always the more affluent, greener, and better-planned zone. But why?

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It’s a question that has more to do with history, geography, and urban planning than just real estate trends.

Let’s start with wind

During the Industrial Revolution, European cities grew rapidly and unevenly. As content creator CA Sarthak Ahuja explains in a viral video, “Most European cities developed westward. Winds in the northern hemisphere generally blow from west to east, which means pollution from factories spreads eastward. The poorer working-class communities settled downwind, while the wealthy chose the cleaner western parts.”

This early pattern of pollution-driven segregation — rich in the west, poor in the east — became a template that spread to colonial and post-colonial cities around the world, including in India.

Sunlight and the south-facing advantage

Another subtle but powerful reason to factor in is sunlight. In the northern hemisphere, south-facing homes receive more sunlight, making them warmer, brighter, and naturally more desirable. Those who could afford it always preferred southern exposure.

This preference for south-facing homes gradually translated into higher demand and higher land values, shaping urban planning and real estate pricing patterns for generations.

Trade winds and coastal wealth

In India, geography played its own role. Western and southern regions historically benefited from maritime trade. “When India started international trade, all the major ports — from Maharashtra to Kerala — were in the southwest, creating early economic hubs,” Ahuja adds. 

Cities like Mumbai and Kochi became centres of wealth, reinforcing the association between the West and South with prosperity.

Beyond wind directions: The modern city logic

But here’s the catch — wind direction isn’t the only reason. This same rule does not apply everywhere. As India urbanised rapidly after Independence, infrastructure, topography, and business growth began to shape where prosperity clustered, explains entrepreneur Saransh Anand in a LinkedIn post. 

In newer cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad, the “south = rich” equation has more to do with planned expansion than colonial geography.

In Bangalore, IT corridors such as Koramangala and Electronic City drove the southern boom. 

In Hyderabad, meanwhile, it’s the western corridor of Hitech City and Gachibowli that now houses the wealthy. Similarly, Pune’s western suburbs, Gurugram’s southern sectors, and Chennai’s OMR stretch all reflect how post-liberalisation development patterns, not old trade winds, dictate where affluence moves.

So while geography and history laid the foundation, modern growth has rewritten the map of privilege. The “southern advantage” today is less about sunlight or clean air, and more about how cities expand — following opportunity, infrastructure, and aspiration wherever they go.

Feature image from iStockphoto