1. Talent supply for your specific roles
Look beyond total graduates. Check the number of engineering and technical graduates each year in the skills you need, plus the experienced professionals already working in the city. A city with many freshers but few senior engineers suits a different team shape than one with mid-level depth.
2. Competition for that talent
Count the employers already hiring the same roles in the city: IT services firms, product companies and global capability centres (GCCs). A cheaper city with intense competition can lose its cost advantage within a few years.
3. Total cost, not just salary
- Pay for the same role and level compared with your current metro. See our compensation benchmarking guide.
- Office space and facilities.
- Travel between sites, and relocation for anchor hires.
- Attrition-driven replacement cost. Model it with the attrition cost calculator.
4. Attrition and stability
Smaller markets often have lower attrition because there are fewer competing employers, but this can change quickly once larger employers arrive. Track the trend, not a single year.
5. Infrastructure and connectivity
- Direct flights to your headquarters and major client locations.
- Availability of IT parks, SEZs and quality office space.
- Power and internet reliability, and quality of life factors that help recruit people from outside the city.
6. State government incentives
Many states publish IT or GCC policies with incentives such as capital subsidies, rental support or stamp-duty reimbursement. Check the current state policy, and compare incentives with total cost over five years rather than year one.
7. Leadership talent
Senior leaders are usually the hardest hires outside the metros. Plan to relocate a few anchor leaders, or run a hub-and-spoke model where leadership sits in a metro.
Score your shortlist
| Factor | Weight (example) | How to measure |
|---|---|---|
| Talent supply for your roles | 25% | Graduates and experienced professionals in your skills |
| Competition for talent | 15% | Employers hiring the same roles |
| Total cost | 20% | Pay, space, travel, replacement cost |
| Attrition trend | 15% | Multi-year attrition for comparable roles |
| Infrastructure | 10% | Flights, office supply, reliability |
| Incentives | 5% | Current state policy, over five years |
| Leadership talent | 10% | Senior hires available locally |
Adjust the weights to your situation. A delivery centre hiring freshers will weight supply and cost higher; a product engineering hub will weight leadership talent and competition higher.
Compare cities with data
Kynoa's talent mapping by city compares hiring cost, talent supply and attrition across 42 Indian cities, so you can shortlist with evidence rather than anecdote.