Monaco: A country where a high standard of living and no income tax make it attractive to the wealthy
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Aaj Tak
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Monaco: A country where a high standard of living and no income tax make it attractive to the wealthy

Imagine a place where luxury cars like Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, and Defender are everywhere; where homes resemble royal palaces or villas, and only elite yachts cruise on the water. For many, this seems like a scene from a dream, but there is a country where such things are commonplace.

What remains a fantasy for ordinary people is a familiar way of life for the residents of this country. If you find yourself here, seeing an ordinary car on the road would be a real marvel, as everyone possesses super-luxurious vehicles. Residential houses also look like expensive villas.

This small country is located on the European continent. Its population is about 40 thousand people, and its area is 1.95 square kilometers. In this country, more than a third of the population has net capital exceeding 1 million dollars, equivalent to 83,459,100 rupees. The average annual income per citizen here is estimated at 20 million rupees. Another feature of this country, situated between Italy and France in the Mediterranean Sea, is that no citizen is required to pay income tax.

Monaco, known worldwide for its picturesque views and casinos, has become a haven for many celebrities, including Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, tennis player Novak Djokovic, and British industrialist Sir Philip Green. The country's economy largely depends on tourism.

People prefer this country for work and residence because local residents are exempt from income tax, and companies pay lower taxes compared to other states. Monaco is considered a preferred place for wealthy individuals, as well as for financial and insurance companies. The Monaco real estate market is among the most expensive in the world. Real estate accounts for 7.8% of the country's GDP, construction for 9.1%, and wholesale trade for 10%.

This country has also earned the nickname 'capital of the rich' because it has the wealthiest population in the world relative to its size. Monaco has ten towns, one of which is home to over 5,000 very wealthy people. Of the total population of 40 thousand, only the residents of these ten towns are considered native Monégasque; the rest are wealthy people who have arrived from other countries.

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Bengaluru leads in sales volume of housing priced from 2 to 5 crore rupees, surpassing NCR and Mumbai
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Bengaluru leads in sales volume of housing priced from 2 to 5 crore rupees, surpassing NCR and Mumbai

According to data from the analytical firm CRE Matrix, the largest sales volume in the housing segment priced from 2 to 5 crore rupees was recorded in Bengaluru, which surpassed major markets such as NCR and Mumbai.

If the buyer's budget is in the range of 2 to 5 crore rupees, Bengaluru is the leader among the country's major cities. From January to June 2026, 11,556 houses were sold in Bengaluru in this price category, with total transactions amounting to approximately 31,216 crore rupees.

Overall, in the first half of 2026, the cumulative sales volume of housing priced from 2 to 5 crore rupees across the country's main housing markets reached approximately 1.15 lakh crore rupees. The share of the three largest markets—Bengaluru, NCR, and Mumbai (MMR)—was the highest, as they together accounted for sales worth about 80,293 crore rupees, which is approximately 69 percent of the total sales volume.

Bengaluru demonstrated the best results in housing sales in the 2–5 crore rupee price range, selling 11,556 units for a total of 31,216 crore rupees. The average cost of a house in the city during this period was about 2.70 crore rupees. Other reports also indicate a growing demand for more expensive housing units. According to JLL, in the first quarter of 2026, sales of houses costing over 1 crore rupees grew by 30 percent year-on-year, and sales of houses in the 1.5 to 3 crore rupee price range increased by 67 percent. The main reasons cited for this growth are increased household incomes, higher demand for spacious housing, and the preference for purchasing real estate in prestigious areas.

Following Bengaluru in performance was NCR, covering the Delhi-NCR region. CRE Matrix reported that 8,778 houses were sold in the 2–5 crore rupee segment in NCR, with a total turnover of 27,125 crore rupees. The average price of a house in NCR reached approximately 3.09 crore rupees, exceeding the average price in Bengaluru.

Mumbai (MMR) ranked third in the rating, where 7,480 houses priced from 2 to 5 crore rupees were sold, with total sales volume at 21,952 crore rupees. The average cost of housing in this segment in Mumbai was about 2.93 crore rupees. In Hyderabad, 6,424 houses were sold, with total transactions reaching 18,948 crore rupees, and the average transaction price was about 2.95 crore rupees. According to the CRE Matrix report on housing in Hyderabad, the average housing cost in the city increased by 10 percent year-on-year to 2.03 crore rupees in the first half of 2026; however, there was a 13 percent decrease in the total sales volume, indicating an increase in the contribution of high-end housing to the market.

Good sales figures were also noted in Ahmedabad, Pune, and Chennai. In Ahmedabad, 2,118 houses were sold, generating 6,172 crore rupees in revenue. In Pune, 2,027 apartments were sold for a total of 5,507 crore rupees. Chennai recorded a turnover of 4,009 crore rupees, and Kolkata recorded 1,985 crore rupees.

Data analysis shows that buyers in India's major cities are increasingly focusing on higher-priced housing categories. The housing market priced from 2 to 5 crore rupees has become a significant part of the entire Indian real estate market. Although Bengaluru leads in total sales volume, NCR showed a higher volume of sales in terms of the number of units in this price range.

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