Top Indian Cities for Fresher Salaries: Chennai Leads

Salary growth is no longer limited to just metro cities. Cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, and Ahmedabad are rapidly gaining popularity as destinations for career building and a balanced lifestyle. Companies are now also willing to offer better packages to attract talent in these cities.

Top Cities for Entry-Level Salaries in India: Cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, and Ahmedabad are rapidly emerging as new salary growth hubs, surpassing traditional metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. This information comes from Indeed's new report, the PayMap Survey 2025.

The survey reveals that career and salary growth are no longer limited to major metro cities. Emerging cities are also offering professionals better salaries and career growth opportunities.

Chennai and Hyderabad Lead the Way

According to the report, Chennai has become the city offering the highest average salary for freshers, with young professionals having 0-2 years of experience earning up to ₹30,100 per month. Meanwhile, Hyderabad is proving beneficial for professionals with 5-8 years of experience. Here, the average salary at mid and senior levels has reached ₹69,700 per month.

Balance Shifting in Expensive Cities

The survey indicates that 69% of employees believe their income is less than their city's cost of living. This problem is particularly acute in expensive cities like Delhi (96%), Mumbai (95%), Pune (94%), and Bengaluru (93%). On the other hand, cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata are considered more affordable and balanced by employees.

Average Monthly Salary (in Rupees) in Major Indian Cities

City	0-2 Years	2-5 Years	5-8 Years
Ahmedabad (अहमदाबाद)	Rs. 27,300	Rs. 46,200	Rs. 69,000
Bengaluru (बेंगलुरु)	Rs. 28,400	Rs. 46,000	Rs. 67,100
Chandigarh (चंडीगढ़)	Rs. 26,300	Rs. 45,500	Rs. 68,400
Chennai (चेन्नई)	Rs. 30,100	Rs. 46,600	Rs. 66,400
Delhi (दिल्ली)	Rs. 26,300	Rs. 43,600	Rs. 64,400
Hyderabad (हैदराबाद)	Rs. 28,500	Rs. 47,200	Rs. 69,700

Relocation Hesitancy on the Rise

Not only high costs of living, but employees are also increasingly avoiding relocation. Around 69% of employees now avoid changing cities due to associated financial, emotional, and practical challenges.

Which Sectors Offer Better Salaries?

The IT/ITeS sector leads in salary growth, with the demand for digital and AI-based jobs steadily increasing. Furthermore, the manufacturing and telecom sectors are also offering better salaries, from freshers to senior levels.

The average salary for freshers ranges from ₹25,000 to ₹30,500.

Professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn between ₹67,000 and ₹85,500.

UI/UX designers are now earning comparable salaries to software developers (approximately ₹65,000 per month).

Average Monthly Salary (in Rupees) by Sector in India

Sector	0-2 Years	2-5 Years	5-8 Years
Automobile (ऑटोमोबाइल)	Rs. 27,000	Rs. 44,400	Rs. 65,200
BFSI (Banking and Finance) (बैंकिंग व फाइनेंस)	Rs. 27,300	Rs. 44,900	Rs. 65,900
Construction and Real Estate (कंस्ट्रक्शन व रियल एस्टेट)	Rs. 26,000	Rs. 42,600	Rs. 62,600
Consumer Durables (कंज़्यूमर ड्यूरेबल्स)	Rs. 26,200	Rs. 43,100	Rs. 63,300
E-Commerce (ई-कॉमर्स)	Rs. 27,700	Rs. 45,600	Rs. 66,900
Healthcare and Pharma (हेल्थकेयर व फार्मा)	Rs. 27,400	Rs. 44,900	Rs. 66,000
IT / ITeS	Rs. 28,600	Rs. 46,900	Rs. 68,900
Logistics (लॉजिस्टिक्स)	Rs. 27,600	Rs. 45,300	Rs. 66,500
Manufacturing (मैन्युफैक्चरिंग)	Rs. 28,300	Rs. 46,400	Rs. 68,200
Media and Entertainment (मीडिया व एंटरटेनमेंट)	Rs. 26,700	Rs. 43,900	Rs. 64,500
Telecommunication (टेलीकम्युनिकेशन)	Rs. 28,100	Rs. 46,100	Rs. 67,700

Survey Scope and Objective

This survey was conducted by Valuvox on behalf of Indeed, incorporating the opinions of 1,311 employers and 2,531 employees. A total of 3,842 participants represented 14 industries and 16 job profiles. The aim was to understand post-pandemic salary trends in India, sector-wise growth, and employee expectations.