India's Billionaire Belt - Where Luxury Housing Demand is Soaring in 2025
Delhi NCR [India], July 26: The term 'Billionaire Belt' captures more than just a cluster of wealthy neighborhoods--it reflects a new geography of aspiration taking shape in India. Stretching across parts of Delhi-NCR, this belt is defined by a rare convergence where rising concentrations of ultra-rich individuals, a maturing luxury real estate market, and world-class infrastructure that supports global lifestyles can be observed.
Delhi-NCR recorded a 209.4% spike in luxury home sales in the last one year. Nearly 3,960 homes priced at ₹6 crore and above were sold in just the first half of 2025, up over three times from 1,280 units last year, according to a new CBRE-ASSOCHAM report. Over half of the country's luxury transactions now flow through this region--an unmistakable sign of where wealth is choosing to settle. Gurugram and Noida lead this wave, with high-value launches dotting their micro-markets.
What's driving this surge is the union of factors like rising disposable incomes of buyers along with the growing desire for larger and well-located homes owing to post-pandemic lifestyle upgrades. On top of that, the surge in HNIs and NRIs across India, particularly in and around the capital, is quietly but powerfully reshaping the contours of luxury housing.
Looking at the bold yet considered choices of these buyers, developers are focusing more on transparency, experience, and high-end finishes, boosting buyer trust. Complementing this, RBI's pause on rate hikes has made home loans relatively more attractive, even in the luxury segment.
Mohit Gawri, Vice President-Sales, RISE Infraventures says, "Luxury housing demand is being shaped by a new psychology of permanence. Buyers aren't flipping properties--they're curating generational homes. The NCR's billionaire belt reflects this shift with high-end homes getting booked early. There's also strong NRI traction and domestic movement from metro cores to planned peripheries, showing that buyers are investing in homes that feel like sanctuaries and signal permanence."
Salil Kumar, Director, Marketing and Business Management, CRC Group says, "A home is more than a personal landmark-- it is a reflection of success. In the luxury segment, there is virtually no upper ceiling; from sprawling bungalows in posh locations like South Delhi to sky villas in Gurugram, high-net-worth individuals seek homes that match their ambition. But with supply tightening in legacy zones, buyers are exploring new luxury corridors across Noida-Greater Noida. These locations are the new epicentres of luxury demand, and the momentum here is only set to grow. At CRC, we've been mindful of this lifestyle shift, catering to buyers who view their home as both a retreat and a lasting legacy."
Besides, tier-II cities or second-home destinations like Sonipat, Kundli, and Chandigarh are witnessing a significant rise in demand within the luxury real estate segment. Buyers are increasingly drawn to locations that offer cleaner air, lush surroundings, and a peaceful lifestyle, which is not possible in fast-paced metro cities.
Gurpal Singh Chawla, Managing Director, TREVOC Group, says, "Luxury homebuyers prioritize space, privacy, and long-term value over just centrality. However, post-pandemic, they are more inclined towards locations that offer scenic value, rental potential, and a quality lifestyle. Against this backdrop, tier 2 locations like the Sonipat-Kundli belt are witnessing a quiet luxury surge, going beyond the title of Delhi spillover. Business owners, professionals, and legacy families from the capital are investing here for larger land parcels and less congestion, reflecting an appetite for locations with urban access and suburban tranquillity."
Umang Jindal, CEO, Homeland Group, says, "Tier-2 cities are the next luxury frontier, especially among NRIs, industrialists, and second-home seekers. This shift is putting cities like Chandigarh at the forefront of high-end housing demand. With its planned infrastructure, cleaner environment, and cultural refinement, the region is a haven for expansive homes, wellness-centric communities, and a sense of balance. Thus, demand here isn't incidental--it's accelerating, making tier 2 locations India's most sought-after luxury housing destinations."
Moreover, on the sales and supply front, during April-June quarter housing sales in Delhi-NCR rose by 16% to more than 11,700 units on high demand for luxury homes and new launches, according to PropEquity. New supply was estimated at 13,823 units in the second quarter of this year, up 37% from 10,084 units in the year-ago period.
Sanjay Sharma, Director, SKA, says, "Gurugram continues to lead NCR's luxury housing evolution, driven by a clientele that values brand legacy, prime addresses, and architectural statement. Branded residences, especially along corridors like the Dwarka Expressway, are being viewed as generational assets. The demand here is as much emotional as it is financial, turning Gurugram's billionaire belt a proven destination for enduring value."
Therefore, as India's wealth landscape continues to expand, the term Billionaire Belt is evolving from a metaphor into a tangible force in the country's real estate story. This belt is no longer just about prime locations--it's about ecosystems that support legacy living, global connectivity, and lifestyle integration at the highest level.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Best ways to invest in gold that hit record highs in H1
Gold, which has never ceased to be the safe-haven asset so far, has gained 26% in the first half of 2025 becoming one of the top-performing major asset classes. The precious metal has scaled 26 new all-time highs during this period in global markets—including once crossing the sensitive Rs 1 lakh/10 grams mark in the domestic markets when the metal crossed $3,500/ounce-mark in the third week of April. This 26 new life-time highs came in after breaking through a 40-new-record streaks in 2024 when it had rallied 24% over a 22% rally in the previous year. What makes the metal so alluring to investors? There are many a reason, with the shining allure it has for women as a jewellery (our households are sitting over close to 26,000 tonnes of gold in jewellery alone) and its ready fungibility/encashability when in need of ready cash being the top reasons for its allurement. Let's look at some of the best ways to invest in this metal, even though investment experts recommend allocating only a small portion (5–10%) of your portfolio to precious metals. According to the World Gold Council, a combination of a weaker US dollar, range-bound interest rates and a highly uncertain geo-economic environment has resulted in strong investment demand for gold. Another equally important driver is the continuing central bank demands led by the Reserve Bank and the central bank of China among others. The council sees at least 5% more spike in prices during the course of the year and 10-15% more if current volatile economic conditions deteriorate further exacerbating stagflationary pressures—that's the metal reaching $3,840/ounce by end December and translating into an annual return of 40%. But many Wall Street watchers have predicted the metal hitting the $4,000/ounce mark by December. Experts recommend allocating only a small portion, say 5–10% of your investment portfolio to precious metals, including silver and the following are the best ways to take exposure to this metal. The easiest way is investing in sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) launched in 2015, but since last year the SGBs have been discontinued. Starting 2015, the RBI had launched 67 SGB tranches-- each being an eight-year instrument with a five-year lock-in--issuing 14.7 crore units. They were listed and traded in the cash segment of the BSE and the NSE and investors could buy and sell them through demat accounts. Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Given that no new SGBs are being issued, the best option available to own non-physical gold is to go in for gold ETFs which track the domestic physical prices of the metal. Each gold ETF unit represents the physical gold and is based on gold prices and invest in physical bullion. One gold ETF unit equals 1 gram of gold, backed by high-purity physical metal. Why ETFs? Because they are safe and have higher liquidity as they are listed and are traded every day. Though, there are brokerage charges they are way less than the making charges on physical jewellery. The expense ratio in gold ETFs is also lower than that of gold MFs. On the negative side, since ETFs track the price of gold, they are subject to volatility. To invest in an ETF, one needs to have a demat account. There are entry and exit loads and the investor has to pay brokerage every time. Gold Mutual Funds Gold mutual funds are open-ended funds that invest in the units of a gold ETF with the ultimate goal of creating wealth using the potential of gold as a commodity. Gold MF units are priced differently-- in the form of net asset value disclosed at the end of the trading session—as opposed to gold ETFs which are linked to physical prices. Since gold MFs are actively managed, they have the potential to outperform the metal price over time. They also offer the convenience of investing through a fund house. On the negatives, gold MFs take a higher expense ratio than ETFs, typically around 1-2% apart from the risk of underperformance-- the return can be lower than gold price over time. In comparison to gold ETFs, gold MFs have low minimum investment requirements, making them more accessible for retail investors. Also, you don't need a demat account to invest in this form of gold.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
An inclusive index: More data needed to strengthen financial inclusion
The index is composed of three key parameters - access, usage, and quality - all of which have shown improvement this year Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai Listen to This Article The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last week released its financial inclusion index (FI Index) score of 67 for the year ended March 2025, reflecting steady progress since the index was introduced in 2021. The upward trend is certainly welcoming, indicating improved access to financial services and inclusion. However, the headline number masks considerable heterogeneity, both in terms of spatial differences and the components of the index. To improve transparency and better guide policymaking, it will help if more details are made available. The index is composed of three key parameters — access, usage, and quality — all of which
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan isn't impressed by India's growth story; Here's what he thinks we're getting wrong
Agencies Former RBI Guv Raghuram Rajan "There is no room for another China." That's Raghuram Rajan's blunt assessment of India's industrial aspirations. In a recent interview with Frontline, the former RBI Governor made it clear that the world has changed. The conditions that allowed China to rise through mass manufacturing simply no longer labour is not the advantage it once was. Automation has moved into even the most basic factory roles. "What companies need now is people who can tend the machines, repair the machines—not those who do the manual work machines have replaced," Rajan said. In short, the manufacturing jobs India is chasing might already be to that the rise of protectionism. Countries are building domestic industries, shutting doors that were once open to global supply chains. "Everybody wants their own little manufacturing industry," Rajan said. India cannot expect to export its way to prosperity in this has been betting heavily on manufacturing as a way to absorb its young workforce. But Rajan cautions that the numbers just don't add up."We cannot expect that number of jobs in manufacturing," he said. Tariffs have gone up, production-linked incentives are scattered, and policies contradict themselves. For example, tariffs are applied not only to final goods but also to the intermediate goods needed to make them. "Then people complain, 'Oh, I can't make this effectively here because the intermediate goods are tariffed.'" This isn't just a policy hiccup. It signals a lack of strategic clarity. And without that, Rajan believes, manufacturing will remain a political slogan, not a real solution."Get a job wherever, create a job wherever you can." That, Rajan says, should be the guiding already commands a 4.5 percent share of global service exports. That includes everything from high-end software to back-end support. While these sectors can't employ everyone, they signal a clear competitive importantly, Rajan sees untapped potential in domestic, mid-skill service jobs—plumbers, drivers, technicians, healthcare workers. These jobs may not make headlines, but they could lift millions. All it takes is better skilling and targeted support. He also dismissed the idea that you need a strong manufacturing base to build high-end service sectors. "This canard, which is floated sometimes, that you need the manufacturing in order to do the associated services, is not necessarily true," Rajan said. Citing companies like Nvidia and Apple, he pointed out that design and innovation can flourish even when production is outsourced. The days of the free trade consensus are over. Rajan traced America's shift back to Trump and his economic advisers, who viewed trade deficits as signs of weakness. That thinking has stuck around. "Is he undermining the basis of US prosperity and its dominance of the post-Second World War economic system with this view? I think we are turning the tables on what worked," he said. Today, protectionist tariffs are not a blip. They are part of a permanent, structural shift in global politics. For India, it means the space to plug into global supply chains has shrunk. Trying to follow China's route now is like running for a train that already left the is growing at 6 to 6.5 percent a year. On paper, that sounds solid. But as Rajan points out, this pace is not enough to lift per capita income fast enough to avoid a demographic squeeze."We are the fastest-growing country in the G20," he said. "But also the poorest on a per capita basis. That has to change."Time is running out. India's young population won't stay young forever. If opportunities don't arrive soon, the demographic dividend could turn into a has long been vocal about the need for decentralisation. Giving more power to local governments, he argues, improves both accountability and outcomes."The village community can see when the funds transmitted from the State government or Central government are misspent or line the pockets of the village elite," he said. "State after state should give more power to the municipalities, to the villages. That will both enhance commitment to democracy but also allow for better governance."He contrasted this with the Centre's tendency to prioritise flashy schemes without follow-through. "We announce a campaign, but never actually determine whether it's working. It becomes an announcement rather than effective rollout."Rajan criticised the growing trend of suppressing inconvenient data or changing methodologies to suit political needs. That, he warned, is a recipe for bad policy."Suppressing data eventually hurts the government itself," he said. "Your critics are sometimes your best friends because they will identify what's going wrong and then you can make the changes and then get credit for it."Honest, reliable data is not just for economists. It is the foundation of public is spending big on infrastructure. But Rajan warns that not all investment is equal."Every small town wants a metro," he said. "That's overbuilding, and those will be white elephants."What matters more, in his view, is building up capabilities. This means investing in schools, research labs, skilling programmes, and targeted industrial policy. "We have to have a few national labs where you've got state-of-the-art equipment where you can actually be competitive."The message Rajan is sending is clear: Stop chasing China. That moment is gone. India needs a strategy rooted in its own strengths, challenges and people. That means backing services, not slogans. Empowering local governments, not hoarding power at the top. And investing in people, not just not glamorous. But it might just work.
