Dewas, India

Dewa Sharif is a town of 15,662 people in Uttar Pradesh, best known for the shrine of a Sufi saint. However, the reality is that it's a sleepy backwater with an average literacy rate of just 45% - well below the national average. The bureaucracy is a persistent headache, with the town formally recognized as a linguistic minority area where 15% of the population speaks Urdu. This is not the bustling, modern India many expats dream of - it's a quiet, provincial town that will likely appeal only to the most adventurous or spiritually inclined.