Gandhidham, India

Capital City

Relocating to Gandhidham is not for the faint of heart. This planned city in Gujarat, built to resettle Sindhi Hindu refugees after partition, has grown to over 247,000 residents as of 2011. While an economic capital of the Kutch region, the climate is brutally hot and dry, with erratic rainfall that can vary by as much as 60% year-to-year. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, with development tightly controlled by the Gandhidham Development Authority. Gandhidham may appeal to families and retirees seeking a quieter life, but its challenges make it a poor choice for those seeking an easy transition abroad.