Franchise opportunities in India, submitted by the brands themselves and reviewed before they publish

Franchise cost by city in India

The same franchise costs different amounts in different Indian cities, and almost all of the difference sits in three lines: rent, the lease deposit, and salaries. The franchise fee, equipment and opening stock are typically set nationally by the brand. That is why a tier-2 location can break even at a much lower monthly volume than a metro one.

Rent, deposit and salaries move with the city; fee, equipment and stock usually do not.
Shops and establishment registration is state law — budget and timeline differ by state.
Compare break-even volume against realistic footfall, never rent against rent.

Which cost lines move with the city

Cost line	City sensitivity	What to watch
Rent and deposit	Moves the most	The single biggest city variable. Deposits are commonly several months of rent and are not funded by most lenders.
Fit-out and civil work	Moves somewhat	Material cost is broadly national; labour and access differ, and older metro buildings cost more to fit out.
Salaries	Moves somewhat	Metro wages for the same role run above tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and attrition is higher.
Franchise fee	Does not move	Set by the brand nationally, though some brands vary it by territory potential.
Equipment and stock	Does not move	Bought on national terms in most formats; freight is the only real difference.
Licences and registrations	Moves by state	Shops and establishment registration is state law; trade licence and signage rules are municipal.
Marketing at launch	Moves somewhat	A metro catchment is more expensive to reach and more crowded to stand out in.

We deliberately do not publish rupee-per-square-foot rent tables. Rents move constantly and differ street by street inside one city, so a figure printed here would mislead more often than it helped. Get three quotes in the actual catchment instead.

The eight largest markets

The registrations to budget for

Shops and establishment registration. State law. Fee and process differ by state, and renewal rules vary.
GST registration. Central law, registered state-wise; you need one for the state the outlet operates in.
Trade licence and signage permission. Municipal. Signage in particular is often the item that delays an opening.
FSSAI licence. National for any food business, with the category set by turnover and scale.
Fire and building clearances. Depend on the premises and the format; a mall unit and a standalone shop face different requirements.

Requirements and fees change; confirm the current position with the relevant state and municipal authority before budgeting.

Pricing a location before you sign

Get three real rent quotes in the catchment, with the deposit stated.
Add fit-out at the brand’s per-square-foot figure for the size you can afford.
Add the national lines: franchise fee, equipment, opening stock.
Add six months of rent and salaries as working capital, not one.
Divide the total by the monthly net margin the format realistically produces at that footfall. If the answer is longer than the lease term, the site is wrong — not the brand.

For the national cost lines in detail, see what a franchise costs in India, and for funding those lines, franchise loans in India.

City costs: common questions

+Why does the same franchise cost more in one city than another?

Mostly rent and deposit, then salaries. The franchise fee, equipment and opening stock are usually set nationally by the brand, so two franchisees paying the same fee can face very different total opening costs purely because of the property line.

+Which registrations are state-specific?

Shops and establishment registration is state legislation, and trade licence, signage permission and fire clearance are municipal. GST registration is state-wise but under a central law. FSSAI applies nationally to food businesses, with the licence category depending on turnover and scale.

+Is a tier-2 city better for a first franchise?

Frequently, on arithmetic: lower rent and salaries mean the break-even volume is lower, so a slow ramp-up is survivable. The trade-off is a smaller catchment and, for premium formats, thinner demand. The right comparison is break-even volume against realistic footfall, not rent against rent.

+How much should I budget for the deposit?

Ask the specific landlord — deposit norms vary sharply by city and even by locality, and in some markets they are a large multiple of monthly rent. Whatever the number, treat it as your own money: lenders generally fund fit-out and working capital, not a lease deposit.

+Do brands publish city-wise costs?

Rarely. Most publish a national investment range. Where a brand on this site publishes territory-specific figures, they appear on its listing; where it does not, we leave the field blank rather than estimate it.