Mumbai Logs In, Beats London and Miami in 'Work From Anywhere Index'

Mumbai is crowded, hurried and rarely associated with an easy working holiday. It has now beaten London and Miami at one.

Mumbai has emerged as the only Indian city in International Workplace Group’s 2026 Work From Anywhere Index, which ranks destinations where professionals can combine remote work with travel. The city debuted with a score of 77 and finished 50th globally. Bangkok topped the index with 106.5, followed by Tokyo at 96.5 and Barcelona at 95.5. Porto and Vancouver completed the top five.

For Mumbai, the result is a curious victory. The city scored well on transport costs, accommodation, climate and access to co-working and flexible offices. Its rise was checked by weaker broadband speed and quality, fewer local events and a lower happiness score.

In other words, Mumbai can give remote workers a desk, a ride and a room. The internet may still test the meeting.

What Does the ‘Work From Anywhere Index' Measure?

The annual index examines the attractions and practical difficulties of working remotely from different cities. It scores destinations on climate, broadband connectivity, accommodation, transport, food, culture, local activities and the availability of flexible workspaces.

That mix matters because the modern workcation is no longer simply a holiday with a laptop packed into the suitcase. A city must offer reliable connectivity and places to work alongside the food, weather and experiences that make people want to stay after the Zoom call ends.

Bangkok took the top position for the first time, helped by affordability, transport connectivity, culture and its flexible-work infrastructure. Tokyo’s digital strength and transport network carried it to second place, while Barcelona remained one of Europe’s strongest combinations of weather, lifestyle and workability. The rest of the global top 10 comprised Budapest, Naples, Medellín, Lisbon and Seoul.

Why Did Mumbai Make the Cut?

Mumbai benefits from one of India’s deepest networks of flexible offices, supported by its status as the country’s financial and corporate capital.

Employees travelling through the city can choose from co-working centres, managed offices, business lounges and short-term workspaces spread across major commercial districts. Its public transport system also makes daily movement relatively affordable compared with many international business centres. The index additionally gave Mumbai strong scores for climate and accommodation.

But the city’s debut also exposes an unusual gap in India’s remote-working story. India possesses the world’s most mature flexible-office ecosystem, yet Mumbai was its only representative in IWG’s global workcation ranking.

Bengaluru may lead India in flexible-office stock, but a workcation index measures more than the supply of desks. It weighs the entire experience of staying, travelling, connecting and living in a city while continuing to work.

Why is India Strong in Flexible Offices?

India scored 100 on Cushman & Wakefield’s Flexible Workspace Maturity Index, ahead of the UK at 98, France at 97 and the US at 81. The score measures factors such as the share of flexible space in the wider office market, the number and diversity of operators, leasing activity and the development of newer contractual models.

India had 79.7 million square feet of flexible-office stock across its eight leading cities in the second quarter of 2025, making it the largest such market in the Asia-Pacific region. The total was projected to cross 100 million square feet during 2026, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Bengaluru held approximately 21.1 million square feet, or nearly 30 per cent of the national inventory. Delhi-NCR, Pune and Hyderabad followed, while Mumbai accounted for about 7.9 million square feet. Demand is increasingly coming from multinational companies and Global Capability Centres that want ready-to-use offices without committing immediately to large, long leases.

The laptop may travel freely. The employer still wants it connected to a professional workplace.

Is ‘Work From Anywhere’ Becoming a Job Benefit?

A separate survey commissioned by IWG found that 51 per cent of respondents already had access to a Work From Anywhere policy through their employer.

About 90 per cent said the arrangement had improved their work-life balance, while 80 per cent reported higher productivity. As many as 62 per cent said they would consider changing jobs for a better Work From Anywhere policy.

The trend is also changing travel behaviour. Nearly half the respondents planned to extend a holiday or short break by working remotely in 2026, while 43 per cent said they had already worked from a holiday destination without taking annual leave.

There is, however, an important caveat. The survey covered 2,000 hybrid office workers in the UK and the US between July 6 and July 9. Its findings cannot automatically be treated as evidence of how Indian employees or employers view ‘Work From Anywhere’ policies. Mumbai’s ranking tells us how the city performs against IWG’s workcation criteria. It does not tell us how many Indian companies will allow their employees to use it that way.

What Holds Mumbai Back?

Broadband is the biggest practical warning. A remote-working destination can survive expensive coffee or unpredictable weather. It struggles to survive a frozen video call.

Mumbai’s relatively weaker broadband score places it behind Asian cities such as Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore, where high-speed digital infrastructure strengthens the appeal for travelling professionals.

Its lower scores for local events and happiness also suggest that workcation appeal requires something more difficult to manufacture than office space. Professionals must enjoy living in the city after they close the laptop.

Mumbai has entered the global ranking because it already possesses much of the infrastructure needed for flexible work. To climb it, the city will need to make the experience around that work faster, easier and happier.

For now, it has done enough to beat London and Miami. Just pray the Wi-Fi holds while Mumbai celebrates.

(With inputs from ANI)