The housing market in Chandigarh is highly regulated and famously expensive. Real estate prices are among the highest in North India, driven by strict zoning laws, limited land availability, and high demand for the city's superior infrastructure.
Residential areas are organized into "Sectors," a hallmark of Le Corbusier's design. Each sector is envisioned as a self-sufficient neighborhood measuring 800 by 1,200 meters, complete with its own market, schools, and health centers. The northern sectors (Sectors 1 through 11) feature expansive heritage bungalows and low-density housing primarily occupied by senior government officials, judges, and affluent families.
Southern sectors feature higher-density housing, including apartments built by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) and private cooperative societies. Due to the high cost and scarcity of housing within Chandigarh proper, much of the middle-class and workforce housing demand has spilled over into the neighboring cities of Mohali (Punjab) and Panchkula (Haryana), leading to a booming real estate market in the greater Tricity area.