Air quality comparison · India, 499 km apart
Bengaluru vs Hyderabad Air quality index (AQI) today
Hyderabad has cleaner air than Bengaluru right now: AQI 156 (Unhealthy) against 171 (Unhealthy).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Bengaluru averaged AQI 77 against 90, and it was the cleaner of the two on 5 of those days. Bengaluru has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Bengaluru171Hyderabad156
Head to head
Bengaluru vs Hyderabad at a glance
Bengaluru is ahead on 3 of 5 measures, and Hyderabad on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Bengaluru | Hyderabad | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 171 | 156 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 84 | 62 (better) |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 77 (better) | 90 |
| Tree coverWithin 2 km of the center. | 36.7% (better) | 19.1% |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 10.4K (better) | 65.7K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Bengaluru and Hyderabad right now?
Hyderabad has cleaner air than Bengaluru right now: AQI 156 (Unhealthy) against 171 (Unhealthy). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Bengaluru's PM2.5 is about 5.6× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. Hyderabad's PM2.5 is about 4.1× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
BengaluruHyderabad
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Bengaluru: Ground station · Hombegowda Nagar, Bengaluru - KSPCB, 3.7 km away · median of 8 stations. Data: OpenAQ · CPCB, Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India (GODL-India).
Hyderabad: Ground station · Zoo Park, Hyderabad - TSPCB, 3.9 km away · median of 4 stations. Data: OpenAQ · CPCB, Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India (GODL-India).
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Bengaluru averaged AQI 77 against 90, and it was the cleaner of the two on 5 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Bengaluru5Hyderabad2
- Average AQI
- Bengaluru77Hyderabad90
- Worst day, AQI
- Bengaluru115Hyderabad125
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | Bengaluru | Hyderabad |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 62 | 41 |
| Nov 6 | 47 | 57 |
| Nov 7 | 54 | 104 |
| Nov 8 | 58 | 125 |
| Nov 9 | 95 | 97 |
| Nov 10 | 115 | 94 |
| Nov 11 | 109 | 110 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Bengaluru and Hyderabad today?
Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. Both are in the same EPA band today (Unhealthy), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it.
Windows
Keep them closed.
Masks
Wear an N95 outdoors.
Air purifier
Run one.
Against everywhere else
How do Bengaluru and Hyderabad compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Bengaluru's air is cleaner than 6% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Hyderabad's is cleaner than 9%. Within India, that is 28% and 42% of its 471 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Bengaluru
- Beats 6%
- Hyderabad
- Beats 9%
More tree cover than…
- Bengaluru
- Beats 79%
- Hyderabad
- Beats 44%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Bengaluru
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Hyderabad
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Bengaluru or Hyderabad?
Bengaluru has more tree cover: 36.7% of the land within 2 km of its center against 19.1% around Hyderabad, or about 115,296 trees against 60,004.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Bengaluru | Hyderabad | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 115K (better) | 60.0K |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 10.4K (better) | 65.7K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 2.5M kg (better) | 1.3M kg |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 2 km radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 2 km of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Bengaluru vs Hyderabad: your questions answered
Is Hyderabad cleaner than Bengaluru?
On air quality, yes, right now: Hyderabad reads AQI 156 against 171, a gap of 15 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. But over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Bengaluru averaged AQI 77 against 90, and it was the cleaner of the two on 5 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Bengaluru and Hyderabad today?
The advice is the same for both today. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so. Bengaluru reads AQI 171 and Hyderabad reads AQI 156.
Which has more trees, Bengaluru or Hyderabad?
Bengaluru has more tree cover: 36.7% of the land within 2 km of its center against 19.1% around Hyderabad, or about 115,296 trees against 60,004. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Bengaluru and Hyderabad need?
Bengaluru needs about 10,367 more to reach its canopy target of 40%, and Hyderabad about 65,659 to reach 40%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Bengaluru and Hyderabad measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings come from nearby ground stations. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Bengaluru vs Hyderabad comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Oct 14, 2026 and Oct 14, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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