‘₹8 crore for chaos?’ Viral post on Bengaluru home prices triggers rent vs buy debate

A frank discussion on Reddit about rising property prices in Bengaluru struck a nerve online, with thousands of users pondering whether buying a home in India’s tech capital still makes financial – or lifestyle – sense.

The topic was sparked by a 32-year-old Redditor who said that buying a house in Bengaluru today makes “zero financial sense”, despite being able to afford it. The user, who claims to have a net worth of around Rs 7 crore and a monthly salary of INR 3.7 lakh, said he is renting a 3 BHK in Jayanagar for INR 35,000 – while the plot itself is currently valued at around Rs 8 crore.

“Let this sink in,” he wrote, calling the rental return “a joke.” He said buying at these levels meant keeping his entire wealth in “one illiquid asset” and hoping property prices would continue to rise.

He also rejected the idea of ​​moving to Bengaluru’s crowded suburbs – Whitefield, Sarjapur, Varthur – as chaotic, crowded and poorly planned. “Not my scene,” he wrote.

What surprised many readers was its comparison with Europe. “With similar funds, in the right EU country, I could move towards long-term residency and own a better-planned property with reasonable infrastructure,” he wrote. “More choices. More variety. Less daily clutter.”

For now, he says he prefers lifestyle to property: renting in Jayanagar and investing capital elsewhere.

The viral post unleashed a torrent of responses from Indians in India and abroad, with many echoing these sentiments while others challenged them.

One user strongly disagreed with the “Europe is better” argument, writing: “Easier said than done… Try it once and the illusion will disappear. My brother has been in Germany for four years, getting PR now. I spent years in Australia and Europe and now I’m heading to the US. No matter how much we care about this, as a brown person, India is our best bet.”

Another commentator, who currently lives in the UK, said prices in Bengaluru now exceed prices in parts of Britain. “On this visit to Bangalore, I was shocked to see how prices here are much higher than in UK… I feel more expensive than my city. My net worth is less than Rs 2 crore and I feel risky in getting rid of everything in a house. I don’t see any improvement in quality of life but prices are double what they are worth.”

A third user said the economy had collapsed long ago: “Buying a house no longer makes sense in 2014. With changes in income tax de-indexing, properties come with 124% overhead – 100% for home loan, 24% for government… I wouldn’t be surprised if your Rs 8 lakh plot of land becomes Rs 4 lakh.” The commentator also claimed that prices in the luxury segment are mostly supported by NRI buyers, and warned that Hyderabad has already “beat Bengaluru at its own game” as a technology hub.