'Have people lost their minds?': Bengaluru man stunned by ₹1 lakh rent for 3BHK
In India’s tech capital, where sky-high valuations often sit alongside tight living quarters, the rent-versus-buy debate is getting louder — and more personal.
- Nov 21, 2025,
- Updated Nov 21, 2025 8:33 AM IST
A Bengaluru tech professional’s blunt tweet about a ₹1 lakh rent for a 3BHK in Cooke Town has reignited conversations around the city’s ballooning housing costs, and how the tech boom may be pricing out its own workforce.
Sahil Khan, a product designer, took to X after a frustrating house-hunting weekend. “Landlords are asking for 1L rent in Cooke Town for a 3BHK. Have people lost their minds?” he posted. The remark triggered a flood of responses from fellow residents echoing similar experiences.
Khan, who currently lives in Koramangala and pays ₹50,000 for a 2BHK, is looking to move ahead of his wedding in January. Over one weekend, he viewed eight apartments in the Cooke Town area — a central Bengaluru neighbourhood once part of the old Cantonment zone. He found that even semi-furnished flats without amenities were demanding ₹75,000–₹80,000 per month. One unit listed at ₹1 lakh didn’t even include maintenance charges.
Another apartment priced lower at ₹65,000 turned out to be next to a railway track — a reminder that location trade-offs often come disguised as "deals."
“There are a lot of IT people in Bengaluru. So there is money. They [landlords] want some of that,” Khan was quoted as saying in an Hindustan Times report. He also argued the city needs to rethink its floor space index (FSI) policies to expand housing supply.
Khan’s post also pointed to deeper frustrations. “People have made this as well about religion. People have truly lost their minds,” he wrote in a follow-up tweet, hinting at possible discrimination in the rental market.
Other users chimed in with their own takes. One X user noted that rising ownership costs — nearly doubling in some areas over the last few years — are pushing rents higher. “They are motivating you to buy your own house,” another user quipped. Khan responded, saying he had already crunched the numbers on that front.
In India’s tech capital, where sky-high valuations often sit alongside tight living quarters, the rent-versus-buy debate is getting louder — and more personal.
A Bengaluru tech professional’s blunt tweet about a ₹1 lakh rent for a 3BHK in Cooke Town has reignited conversations around the city’s ballooning housing costs, and how the tech boom may be pricing out its own workforce.
Sahil Khan, a product designer, took to X after a frustrating house-hunting weekend. “Landlords are asking for 1L rent in Cooke Town for a 3BHK. Have people lost their minds?” he posted. The remark triggered a flood of responses from fellow residents echoing similar experiences.
Khan, who currently lives in Koramangala and pays ₹50,000 for a 2BHK, is looking to move ahead of his wedding in January. Over one weekend, he viewed eight apartments in the Cooke Town area — a central Bengaluru neighbourhood once part of the old Cantonment zone. He found that even semi-furnished flats without amenities were demanding ₹75,000–₹80,000 per month. One unit listed at ₹1 lakh didn’t even include maintenance charges.
Another apartment priced lower at ₹65,000 turned out to be next to a railway track — a reminder that location trade-offs often come disguised as "deals."
“There are a lot of IT people in Bengaluru. So there is money. They [landlords] want some of that,” Khan was quoted as saying in an Hindustan Times report. He also argued the city needs to rethink its floor space index (FSI) policies to expand housing supply.
Khan’s post also pointed to deeper frustrations. “People have made this as well about religion. People have truly lost their minds,” he wrote in a follow-up tweet, hinting at possible discrimination in the rental market.
Other users chimed in with their own takes. One X user noted that rising ownership costs — nearly doubling in some areas over the last few years — are pushing rents higher. “They are motivating you to buy your own house,” another user quipped. Khan responded, saying he had already crunched the numbers on that front.
In India’s tech capital, where sky-high valuations often sit alongside tight living quarters, the rent-versus-buy debate is getting louder — and more personal.