₹22,000-₹24,000 rent, ₹1.5 lakh deposit for old 1BHK, Bengaluru resident calls out rising housing costs

For people living and working in Bengaluru, rising rental costs are making it harder to stretch their monthly salaries. A Reddit user has highlighted the growing gap between what private-sector employees earn and what landlords are asking for, calling it an “absolute mathematical comedy” in the city’s rental market.

In a Reddit post titled “Salary is stuck in 2006, but Bengaluru rent is living in 2046. Anyone else trapped in this time paradox?”, the resident compared corporate salaries with rising rents in areas such as New Thippasandra and Indiranagar. The user’s name was not revealed.

The resident said private-sector salaries appeared to be “beautifully preserved from 20 years ago”, while landlords were demanding rents that seemed to belong to the future.

“We recently audited our monthly expenses and realized a hilarious structural glitch: The privates sector pays us a salary that seems beautifully preserved from 20 years ago. It’s a wonderful, nostalgic throwback to the days of early IT hubs. Meanwhile, independent house owners are holding a calculator and demanding rents that are living 20 years straight into the future,” the OP wrote.

Read the viral post here:

The Reddit user cited rents of ₹22,000 to ₹24,000 for a 1BHK, along with a ₹1.5 lakh security deposit. The apartment was described as more than 15 years old and located on the second floor of a walk-up building.

The resident also pointed to dependence on timed municipal water supply as another concern.

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“It’s an incredible economic time machine,” the user wrote, adding that companies compensate employees “like it’s the past”, landlords charge “like it’s the future”, while municipal infrastructure is still operating on “basic legacy software from the 90s”.

The post also sparked a wider discussion about what tenants get for the money they pay. One user questioned how landlords and brokers describe small rental units.

“Don't forget the definition of 1BHK, 1RK by these Landlords and broker. A small granite slab in one corner is termed as kitchen here. They'll ask you 1month rent for painting and stuff. But none of them have given me freshly painted flat till date while renting.....the faaking hypocrisy,” the user said.

Another user agreed that Bengaluru needs tighter checks on rents.

“Agreed.... Bangalore needs a rent check at this point, once people and companies start shifting away from Bangalore they'll understand the implications and it's high time this happens,” the second user said.

The discussion also turned to salaries and the additional cost of living in Bengaluru. One user suggested that employees negotiating with companies based in the city should factor the higher living costs into their pay.

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“This is exactly why people negotiating with bangalore companies need to explicitly state that working from bangalore will need another 20% salary extra. Else, that you will work from tier 2 cities. Large firms have started doing this and give this as an option to people who ask. I personally know that firms have setup offices in places like Nagpur, Bhubhaneshwar, Coimbatore, etc EXACTLY for this reason,” the user said.

The user also warned employees about the financial risks of taking on high rents or EMIs.

“Houseowners and real estate brokers think employees are one very deep well. All of you paying huge rents or EMIs, please know that everything could end tomm if your job get axed.

Save money, have the discussion with your employer. No WFH, need 20% extra. Start looking for options and put your houseowners on notice,” the user added.