‘Is Bengaluru the most expensive city in India?’ Reddit post divides opinions

A man from Bengaluru has triggered a  debate on Reddit after claiming that the IT Hub is the “most expensive city” to live in across India. Drawing comparisons from his experiences in Pune, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai — and from what he’s heard from people in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and beyond — he shared a detailed post ranting about the high cost of living in Bengaluru. From steep rent prices to pricey food and an overall costly lifestyle, his post painted a vivid picture of the city's financial strain.

To further support his argument, the man compared expenses across various Indian metropolitan cities, underlining how each had at least one aspect — be it housing, food, or transport — that was more affordable than in Bengaluru. However, he claimed that when it came to Bengaluru, nothing was cheap. He went on to say that even a “monthly salary of ₹50,000 to ₹60,000” was not enough to sustain a “nuclear family” in the city.

As the post quickly went viral, it sparked a wave of reactions from netizens. While some agreed with the man's take, a majority chimed in with their own comparisons, naming other cities and their expenses — suggesting that Bengaluru was, in fact, relatively cheaper in certain aspects. “Bengaluru is the most expensive city to live in India,” the post read.

The post was shared on Reddit, by the handle ‘Optimal-Animal-90’, and has evoked many upvotes.

“Mumbai street food is on another level when it comes to price and quantity. No comparison whatsoever,” a user said. “Bangalore is nowhere, I repeat nowhere close as expensive as Mumbai is. I have lived in both the cities for years,” added another person.

“Hyd is as costly as Bangalore too , I have seen recently from the past 1 year,” asked another. “Guru I'm staying in Pune, and i just want to come back to Bengaluru. the food infra here is so poor,” added a fourth person.

“Bruh have you seen hotel prices in Mumbai? I had to shell out 12k/night for a hotel that had no windows, just a room which is a bit bigger than the cot. Bangalore is not just a gated community of Whitefield Sarjapur electronic city!” added another person.

“I’ve stayed in Mumbai and Bangalore and the only thing cheap in Mumbai is alcohol. Ffs I remember paying 120 for masala dosa,” added another.