Bengaluru couple move to Gurgaon, earn Rs 1 crore pa but can't afford home: 'Frustrated'

The Gurgaon couple said they have a budget of Rs 1.7 crore, but have been unable to find a 'livable' home below Rs 2 crore. (AI-generated image)

A couple who moved from Bengaluru to Gurgaon recently took to Reddit to vent their frustration after being unable to find a “livable” home within a budget of Rs 1.7 crore despite earning Rs 1 crore per annum.

The couple said months of house-hunting had yielded little beyond “overpriced, low-quality options” despite what they described as “decent savings” and a willingness to stretch their budget. Comparable households in cities such as Pune and Noida, the post noted, have been able to buy homes under Rs 1 crore, widening the sense of disparity.

“We are not trying to avoid loans entirely, but we don’t want crushing stress,” the post read, adding that most projects shown by brokers were either too old, poorly constructed, far from work hubs, or came with unresolved maintenance issues.

'Property prices don't reflect value'

The couple criticised Gurgaon’s infrastructure and liveability—pointing to flooding during monsoons, poor road conditions, air pollution, and a limited IT ecosystem compared to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune—arguing that prices no longer reflect value.

"Sometimes I wonder how this city even justifies its pricing. If things keep going this way, Gurgaon will eat itself alive. There’s zero value for money. Coming from Bangalore and Pune, I miss builders who actually care about quality—Prestige, Pristine, etc. Here, you can’t trust a single builder’s name," the post read. The couple also stated that before switching their jobs from Bengaluru to Gurgaon, the HR managers apparently told them they couldn’t offer much because "the cost of living is higher in Bengaluru".

"Only after moving here did I realise it’s the opposite. Gurgaon drains your wallet for absolutely nothing in return. I’m just… frustrated," the Reddit user shared. "If I were in Pune, I would probably have bought a good property by now. Here, I’m stuck in a loop of overpriced, low-quality options. Is anyone else going through this? How are people justifying these prices?"

Post triggers discussion on buying vs renting

Responding to the post, other Reddit users suggested the problem may be structural rather than personal. Several commenters said Gurgaon’s real estate market is increasingly geared towards ultra-high-net-worth buyers, particularly those moving out of Delhi with inherited wealth. “Apartments worth Rs 7 crore to Rs 10 crore are selling out,” one user wrote, adding that salaried IT professionals are no longer the target demographic.

Another commenter claimed that a household earning Rs 1 crore annually would now need a budget closer to Rs 3.5 crore to be considered competitive in newer Gurgaon projects, with sub-Rs 2 crore options rapidly disappearing.

Others questioned the urgency to buy altogether, arguing that renting makes more sense amid volatile IT hiring and what they described as a “gentrifying” market.

The couple said the frustration has triggered conversations within their workplace about leaving Gurgaon altogether. “If this doesn’t correct,” the post said, “IT people will simply exit the city.”