A single listing has done the job of igniting frustration across the internet. A two-bedroom flat in east Bengaluru’s Panathur area, advertised at Rs 70,000 rent per month along with a staggering Rs 5 lakh deposit, has turned into the latest flashpoint in the city’s already volatile rental debate. What should have been a routine ad on a property site has instead provoked comparisons with European housing costs, accusations of greed, and the unavoidable question: has Bengaluru quietly joined Mumbai in the race for unaffordable living?
A flat that costs like Europe but stands in Panathur
The apartment in question measures 1,205 sq. ft., and the broker markets it as “premium living.” High-end furnishings, glossy finishes, and the label of luxury are held up as the justification. Yet online voices have shredded that claim with blunt honesty. A common argument runs like this: an EMI of Rs 70,000 easily services a home loan of around Rs 80 lakh. So why on earth should anyone spend the same amount just to rent a 2BHK?
One Reddit user did not hold back: “The ongoing rent here is Rs 45,000 plus maintenance, and even that feels steep. For Rs 70,000, you might as well buy the flat. These are selling at around Rs 1.2 crore. It’s not even a proper 2BHK, it’s a small one, more like 1.5BHK. The owner seems to think expensive furnishing equals double rent.”
The sting in that observation is hard to miss. Furnishing cannot double the market logic, yet here someone is testing if it can.
The problem with benchmarks
A rent of Rs 70,000 burdens not only the tenant who signs that lease but also distorts the entire market. One user on Reddit captured this anxiety: “Maybe some unaware folks will end up taking it, and then that becomes the new standard.” This is not paranoia; it is exactly how rental inflation works. One landlord cites a higher figure, another follows, and soon, the inflated rate becomes the baseline.
Reports confirm the trend. Rentals in the IT capital have been rising around 30 per cent annually. In some neighborhoods, such as Indiranagar, landlords imposed major hikes in a single year as per Magicbricks data.
