Is Bengaluru slowly becoming a problem city? Once considered a haven for the IT sector, it is still a popular destination for several MNCs, which are undoubtedly attracting a significant amount of tech talent from across the country to the city. However, things may not be as rosy as one might believe.
Over the past few years, issues related to expenses, safety, the cab mafia, language problems, and more have been widely discussed online.
Skyrocketing Rent
The increase in rent in Bengaluru has been a topic of much debate and discussion for some time now. A 2024 study by ANAROCK Research revealed that Sarjapur Road in Bengaluru has experienced a 76% increase in rent, rising from Rs. 21,000 in 2021 to Rs. 36,900 in 2024. Similarly, Thanisandra Main Road has witnessed a 62% increase in rent, going from Rs. 20,000 in 2021 to Rs. 33,200 in 2024.
Beyond this, several people have posted online about the difficulties they are experiencing due to the incredibly high rent.
A few days ago, Ishan Arora, a LinkedIn user, shared a story about his friend who moved from Pune to Bengaluru. He wrote, “A friend left his 18 LPA job in Pune and joined a firm offering him 25 LPA in Bangalore. After spending a year in the city, he called me yesterday to express his disappointment. ‘Ishan, I shouldn’t have switched cities. Pune was way better; 25 LPA feels like nothing in Bangalore.’ My friend said, ‘What are you saying? A 40% increment is a decent hike; you should be saving more money. Why do you want to come back?‘ I asked curiously. He replied, ‘It’s peanuts for Bangalore. Rents here are exorbitantly high. Landlords are misers, asking for 3 to 4 months’ deposit. Traffic is terrible, and commuting costs a fortune. I miss Pune’s ₹15 vada pav. At least life and savings were decent there.‘ He ended the call with that.
Do you think 25 LPA is insufficient for a city like Bangalore? Which would you prefer: a metro city or a tier 2 city, and why?”
Prior to this, another employee who relocated from Noida to Bengaluru claimed that the city was “dirty, unorganised,” with “poor roads and the worst traffic.”
In February of this year, a video went viral in which a man showcased a tiny one-bedroom flat that cost over Rs. 25,000 per month in rent. Abhishek Singh shared the video on Instagram, highlighting a place where he claimed a friend used to live.
Rent in bangaluru.25K
1 bedroom, balcony.
90% of Indians earn less than 25K. pic.twitter.com/oRKgYDHrq2— The Exploited TaxPayer (@IndiaNewGen) February 11, 2025
In another LinkedIn post from January this year, a user wrote, “I saw some decent listings. But I found a 1BHK for ₹40,000 rent and a 2/3 BHK between ₹75,000 and ₹90,000 rent” in the Koramangala and HSR Layout areas.
The post further stated, “Rental here does not seem to be practical. Just because a landlord owns a property, can they ask for ₹4.8 lakh as a deposit?”
Landlord Issues
As if the high rent were not enough of a problem, there is also the issue of landlords that several people in the city have complained about.
In January 2025, reports emerged that startup founder Shravan Tickoo stated that “Bengaluru landlords are a menace.” Sharing the story of a couple who rented a two-bedroom flat, he wrote, “This couple rented a 2BHK apartment in a high-end society for ₹55,000 a month. Despite paying their rent on time, they faced recurring issues such as leakage and other property defects. Whenever they tried to reach the landlord for help, their calls went unanswered. Instead, the landlord redirected them to the maintenance team with a blunt message: ‘It’s your problem to fix.’”
According to his post, the couple was forced to spend over ₹1 lakh on various other expenses during their stay there. Their troubles didn’t end there, as the landlord refused to return their security deposit when they were leaving the property, claiming that “the flat requires maintenance, so you shouldn’t get anything back.”
Bengaluru landlords have also been said to be trying to capitalise on the rising demand for homes in the country’s IT hub. Sunil Singh of Realty Corps, as per an HT report, stated, “Landlords usually market their apartments for 2-3 months before considering a 5% rent reduction if they struggle to find tenants. However, with demand on the rise, many are now holding firm on their asking prices, expecting to secure tenants at higher rents.”
Several online posts on social media platforms also claim that there is still a significant amount of bias against people from certain communities, language barriers, bachelors, and more.
Read More: Loneliness, Hair Loss, High Rent: Tech Professional Talks About Life In Bengaluru
Cab Mafia
The issue of the cab mafia in Bengaluru has frequently been discussed. Several posts and videos online have highlighted the growing problem of cab drivers taking unnecessarily long routes to inflate the fare or changing their tune in the middle of the ride, demanding an excessively high price and threatening passengers if they refuse.
In August 2023, reports emerged that a cab driver in Bengaluru extorted a woman out of Rs. 20 lakh in cash and another Rs. 20 lakh in gold. The incident is said to have occurred in November 2022 while the woman was speaking to a male friend during her ride in the cab booked via an app.
What she did not realise was that her cab driver was eavesdropping on her conversation, wherein she was discussing her marital issues and more. The cab driver subsequently tracked her and her husband down on social media using this information and threatened to expose the woman’s secrets to her husband.
Fearing the repercussions and also battling depression, the woman agreed to pay the driver Rs. 20 lakh. The man then managed to extort an additional Rs. 20 lakh worth of gold jewellery by harassing and tormenting her.
In September 2024, videos went viral showing an auto-rickshaw driver assaulting and slapping a woman for cancelling an auto ride.
Language Issues
The language issue concerning Kannada being the official language of the state and the vehement anger against non-locals not knowing the language has been ongoing for a few years now.
An incident from March 2023 highlighted this language issue after a 26-second video went viral, in which an auto driver and a Hindi-speaking woman are seen arguing. In the video, the auto driver scolds the woman for not speaking in Kannada while in Bengaluru and insists that she speak in Hindi instead.
According to reports, their dialogue went as follows:
“Driver: Why should I speak in Hindi?
Woman: Okay, okay, okay.
Driver: This is Karnataka. You have to speak in Kannada. You people are North Indian beggars.
Woman: Why? We will not speak in Kannada.
Driver: This is our land, not your land. You have to speak in Kannada. Why should I speak in Hindi?”
In July 2024, user Shaani Naani posted on her X/Twitter account about an auto driver in Bengaluru who demanded extra fare from her simply because she was a non-Kannadiga.
Hailing from Punjab, she wrote, “What harassment it was to commute in an auto from my flat to the office and back. The audacity of local auto drivers to strike up a conversation about why I was in Bangalore, being from the North, if I was learning Kannada, asking if I like anything apart from the weather, and requesting more money because I was newly married, while pretending not to understand a word when I spoke in Hindi or English. I had a very bad experience with the locals there.”
Non-Functional Police
A recent LinkedIn post by Mrinali Priyadarshni, an employee at Swiggy, described her brother’s harrowing experience with a cab driver while returning home from the Bengaluru airport.
She further chronicled how, even upon encountering the police, they were of no assistance. Instead of protecting the young boy, who is just 18 years old, they left him with the cab driver, who was threatening and harassing him.
Other users in the comments section also highlighted this issue of the Bengaluru police not helping non-locals. 
In January 2025, entrepreneur Vatsal Sanghvi stated in a now-deleted X/Twitter post that he and a friend were harassed by a police officer late at night because of a language barrier.
In his post, he wrote, “A cop stopped by and started asking us why the heck we were sitting there, what we were doing, etc. etc. He was hostile at first, but my friend responded to him in Kannada and asked him on what grounds or law he was asking us these things. The cop immediately changed his tone, apologised, and asked us to carry on. I’m pretty sure things would have been very different had my friend not known Kannada.”
A person did clarify in the comments that “Not sure if you’re aware, but that road actually has an underground dance bar near Rice Bowl, which is slightly ahead of where you were sitting. The cops have good reason to be particularly vigilant at night, especially on that street.”
To this, Sanghvi replied, “Did not know this, and I’m totally okay with patrolling. My only point here is the indifferent treatment that was evidently visible. Positivity and warmth will further the cause; such biases will not.”
The Bengaluru Police’s official account also responded, writing, “Please provide the exact location of the incident and DM your contact number.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Livemint, Hindustan Times, India Today
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Bengaluru, Bengaluru rent, Bengaluru cab mafia, Bengaluru language, Bengaluru issues, Bengaluru problems
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right or copyright over any of the images used; these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly email us.
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