Top 10% IIT Grad Salary, Still No Home: Bengaluru's Real Estate Dilemma
In cities like Bengaluru, soaring land prices, rapid real estate growth, and the growing premiumisation of housing have pushed property ownership out of reach, even for high-earning tech professionals.
A Reddit post by a 25-year-old earning a top-tier salary has ignited debate over why buying a home in India’s biggest cities feels increasingly unattainable, even for the highest-paid salaried individuals. The user wrote that despite excelling academically, cracking the JEE, graduating from a Tier-1 college with a 9+ CGPA, securing a job at a Tier-1 company, and ranking among the top 10% of IIT graduates in terms of salary, and saving diligently for 2.5 years, affording a “decent house with a decent plot in a decent area” still seems out of reach.
The post reads, “Did everything decent enough in life so far. Worked my … in school, cracked JEE. T1 undergrad college, worked my …, 9+ cgpa. Got into a T1 company, top 10 per cent of IIT grads in terms of salary. 2.5 years of saving. Still, how on earth can I afford a decent house with a decent plot in a decent area?” The user noted that premium villa projects in Bengaluru are being quoted at ₹30–40 crore, which is equivalent to 100 years of their present salary.
Redditors note that land prices in areas like HSR Layout hover around ₹25,000 per sq ft, putting even a modest 1,500 sq ft plot close to ₹4 crore. One of the buyers said, “A $5 million house is not meant for the salaried class.” Several Redditors argued that the core issue is not just affordability but expectations. “It’s not about buying a ₹40 crore house,” one Reddit user wrote. “It’s about realising you can’t have everything in life. People who work their way into IITs think everything is possible if they keep working hard. In reality, things like this depend on many factors, timing, inheritance, luck.”
Another noted that if today’s top 1% could routinely afford ₹40 crore homes, the market would simply move higher. “Then there would be ₹100 crore homes, and people would complain about that.” One Redditor recalled being offered a villa in a premium project in the early 2000s for around $150,000, but passing on it while working in Silicon Valley. “Can’t believe they’re selling for ₹30–40 crore now,” he wrote, calling it a missed opportunity shaped by economic cycles and career choices.
“If you want to buy, buy something you can afford now, and later step up as your income increases,” another Redditor said, arguing that appreciation rewards early, realistic entry into the market. “A house is the most expensive self-consumption purchase for anyone. It always was,” a user wrote, noting that earlier generations often built homes gradually or bought property only in their 40s or 50s. Easier home loans later pulled purchases into people’s 40s, but expectations have shifted again.
“Now people in their 20s with three years of experience ask why they can’t own a home already,” the Redditor said. “It’s still hard. It has always been hard.” Several users urged patience over panic buying. One said they bought their first home nine years into working life, warning against FOMO-driven decisions. Another framed the issue more starkly: prime urban real estate is largely a function of generational wealth. “Decent luxury and good areas aren’t meant for the middle class,” the Redditor wrote, pointing to Mumbai, where South Mumbai prices have pushed buyers steadily outward to Thane and Navi Mumbai.
The debate highlights the growing disconnect between the aspirations of young professionals and the harsh realities of the real estate market in India’s tech hubs. While high salaries and career success are important, they do not guarantee the ability to own a home in the most desirable areas. The challenge for these professionals is to balance their expectations with the economic and market realities they face.
