Should you rent or buy a home? Here’s how much rental pricing has gone up compared to ownership cost in major Indian cities

Deciding whether to rent or buy a home is one of the biggest financial choices most people will make. It’s not a straightforward decision, especially when considering the rapid increase in rental prices in some of India’s biggest cities. Let’s dive into how the cost of renting has risen compared to buying, and whether it's still worth it to rent or if it’s time to start looking at homeownership.

Soaring renting costs

If you’re renting in cities like Bengaluru, Pune, or Kolkata, you might have noticed something frustrating — your rent seems to keep going up. According to ANAROCK Research, in several of India’s top cities, rental prices have jumped significantly, even more than property values in some places. For example, in Bengaluru’s Sarjapur Road, average monthly rents shot up by 67% between the end of 2021 and the middle of 2024. If you were paying Rs 21,000 in rent at the end of 2021, that would now be around Rs 35,000 a month!

And Bengaluru isn’t the only city where renters are feeling the squeeze. In Pune’s Hinjewadi, rent prices have surged by 52%, while property values went up by just 31%. Similarly, in Kolkata’s EM Bypass, rents rose by 46%, but property prices saw a much smaller bump of 15%.

But there are cities where buying makes even more sense because property prices are outpacing rental costs. In Hyderabad’s Gachibowli, for instance, while rent went up by 50%, property values soared by 70%. This trend is also seen in NCR’s Sohna Road, where rents increased by 40%, but property prices grew by 54%.

Is renting really worth it?

Let’s say you’re living in a 2BHK flat in Bengaluru, paying Rs 50,000 a month in rent. It might seem like an okay deal at first, but when you look at the long-term cost, things get tricky. Dr Prashant Thakur, Regional Director & Head of Research at ANAROCK, breaks it down: "One-year payable rent for the individual is Rs 50,000 x 12 = Rs 6,00,000. For the next 10 years, the total rental outgo, including an annual rental increase of 7%, will be around Rs 83 lakh. This rental outgo is almost 69% of the total cost of this property — and this is just an expense with no investment value accrued."
What does that mean? If you keep renting, you’re essentially throwing money out the window without gaining any ownership of the home. While you may have the flexibility that comes with renting, your hard-earned money doesn’t build any long-term value.

Is it time to make the home purchase leap?

So, what if you took the plunge and bought the place instead? Let’s say you’re eyeing a Rs 1.2 crore apartment and can afford to put down a 20% down payment, with the rest coming from a 10-year home loan at 9.5% interest. Dr. Thakur explains, “If the individual opts to buy the property via a home loan, has the financial wherewithal to make a 20% down payment, and borrows the remaining amount over a 10-year tenure at 9.5% interest rate, such a purchase is definitely profitable. Instead of spending a huge amount on rent, the individual can pay monthly EMIs and ultimately own the physical asset after a ten-year period.”

With this approach, the monthly EMIs may be slightly higher than what you’re paying in rent, but there’s a key difference — you’re working towards owning your home. After 10 years, the home is yours, and you don’t have to worry about rent going up year after year.

Homeownership isn’t just about the numbers

While the math might lean towards buying, it’s not just about finances. For some people, renting makes more sense, especially if they don’t plan to settle down in one place for a long time. Job mobility, financial stability, and lifestyle choices all factor into this decision.

However, something interesting happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people, including millennials who had previously been all about renting, started reconsidering. The pandemic brought a sense of uncertainty, and suddenly, the security of owning a home became much more attractive. Dr. Thakur points out, "Amid a rising aversion to high-risk investments, an increasing number of tenants see rent as an expense, and EMIs as SIPs towards a non-volatile asset."
Plus, home loan interest rates are currently lower, averaging between 8.75% and 9.5%, making homeownership more affordable than it has been in the past few years. And let’s not forget the tax benefits: Homebuyers can avail of deduction on principal repayment, interest charges, and a further deduction of Rs 50,000 for first-home buyers.

The answer, as with most things, isn’t black and white. Renting offers flexibility, especially if your job might take you to a new city in a year or two. But with rents rising sharply in cities like Bengaluru, Pune, and Chennai, buying might be a smarter option in the long run. If you’re financially ready to make a down payment and secure a home loan, investing in a home could save you from steep rental hikes and give you the stability of owning a property.