Pune or Gurgaon - Which city should I live in?

Either you are fresh out of college or you are about to get married. The question that often boggles you is which city to settle down finally. Especially when you already do not have a home in one of the metros. More often than not you succumb to opt for a place which fate has decided for you in the name of the company that you work with. Average take home salary for an undergraduate would be somewhere around Rs. 25,000 to 40,000. The same for someone unmarried and having worked for 3-5 years would make around Rs. 50,000 to 60,000. If you are forced to work at this salary in a city such as Mumbai or Gurgaon, you can barely afford to live an average life where the cost of living is too high.

I have a few friends who live in Gurgaon. And they are not happy as most of the people staying in Gurgaon. High cost of living is not the only issue. Other issues include high realty prices. I mean in order to survive in places like Gurgaon or Mumbai, one has to shed almost 30 to 35% of their income either on house rent or EMIs. Or else you stay 3-4 friends in one flat just to save on your living cost. Other major negatives include high school fees for children with poor quality. No proper public transport in a city like  Gurgaon makes life worse. One either has to own a vehicle or spend hefty amounts on auto wallahs, and everyone living in Gurgaon would agree that dealing with Auto wallahs of Gurgaon is a pain in itself. And the worst of all, safety! Open any newspaper and there will be at least one article that would testify to this issue of NCR.

So what do you do? Which city do you think is a coveted destination to live in. I myself have lived in Gurgaon and Mumbai and Pune. And there is no denying the fact that Pune is the most preferred of all. Pune has its problem too with ever increasing traffic in the city. But Pune has the best of educational Institutions, quantum of IT and Manufacturing industries and ample job opportunities. Ask anyone about the weather in Pune and you wouldn’t get to hear any complaints, especially when compared to the weather of NCR, Kolkata or Chennai.

Real Estate prices in Pune is still cheaper than Gurgaon and far cheaper than that prevailing in Mumbai. There is a clear shift in the demographics of Pune with students and youngsters coming in the city either for higher studies or for their first jobs.

All in all, Pune looks an attractive option when compared to Gurgaon. But this is just a view of few people I came across. I am sure there are positives about Gurgaon too, else why would so many people still stay there and why would so many companies still have their headquarters in Gurgaon. 

Note: All the assumptions made in this article are just through observations. That is why I am not citing any reference of source. If you have a different observation, please feel free to post your comment for discussion.