Once considered an affordable haven for India’s aspiring middle class, Hyderabad’s real estate market is now pricing out even well-paid tech professionals. Skyrocketing property prices, growing family responsibilities, and intense societal pressure to own a home, especially to improve marriage prospects, are leaving many young men with limited options.
This is because there is a glaring disconnect between available inventory and what middle-income buyers can realistically afford. Even non-branded apartments located 40 minutes from Hitech City are now priced at ₹1.2–1.5 crore. At these levels, homeownership isn’t just unaffordable, it’s becoming unsustainable, say Redditors.
For some, the pressure to own property has had personal consequences. One buyer admitted to being rejected by prospective partners due to not owning a home, a growing reflection of how homeownership is increasingly seen as a prerequisite in Indian matchmaking culture.
Some young buyers are now turning to plot investments, which are relatively more affordable and allow them to build homes at their own pace.
A 28-year-old software engineer working at a product-based company in Hyderabad, earning an annual package of ₹29 lakh, recently shared how owning a home is becoming difficult for him. Despite a respectable income by industry standards, he finds himself unable to purchase a home in the city, a situation many urban professionals now identify with.
“I’ve been the sole breadwinner since our family split 20 years ago. Nearly half my income goes into supporting my siblings’ education and other household expenses,” he wrote. With his younger brother and sister still in college and various insurance and healthcare costs to bear, disposable income for savings or home investment remains tight.
‘Will buy a plot, rather than buying an apartment’
Redditors’ attempts to explore affordable housing options have hit one roadblock after another. Even in his native tier-3 town, located nearly 100 km from Hyderabad, he found that a modest 1,200 sq ft house was priced at around ₹75 lakh. “It’s disheartening,” he said. “For that amount, I’d rather buy a plot and build a house myself. At least then, I’ll own land, something that might appreciate over time.”
He expressed scepticism over investing in apartments, citing long-term depreciation. “I’ve seen what 10-year-old apartments look like in places like Narsingi, a town in Telangana, with cracks in the walls, water leakage. The construction quality just doesn’t last, and your entire savings go to the builder. That’s not an investment, that’s a liability.”
Here’s how property prices stack up in Hyderabad
Between January and March 2025, property prices in Hyderabad’s prime locations saw steady growth. In Banjara Hills, rates rose by 8%, with average prices ranging between ₹12,000 and ₹15,000 per sq ft, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield. Similar trends were observed in areas like Madhapur and Gachibowli, where prices reached ₹8,000 to ₹8,250 per sq ft.
“People who bought properties in the 2000-2010 period paid substantially lower prices. Since then, Hyderabad has seen major infrastructure projects and the arrival of tech companies that have transformed the city into a tech hub. Government initiatives have also helped boost the startup ecosystem. In areas like Banjara Hills and Gachibowli, property prices are now almost on par with those in Bengaluru,” said GV Jagdish, a Hyderabad-based realtor with Hanu Reddy Realty.
Buying land is better than owning an expensive home: Redditor
For now, the buyers’ preference is shifting toward purchasing land, even if it means moving further from the city. “If I’m spending ₹70 lakh anyway, I’d rather own a piece of land and construct at my own pace. I don’t have ancestral property or fallback wealth. This feels like the only chance to build something for the future.”
He also noted the stark mismatch between available inventory and what most middle-class buyers can actually afford. “Even non-branded apartments, located 40 minutes from Hitech City, are touching ₹1.2–1.5 crore. At that rate, it’s not just unaffordable, it’s unsustainable,” reads the post.
Book under-construction apartments, say netizens
Another Redditor suggested he book an under-construction flat with a Tier-1 builder, use it to signal financial stability and get married, then flip the apartment and recover the money.
“It will not be easy, but hopefully this should work,” the Redditor commented on the thread. “You’ll save on registration costs as long as it’s under construction. The only downside is interest on partial disbursement. But if you find a 20:80 payment plan, you’ll avoid even that, assuming you can arrange the 20% down payment.”
