As Bengaluru’s technology sector grapples with layoffs, the rise of AI and slumping global demand, many metro-city professionals are rethinking what home ownership means. Homes once seen as milestones of success have morphed into potential burdens – a point not lost on tech workers who now shift their thinking from “when should I buy?” to “why should I buy at all?”
In India’s Silicon Valley, a ₹1 crore home now carries an EMI of around ₹1.3 lakh per month, a figure deemed manageable only in the context of stable income. As one Reddit user put it: “The moment your job is gone, arranging ₹1.3 lakh becomes a nightmare.” The tech workforce, traditionally a pillar of residential demand, is watching its ranks contract as automation and redundancies reshape career guarantees. Meanwhile, younger professionals weigh whether flexibility, renting or investing in equities, may be more appropriate than long-term financial commitment.
This shift is already reshaping Bengaluru’s real-estate market. While property prices in core corridors may remain stable thanks to constrained supply, the composition of demand is changing. Developers report enquiry drops of 15–25% in tech-oriented zones such as Whitefield and Sarjapur Road, and buyers are increasingly exploring peripheral locations where affordability has greater appeal.
For developers and investors, the key takeaway is clear: buying power hinges not only on income but on confidence in career stability. In markets once fuelled by certainty, the new axis of risk is employment – especially within tech clusters vulnerable to AI-driven displacement. Projects that lean on price escalation rather than job-backed demand may find the ground shifting beneath them.
