On this page
You have an offer letter in one city and a parent's flat in another, or your company lets you pick between its Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune offices. Before you settle on a city, you want to know where your money buys more home, where rent eats less of your salary, and where the next job will come from.
All three are big tech and services cities with strong demand for housing. They differ in price, pace and cost of buying. Here is a straight comparison with the latest numbers we could verify, as of November 2026.
Prices: what a square foot costs
Research firm ANAROCK tracks average prices of new homes in the big cities. Its figures for April to June 2026 put Bengaluru at about ₹9,450 per sq ft and Hyderabad at about ₹8,090 per sq ft. Both have nearly doubled since 2019: Bengaluru by about 90% and Hyderabad by about 93%. Pune rose more slowly over the same stretch, about 51%.
Different research firms report different averages for Pune because they sample different projects, so treat any single citywide figure with care. What matters more is the micro-market. A flat near Hinjewadi or Kharadi in Pune, Gachibowli or Kokapet in Hyderabad, or Whitefield or Hebbal in Bengaluru can cost well above the city average.
- Bengaluru: highest averages of the three and still rising. ANAROCK reported an 8% yearly price rise for July to September 2026.
- Hyderabad: close behind on price, with very fast new supply. New launches more than doubled year on year in July to September 2026.
- Pune: the steadiest of the three over the long run, with sales cooling in recent quarters.
Rents and rental yield
Rental yield is the yearly rent as a share of the flat's price. ANAROCK estimates average yields in Bengaluru have risen from about 3.6% in 2019 to about 4.6% now, and in Hyderabad from about 2.6% to about 3.6%. Pune's yield improved by about 0.65 percentage points over the same period.
Rents are climbing in all three. The Magicbricks rental index showed Bengaluru rents up 8.6% in just one quarter (January to March 2026) as offices called staff back, and Hyderabad rents up 15% year on year. For a renter, that makes the rent vs buy maths tilt towards buying sooner in Bengaluru than it did two years ago.
Jobs: where the offices are
Housing demand follows office demand. Savills counted fresh office leasing in 2025 at about 20.2 million sq ft in Bengaluru, 11.4 million sq ft in Hyderabad and 8.8 million sq ft in Pune. Bengaluru led the country. Global capability centres (the in-house tech and operations hubs of foreign companies) were a big part of all three; in Hyderabad they made up about 43% of leasing.
- Bengaluru: the widest choice of tech, startup and GCC jobs, which makes it easier to change employers without changing homes.
- Hyderabad: big campuses clustered in the west (HITEC City, Gachibowli, Financial District), with GCCs growing fast.
- Pune: IT in Hinjewadi and Kharadi, plus manufacturing and automotive jobs in Chakan and Pimpri-Chinchwad, which gives the city a broader job base.
Infrastructure: what is built and what is still promised
Every city has a long list of projects. A good rule: pay for what is running, not for what is announced.
- Bengaluru: the Yellow Line to Electronic City opened in 2025. The above-ground stretch of the Pink Line along Bannerghatta Road was reported ready and awaiting an opening date in September 2026, with the underground section later. Suburban rail is still years away.
- Hyderabad: the existing metro covers the main corridors. Phase 2 (including the airport and Future City links) had state approval but was still awaiting central approval in the latest reports we found, as of October 2026.
- Pune: Metro Line 3 from Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar was being opened in phases in late 2026 after several delays. Check its current status before you pay a premium for a flat near a station.
Stamp duty and registration: the cost of signing
Each state sets its own charges, and they are worked out on the higher of your agreement value and the government guidance value.
- Karnataka (Bengaluru): 5% stamp duty plus cess and surcharge, about 5.6% in total for homes above ₹45 lakh in urban areas, plus a 2% registration fee since 31 August 2025. Roughly 7.6% all in.
- Telangana (Hyderabad): 5.5% stamp duty, 1.5% transfer duty and 0.5% registration fee in urban areas. Roughly 7.5%.
- Maharashtra (Pune city and PCMC): 7% (5% stamp duty, 1% metro cess and 1% local body tax), with a 1% concession when a woman is the buyer, plus 1% registration capped at ₹30,000. Roughly 7.3% on a ₹1 crore flat.
Worked example on a ₹1 crore flat: about ₹7.6 lakh in Bengaluru, ₹7.5 lakh in Hyderabad and ₹7.3 lakh in Pune (₹6.3 lakh if bought by a woman under the Maharashtra concession). Rates can change and some conditions apply, so confirm on the state registration portal (Kaveri in Karnataka, the Telangana registration site, IGR Maharashtra) before you budget.
Side by side
- Average price (ANAROCK, Q2 2026): Bengaluru about ₹9,450 per sq ft; Hyderabad about ₹8,090; Pune varies widely by source.
- Rental yield: Bengaluru about 4.6%; Hyderabad about 3.6%; Pune improving.
- 2025 office leasing (Savills): Bengaluru 20.2 million sq ft; Hyderabad 11.4; Pune 8.8.
- Stamp duty plus registration on ₹1 crore: about ₹7.6 lakh; ₹7.5 lakh; ₹7.3 lakh.
Who each city suits
Bengaluru
Best if your career is in tech or startups and you want the deepest job market, strong rental demand and a city where good flats rarely sit empty. You pay more per square foot and spend more time in traffic, so choosing a home close to your work corridor matters more here than anywhere.
Hyderabad
Best if you want wider roads, newer townships and slightly lower prices for a large home. The flip side is supply: ANAROCK estimated Hyderabad has about 28 months of unsold stock at current sales speed, against about 19 months for the top seven cities. That gives buyers bargaining room, but resale and rent growth can be slower in areas with heavy new launches.
Pune
Best if you want a calmer pace, a mixed job base beyond IT, and steadier price movement. Pune suits families planning to stay put for a long time more than investors chasing quick gains.
Frequently asked questions
Which city has the cheapest homes among the three?
On ANAROCK's 2026 averages, Hyderabad is slightly cheaper per square foot than Bengaluru. Pune's figures vary by research firm, and in all three cities the locality matters more than the city average.
Where is rental income strongest?
Bengaluru currently has the highest average rental yield of the three, about 4.6% on ANAROCK's estimate, helped by sharp rent increases after return-to-office orders.
Is stamp duty very different between the three?
Not hugely. All three land between about 7% and 7.6% of property value once registration is added. Pune is a little cheaper for women buyers because of Maharashtra's 1% concession.
Should I buy near an upcoming metro line?
Only if the price still makes sense without it. Metro timelines in all three cities have slipped repeatedly, so treat an unopened line as a bonus, not the reason to buy.
If you are weighing a move to Bengaluru, Skyros Estates can shortlist RERA-verified homes near your office, compare loan offers and check the paperwork before you commit.
Buying a home?
Get a shortlist that fits your budget, site visits arranged, and the papers checked before you pay. Free for buyers.
