Pune Or Bengaluru? Which Is Better For You To Live In

Which is a better city to live in — Pune or Bengaluru? This has been a topic of debate for long now. The answer is difficult because the two hi-tech cities and probably the best places to live in India have their own advantages and drawbacks. Though the cost of living in Bengaluru is higher than that in Pune it also offers more employment opportunities for the IT-enthusiasts.

MakaanIQ gives you an all-round perspective of both the cities to help you take the final call:

Traffic and congestion

With plenty of IT parks scattered throughout the city Bengaluru's roads face congestion everyday. However, being the emerging hub of IT companies and other manufacturing industries and a large population making beeline to the city, Pune is not far behind too. Both cities have bad traffic conditions with Pune being one of the largest two-wheeler population cities in the country. However, one advantage Pune enjoys over Bengaluru is that Pune has wider roads when compared to roads in Bengaluru owing to the new development plans.

Public transport

Both the cities do not have a fully developed Metro service, while Bengaluru's existing Metro system, called the Namma Metro, has only one operational phase, Pune's Metro system recently received sanction for the construction. The two systems will take another five years to complete. To offer public transport, Bengaluru has a network of air-conditioned buses which are spacious with plenty of routes to traverse. Pune, on the other hand has rusty, ill-maintained, overcrowded buses. Bengaluru wins in public transport over Pune in spite of being expensive.

Professional opportunities

Bengaluru is a larger and already established IT hub when compared with Pune and has more job opportunities to offer. However, Pune is fast catching up as a worthy face-off oponent in terms of professional opportunities as it emerges as the new IT and automobile manufacturing hub of India. Being the new startup destination of India, Pune is picking up as a desirable place for professionals looking out for opportunities.

Cost of living

Bengaluru is a bit of expensive to live in when compared with Pune. Cost of living in Pune, ranging from accommodation, food, transport and even recreational activities, is much more affordable.

Weather

Both Pune and Bengaluru are on par with each other when it comes to weather conditions. Boasting pleasant weather condition all year round, both cities are subject to strong southwest monsoons and hence, have a huge spread of natural greenery.

Education

Both cities are listed among the top education centres of India. While Bengaluru is home to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM-B) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Pune houses some well-known engineering colleges including College of Engineering (COEP), Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), Vishwakarma Institute of Technology (VIT), Bharati Vidyapeeth University (BVP) and Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT) along with other famous institutes including Symbiosis For Management, Fergusson College of Arts, Film and Television Institute of India,  among others. Pune is also the learning centre for foreign languages including Japanese, French and German. Pune, also known as the Oxford of the east, is hands down a better educational hub for those looking at varied options.

Nightlife & recreational activities

Bengaluru is known for its pub-culture and the number of pubs, clubs and malls in Bengaluru surpasses the number in Pune. However, Bengaluru's nightlife becomes almost non-existent after 11 pm while the nightlife in Pune is much more relaxed. Like Bengaluru, Pune also has a lot of nightclubs and pubs.

Weekend getaways

There are various exotic destinations located near Pune which can be best-visited in monsoons. Some of the famous ones include Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala, Ajanta Caves, Mulshi, Singhad fort, Matheran and Lohgad Fort. These destinations are so popular that people from various parts of India come to visit during the months of July and August. On the other hand, Bengaluru has weekend getaways like Coorg, Chikmaglur, Mysore, Ooty and Gokarna. Although both the cities offer amazing weekend gateways, number of such gateways is relatively higher in Pune than Bengaluru.

Lifestyle

Pune, known as the cultural capital of India, is a relaxed, and laid back city when compared with Bengaluru, which is fast-paced. Life in Bengaluru is busier and harder on the pocket than Pune.

Residential areas

Residential apartments in Pune are relatively cost-effective and are easily available than the apartments in Bengaluru. It is difficult to find a place in Bengaluru without brokers but residential areas in Bengaluru are more expansive.

Considering all the parameters you could take your pick between Pune and Bengaluru. If you are want to live in a metro city then Bengaluru will be the right fit for you, but, if you want to live in a city which is not heavily populated and is culturally strong then Pune could be the choice.