Bengaluru founder says 2 salaries could not buy a flat in India, one income bought UK house

A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur and former Amazon tech employee has triggered a debate online after comparing her experience of purchasing property in India with buying a house in the United Kingdom, highlighting concerns over affordability and transparency in the Indian real estate sector.

Neha Sharma shared the comparison in a post on X, where she said buying a flat in Bengaluru felt financially difficult despite having two incomes in the household.

“In Bangalore, with 2 people's salary we had hard time to buy a flat (later we cancelled it),” Sharma wrote in the post, which has received around 430,000 views on the platform.

Founder compares Bengaluru and UK housing experience

Sharma contrasted her experience in India with what she described as a smoother and more transparent home-buying process in the UK.

According to her post, she was able to purchase an independent three-bedroom house within two years of moving to the UK, relying on a single income.

She said that while even a small apartment in Bengaluru appeared unaffordable, her UK home included a backyard, parking space, good views, and fully equipped kitchen appliances.

“2 years after moving to UK bought an independent 3 bed house, with all kitchen appliances - gas, fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, oven, carpet, lighting, etc. with backyard, good views, and parking,” Sharma wrote.

Transparency concerns highlighted in post

A major point raised in Sharma’s post was her criticism of the lack of transparency she experienced during the Indian property-buying process.

“No one asked for black money. 100% transparency,” she said while describing her experience in the UK, adding that she also received a “first buyer” discount.

The term “black money” is commonly used in India to describe unaccounted cash transactions that are allegedly involved in some real estate deals. Reports have often linked the real estate sector with the circulation of unaccounted funds.

Social media users react

Sharma’s remarks drew responses from several users who echoed concerns about hidden costs and transparency issues in the Indian housing market.

One user commented that Indian real estate is largely driven by businessmen, bureaucrats, and government employees with significant financial resources, adding that builders are not dependent on middle-class IT professionals.

“If people think this is going 2 impact real estate in Indian, then NO, majority of real estate is bought by businessmen, bureaucrats, govt employees… they have A LOT OF Money…. builders don’t depend on the middle class IT people …and they are fast moving to Lower Middle class,” the user wrote.

Another user said, “Exactly. Buy in foreign and if not possible - Live on rent here. Let property buyers and builders bleed for sometime.”

A separate comment described India as “a nightmare for property buyers” and called for a major market correction to address the issue of black money.

“The most underrated part of your story is: ‘No one asked for black money.’ That one line explains half the pain of Indian real estate,” another user wrote.