‘Half my salary goes into rent, but I still won’t leave’: Bihar man explains Bengaluru’s strange hold on oeople

Ask almost anyone who lives in Bengaluru what they dislike about the city, and chances are you'll hear the same complaints.


Traffic.


Expensive rent.


Long commutes.


Roads packed at almost every hour of the day.


And yet, ask those same people whether they're planning to leave, and most will probably say no.


That's the strange thing about Bengaluru. People complain about it constantly, but somehow they end up staying. Sometimes for years.


A recent Instagram video by a man from Bihar perfectly captured this contradiction, and it's now striking a chord with people across social media.


"People Don't Want To Leave"


In the now-viral video, Instagram creator Ankit spoke about what he believes makes Bengaluru different from other cities.


His observation was simple.


People may be dealing with loneliness. They may be struggling with anxiety. They may spend hours sitting in traffic every week. A huge portion of their salary might disappear into rent.


But despite all of that, they still don't want to leave.


According to Ankit, the interesting part is that Bengaluru doesn't have a monopoly on jobs. Opportunities exist in Gurgaon, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai too.


So why do people stay?


His answer was surprisingly straightforward.


The weather.


He joked that even when half your salary is going toward a rented apartment, Bengaluru's pleasant climate somehow convinces you to stick around.


Anyone who has spent a summer in another major Indian city can probably understand where he's coming from.

A Feeling Many People Related To

The video quickly found an audience online, and the comments section turned into a giant Bengaluru support group.


Many users said Ankit had described exactly how they felt.


One person simply wrote, "This is true."


Another compared Bengaluru's popularity today to Mumbai's status decades ago. Just as people once moved to Mumbai chasing dreams and opportunities, they argued that Bengaluru now plays a similar role for young professionals.


Others said the city has a way of slowly becoming home.


You move there for work.


Then you make friends.


You discover your favourite cafés.


You find your weekend spots.


Your daily routine settles in.


And before you know it, years have passed.


Many admitted that while they complain about rent hikes and endless traffic jams, they still struggle to imagine living somewhere else.

But Not Everyone Agreed

Of course, Bengaluru's relationship with its residents has never been simple.


Not everyone was convinced by the idea that weather alone keeps people in the city.


Some users argued that jobs are the real reason people stay. According to them, if companies allowed permanent work-from-home arrangements, a large number of professionals would happily move back to their hometowns.


Others felt the city's weather is overrated and doesn't make up for the daily struggles people face.


Traffic remained one of the biggest frustrations mentioned repeatedly.


Rising rents were another.


Several commenters pointed out that basic infrastructure hasn't kept pace with the city's rapid growth.


One user bluntly said they were glad they had left Bengaluru behind, criticising everything from broken footpaths to poor parking habits and declining civic conditions.


Their point was simple: the city may have opportunities, but living there isn't always easy.

The Bengaluru Paradox

Maybe that's what makes Bengaluru so fascinating.


Very few cities inspire this level of contradiction.


Residents complain about the traffic every day.


They grumble about spending a fortune on rent.


They joke about leaving every time they're stuck in a two-hour commute.


But then they renew their lease.


They extend their stay.


They build a life there.


Somewhere between the office runs, the evening weather, the startup culture, the coffee shops and the friendships, Bengaluru manages to create a bond that's difficult to explain.


It's not perfect. Far from it.


But for many people, it still feels like the place where things are happening.


And perhaps that's why the city continues to attract dreamers from every corner of the country.


As Ankit's video showed, Bengaluru might test your patience daily. It might empty your wallet faster than you'd like.


But for reasons even its residents struggle to explain, it remains surprisingly hard to leave.



Ask almost anyone who lives in Bengaluru what they dislike about the city, and chances are you'll hear the same complaints.


Traffic.


Expensive rent.


Long commutes.


Roads packed at almost every hour of the day.


And yet, ask those same people whether they're planning to leave, and most will probably say no.


That's the strange thing about Bengaluru. People complain about it constantly, but somehow they end up staying. Sometimes for years.


A recent Instagram video by a man from Bihar perfectly captured this contradiction, and it's now striking a chord with people across social media.

"People Don't Want To Leave"

In the now-viral video, Instagram creator Ankit spoke about what he believes makes Bengaluru different from other cities.


His observation was simple.


People may be dealing with loneliness. They may be struggling with anxiety. They may spend hours sitting in traffic every week. A huge portion of their salary might disappear into rent.


But despite all of that, they still don't want to leave.


According to Ankit, the interesting part is that Bengaluru doesn't have a monopoly on jobs. Opportunities exist in Gurgaon, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai too.


So why do people stay?


His answer was surprisingly straightforward.


The weather.


He joked that even when half your salary is going toward a rented apartment, Bengaluru's pleasant climate somehow convinces you to stick around.


Anyone who has spent a summer in another major Indian city can probably understand where he's coming from.

A Feeling Many People Related To

The video quickly found an audience online, and the comments section turned into a giant Bengaluru support group.


Many users said Ankit had described exactly how they felt.


One person simply wrote, "This is true."


Another compared Bengaluru's popularity today to Mumbai's status decades ago. Just as people once moved to Mumbai chasing dreams and opportunities, they argued that Bengaluru now plays a similar role for young professionals.


Others said the city has a way of slowly becoming home.


You move there for work.


Then you make friends.


You discover your favourite cafés.


You find your weekend spots.


Your daily routine settles in.


And before you know it, years have passed.


Many admitted that while they complain about rent hikes and endless traffic jams, they still struggle to imagine living somewhere else.

But Not Everyone Agreed

Of course, Bengaluru's relationship with its residents has never been simple.


Not everyone was convinced by the idea that weather alone keeps people in the city.


Some users argued that jobs are the real reason people stay. According to them, if companies allowed permanent work-from-home arrangements, a large number of professionals would happily move back to their hometowns.


Others felt the city's weather is overrated and doesn't make up for the daily struggles people face.


Traffic remained one of the biggest frustrations mentioned repeatedly.


Rising rents were another.


Several commenters pointed out that basic infrastructure hasn't kept pace with the city's rapid growth.


One user bluntly said they were glad they had left Bengaluru behind, criticising everything from broken footpaths to poor parking habits and declining civic conditions.


Their point was simple: the city may have opportunities, but living there isn't always easy.

The Bengaluru Paradox

Maybe that's what makes Bengaluru so fascinating.


Very few cities inspire this level of contradiction.


Residents complain about the traffic every day.


They grumble about spending a fortune on rent.


They joke about leaving every time they're stuck in a two-hour commute.


But then they renew their lease.


They extend their stay.


They build a life there.


Somewhere between the office runs, the evening weather, the startup culture, the coffee shops and the friendships, Bengaluru manages to create a bond that's difficult to explain.


It's not perfect. Far from it.


But for many people, it still feels like the place where things are happening.


And perhaps that's why the city continues to attract dreamers from every corner of the country.


As Ankit's video showed, Bengaluru might test your patience daily. It might empty your wallet faster than you'd like.


But for reasons even its residents struggle to explain, it remains surprisingly hard to leave.