[amit_purohit20]

I moved from Mumbai to Pune and it took me 5 years to adjust and I am still not happy! Although I no longer crib and am well settled but the benefits what a metro has are all lost.

There is nothing called as service in Non-Metro cities. Your time is taken for granted. The education levels are low and even the mentality of people are narrower as compared to metro cities.This is a big problem trust me. You need to travel long from your house to get things which in Mumbai you get just below your building. Every shopping has to be done from specific shops and they to order things and dont have things ready for you. You spend a lot of time finding these things out.

The biggest problem is with the quality of Medical services available. 75% of the doctors are not trustworthy unless and until you know good doctors. This knowledge takes a lot of time to gather and lot of iterations. I am especially frustrated with the medical services available in Non-Metro cities.

I had no other option to Move from Mumbai to Pune for my "Roji-Roti" but would still prefer to work in Mumbai. Yes I do agree travelling, traffic (which has grown by leaps and bounds) and the humid climate is not upto my liking now but still Mumbai has its own charm and advantages.

You are moving from Mumbai to Nashik not even Pune so just rethink about all these before you take the final decision.

[StarrySky]

I moved from Bangalore to Cochin in 2009.

I had in fact moved out of Bangalore in 2006 when I went abroad for an onsite opportunity. When I came back, I instantly disliked Bangalore for the chaos. I was also moving out of a project that I had worked in for the best part of 9 years and many of the people I worked with for 6-7 years with had already left the company. So I looked around, found a good opportunity in Cochin and decided to take it.

There were a few factors which made the decision easier. First, my wife and I are from Kerala, second my wife wasn't working at that point of time and wasn't even thinking of going back to work, third our daughter was very young, and so we didn't have to worry about disturbing her schooling, and last, we didn't have any close family ties in Bangalore.

Having family around not far from Cochin made the transition much easier. I never regretted the decision because the transition worked for me in my professional life as well. There was never a moment when I thought to myself, "If only I'd been in Bangalore"

[vibbs]

I believe moving to one city from another does bring with it challenges of its own. It doesn't matter if you are moving from a tier 1 to tier 2, or tier 1 to tier 1, or tier 2 to tier 2 or whatever. Everything will need a compromise. You get used to your city and have adjusted for long with its pluses and minuses. But a new city would need a whole new set of adjustments.

Around 8 months back, I had an option to opt for either Pune or Mumbai for a new job. I have been born and brought up in Delhi. I picked Pune over Mumbai that time and frankly I have not regretted my decision. I am in Mumbai for almost 3 days every week and believe me I am happy today that I opted for Pune. I could have never been happy in Mumbai. It's not that Mumbai is bad compared to Delhi, just that I was used to Delhi and moving to yet another metro would lead me to have similar if not better expectations from Mumbai. I would've focused more on what I have lost vis-a-vis my gains.

With Pune it was different. My expectations were low, and need to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Plus add to the fact that I am someone who wouldn't mind foregoing some of the benefits for a more sedentary life.
Though there were some issues like, when my wife was looking for a job she had to come down on the salary expectations since no one in Pune was even ready to match what she was getting in Delhi.

But in all, I am not top disappointed. I won't mind spending my entire working life in Pune, nor would I mind going back to Delhi. So I guess it is all about your priorities in life. If the core issues like getting good healthcare, education for kids etc are taken care off one can definitely make a move. The standard of life in a holistic way goes up in a good tier 2 city. You spend less time traveling, mostly have less polluted air to breathe, less stress, more time for yourself and lower overall cost of living to name a few benefits. It does come with its own share of issues too. Try ti find out more about Nashik and see if you can cope up with what you are losing out.

All the best. Moving to a new city is always a big decision.

[ampere]

Cities like Pune, Cochin are themselves big. I think the context the OP wanted to discuss was moving two a "real" Tier-2 city. E.g. as he posed Mumbai to Nasik; Or Bangalore to Hubli; Chennai to Salem/Madurai etc.

[F150]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Having spent all my life in and around Mumbai, does it make sense to shift base to a tier 2 city ike Nashik? Any thoughts on this?

If you are getting a good package, I think it is OK to move.

It all boils down to your lifestyle and your expectations.

If you are frequent visitor to malls n pubs etc, you will find the tier 2 city, an alien world.

On the other hand, if you are inclined towards a calm and relaxing life, there is nothing like it.

In the end,it is all about your expectations.

As pointed out above by amit, I would find out if there is a major hospital in the town and find out few good doctors.

Second is the connectivity when you want to travel to someplace from this tier 2 city.

Rest everything should be OK. Good Luck !!

A friend of mine, moved from PUNE to NAGPUR, he is very happy in NAGPUR as it happens to be his hometown.

[selfdrive]

I recommend you to think for the long term. Other factors involved may be, your dependents (not necessarily in a monetary way, but those whose life would be impacted by this decision) and their preferences. If you live by yourself it is your decision alone. But in the future, if you plan on starting a family where do you want your kids to grow? Where do you want to live yourself? Other things like quality of schools, hospitals, overall infrastructure, internet/ mobile connectivity!

Mumbai to Pune is not as challenging as a move to Nasik. And even in Nasik, it makes sense only if the lifestyle change is big enough. For example, if you move from a matchbox apartment to your own bungalow. The point is not about the money entirely, but the change in the way you live. Some friends have made the change purely because they would like to live in their own house, than an apartment.

Also, I would advise against deciding only on the basis of commute. Think of other things, such as network connectivity, options to go out, social life, weekend getaways, etc.

Solitude is a great place to visit but a horrible place to stay

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

I moved from Mumbai to Pune and it took me 5 years to adjust and I am still not happy! Although I no longer crib and am well settled but the benefits what a metro has are all lost.

I think it also depends on 'from where in Mumbai' 'to where in Pune'

For example, if you lived earlier in South Bombay and then moved to a suburb in Pune such as Wakad or Dhayari, then it does not make any sense to compare at all. Koregaon Park or Kalyaninagar would be better options. If you lived in Dahisar and then moved to Aundh, it is a different story than the one above. No offence against any of these places, just used them as examples to state it could be as difficult to move within Bombay as well!

[phamilyman]

Key question / constraint - what about your wife? I know folks who were from delhi and were working in Surat - their wives had a torrid time getting jobs in their fields, and that was a major source of friction, and their ultimate reason to quit. The jobs available in tier-2 cities for women are a challenge.

[drmohitg]

Pros:
1. Easier and less stress free lifestyle.
2. More savings.
3. ?

Cons;
1. More stressful to travel on vacations etc. I really want to stress on this point as I have been living out of my house since last 10 years now. Iys so easy for me to go home as delhi has great connectivity via flights and railways and road. My friends from Jaipuir/
Ambala/Amritsar/Patna are not so lucky. They usually spend half of there 1 week vacations in travelling. This is a big No No for me.

2. Schooling for your children: I strongly feel that its better in Metro cities and this includes the coaching options available for competitive exams etc. Again there might be few exceptional examples available of good schools in tier 2 cities. But nothing to beat the convent education of a metro school.

3. Lifestyle: On one hand you will have ample free time at your hands and money too. But what will you do with it? A tier 2 city will not\ give you a mall with all international brands like what you can find in Delhi and Mumbai. There will be no Imax for those 3d movies. No expensive "feel good" restaurants you can go to and so on. These are just few examples but you get the hint.

4. Medical services are surely questionable at best.

5. Overall growth of your family specially kids. Kids learn a lot from observing and the stimulus that there surroundings provide. A kid growing in a metro will be much more in tune with the year 2013 than one growing up elsewhere. And ultimately this will reflect in there personalities.

This list can go on and on. But then thats me because I love life in a metro. If you think you can live without all of that then go ahead.

In your case you want to move to Nasik. Now I really feel that will be way more backward ( not in a demeaning way) than Mumbai. So involve all your family members in the decision making process.

[ghodlur]

Moving to Nashik has its own pros and cons.

Pros:
1) Laid back life style, no fast pace as in Metro
2) No travelling time to work, more family time
3) Lower cost of living, good savings
4) Closer to metros like Mumbai, Pune for that one off trip to old memory

Cons:
1) Shifting of family to new place, time to adjust
2) Schooling for children, new place less comfort, different syllabus
3) Loss of known acquaintances, lesser response time in case of emergencies
4) Lesser options for life style, not in pace with current/used to trend.

There might be many more than one meets the eye. Take your call judiciously. My Inlaws who just y'day returned to Pune from Nashik were raving about the low cost of living esp the veggies part.

[jhaji]

My guess is that you would be happier living in Nashik. Living in Dombivali and traveling daily for work demands a lot. From what I see in your profile, with your interest in old Hindi songs and reading, you would certainly feel more relaxed in Nashik.

I don't think it would be a problem to find decent schools or good hospitals and doctors in Nashik. What will matter is whether your family members are also open to this move.

After staying in Mumbai for 5 years in late eighties and early nineties I moved to Pune and stayed there for close to 10 years before moving to Delhi. Even though I continued to travel to Mumbai every week and stay there for 2-3 days for my work. Living in Pune did seem to offer a better quality of life. Of course you can say that I was having the best of both worlds.

I think the kind of move you are contemplating is not so unusual in our day. A lot of people living abroad now-a-days also return to India to live here and the kind of questions and doubts they face is similar to the one you are facing. I think the most problematic aspect of move from a metropolitan city to a smaller city is the difficulty of getting jobs for both husband and wife. If that is not there the rest is not so difficult.

[amtak]

Honeybee,

While others have already mentioned this, do check the schooling options for your kids ( I dont see any issues with schooling there unless, your kids are in IB curriculam) and if your spouse is working, then the job options for her.

Apart from that, Nashik has most of the things that one can ask for; for starters - Good quality roads and decent housing options. It is only a matter of time before Nashik starts offering facilities like Pune and be offer luxuries of life.

My pick - If the money is good, grab the opportunity; buy a decent flat there (you would get a 2-3 BHK apartment at almost half the price of Mumbai) and be merry. In case if you don't want to live there in the future; you can certainly keep the house as a weekend destination or even sell at a premium in the future.

Edit - the cost of housing is similar to Dombivali! http://www.pscl.in/residential-proje...n-nashik/price

[the-rare-one]

I am from Nashik and currently settled in Pune (for last 15 years).

I had considered shifting back to Nashik 4 years ago for these reasons:

1. I was getting a job in smaller company (IT Prof) at the same salary
2. Savings big time & advantage of my folks and other extended family around all the time
3. Better climate than Pune (almost 80% less pollution) - even today it takes me less than 30-40 mins to traverse from 1 end of Nashik to another and that too in so called traffic zones/ peak times
4. Comfort zone - I probably know atleast 1 person at every nukkad in there

I really do not see any compeling reason for you other than SAVINGS and better CLIMATE (I know few people who shifted due to health reasons).

You will have to startover again. Ofcourse there is fun in that and you will have loads of time to do it too, but the below reasons need to be considered before you take that call:

1. Dead slow pace of life as compared to Mumbai - that includes all the infra and other facilities you are so used to. (Today I find it really difficult to go back and spend beyond few days back there - have got so used to life in Pune)
2. Let me assure you it is not cheaper city - barring exception of travel and rent costs, most other things are priced in similar range as compared to Mumbai and Pune - above all there are certain things that are not readily available like Metros and sometimes cost more to procure out there.
3. Property rates have been rising cosistently and buying a apartment in good location (Gangapur Road / College Road) would work out in the similar range of Mumbai and Pune suburbs.

Given todays situation and offerings in Tier 2 city like Nashik, even I will have to rethink my options. No doubts these cities are growing very fast, but so are the Metros and probably at double the speed. If you can live with that - wish you very best ! Please PM me if you need help.

Best, Sameer.

[carwatcher]

Let me first congratulate you on starting a thread which is very relevant for many of us. It has the potential to become very big and informative and will help in solving the dilemma faced by many of us just like "Migrating to foreign land" thread.

I am also facing the similar dilemma and would definitely put forward my views from time to time and also would be keenly watching fellow T-BHPians views.

My initial feeling is that we are kind of moving in a vicious circle. How? Because as the kids we are (relatively) indifferent to be it living in a village, town, small city or metro. Then when we become teenager, we start getting attracted towards all that glitter, be it mall, brands, gadgets, etc. etc. Then after marriage and specifically after having kids, when we 'understand' the order of the world, we begin to realise that, everything is unreal, etc. etc. If someone try to remember, exactly the same thing was faced by our parents and what we are feeling and saying was said by them at that time. So the cycle is repeating.
Now the personal preferences come to mind, what I have seen is that most of the people say that 'I like the quality of life in my native' but still they don't want to live there. Why? because they will say that they want to give "better" future and better life to their kids and even though personally they don't like the quality of life in a metro but they choose to live here for their kids future.
Then one day we realise (by some spiritual guru) that the 'quality of life', 'better future', etc. are all vague and relative terms (and rightly so), so we are running the rat race and we ourself don't realise why and where are we running and where we will finally reach. We are preparing the more 'products (kids)' ready to work for the foreign MNCs, etc. I am sure a common man is bound to get confused by all this.
So as per me, migrating from metro/ migrating to metro, primarily depends on your age group and your personal preferences. Few can't do without malls while few don't want to waste their time running in local transport.
There could be No clear-cut answer and I strongly believe that there is nothing wrong in moving out of a metro if one has his priorities right.

PS : If someone has noticed, being from small town is very much highlighted by media and the Ad world. Dhoni, Priyanka Chopra and numerous others have been involved in many ads highlighting the "chhota shahar".
I also liked the movie 'Shikhar' by John Matthew Mathan which highlighted this topic. Movie was a flop.

Thanks for reading my initial views, I'll come back with more thoughts.

I would also like to add that I have stayed in Delhi, Bangalore (for more than 10 years), Chennai, Pune, Gwalior, Jaipur (my native), (not necessarily in the same order) and currently have the privilege to stay in Goa and Mumbai equally with the kids studying in Goa and am facing the dilemma of shifting to Mumbai (by way of getting the kids admitted to school in Mumbai) or continue in Goa as I personally love to stay in Goa for the rest of my life but at the same time is little (or I say, very) worried about their education and culture here in Goa, nothing else. Vicious circle, indeed.

[amitpunjani]

Buddy many thanks for starting this thread!

I am 34 yrs. old, born & brought up in Delhi. In midst thousands, i am one of those working in MNC in Gurgaon in rat race. But somewhere down the line i don't see myself living in Delhi NCR anymore. NCR is full of rat race, fierce competition, living expenses reaching sky high.

I am seriously evaluating of migrating into Tier 2 city and starting up a small venture, can be a automobile workshop or nursing home or small grocery store or anything.

I see people living in Tier 2 & 3 cities are actually earning more when compared to Metro cities. People living in Tier 2 & 3 cities are cash rich as they don't believe in concept of plastic money.



BR

Amit

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by null

Everyone in the family may not be OK with this approach. Aspects like travel (airport I mean) will be a pain. Even from your career perspective, this may not be a wise move.

This idea is good to consider if you are retiring or nearing your retirement. If you are still in your early/middle life of your profession (esp. if working for someone), it makes sense to stay in your main office rather than relocate / remotely work.

Getting a buy-in from the family is of course challenging. Also I am thinking of taking up a job there, and not travel from Nashik to Mumbai for a job.

About air travel, I would reach Nashik before I reach the Mumbai airport. I am sure if I have to reach Nashik airport, it wouldn't take me so much time from within Nashik. Anyways I don't fancy much airtravel in the new job.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Shifting from Mumbai to Nashik is recommendable if there is any specific purpose at Nashik. If one work in Mumbai and stay at Nashik and then commuting daily, does not make any sense.

I would be taking up a job in Nashik, and not travel from Mumbai to Nashik daily.

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

There is nothing called as service in Non-Metro cities. Your time is taken for granted. The education levels are low and even the mentality of people are narrower as compared to metro cities.This is a big problem trust me. You need to travel long from your house to get things which in Mumbai you get just below your building. Every shopping has to be done from specific shops and they to order things and dont have things ready for you. You spend a lot of time finding these things out.

The biggest problem is with the quality of Medical services available. 75% of the doctors are not trustworthy unless and until you know good doctors. This knowledge takes a lot of time to gather and lot of iterations. I am especially frustrated with the medical services available in Non-Metro cities.

Any specific examples where things would have been easier in Mumbai and are not so easy in Pune? I do know a couple of reactions to this effect from some other acquaintances who have moved from Mumbai to Pune, but would still love to know your opinion.

Medical services is indeed an unknown. I would require a good doctor (for my mother) plus probably a nurse or two full time. I don't know if this could be arranged in Nashik, but I guess there must be ways of arranging these facilities - after all people living in Nashik need these services too.

Adjusting to people's mindsets is of course a challenge. However unlike Pune where the attitude is that of the city as a whole, I have yet to see if Nashik too has an attitude.

As for getting things from a specific shop or two, as long as I get them, I should be fine, no? And I am assuming most of the mainstream products should be available there? I am sure dailiy consummables like fruits, vegetables and milk/dairy products would be commonly available.

Originally Posted by StarrySky

... When I came back, I instantly disliked Bangalore for the chaos. ...

Something similar here too, though I have never been 'away' from Mumbai. The traffic and the time and the frustration resulting from it is getting on the higher side nowadays.

Originally Posted by vibbs

I believe moving to one city from another does bring with it challenges of its own. ... But a new city would need a whole new set of adjustments.

Around 8 months back, ... I picked Pune over Mumbai that time and frankly I have not regretted my decision. ...

With Pune it was different. My expectations were low, and need to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Plus add to the fact that I am someone who wouldn't mind foregoing some of the benefits for a more sedentary life.
Though there were some issues like, when my wife was looking for a job she had to come down on the salary expectations since no one in Pune was even ready to match what she was getting in Delhi.

...
All the best. Moving to a new city is always a big decision.

So true. Even moving from one locality to another would involve a lot of adjustment. The salary levels - for my wife - are going to be low. But on the brighter side the commuting times and the train hassles are all reduced - even for her. So quality of life increases for both!

Nowadays when I visit Pune I fail to see a real advantage in the city over Mumbai. The traffic has become even more chaotic - if that were at all possible because I thought it was already enough chaotic a few years ago - and on top of that you have shops opening late, closing in the afternoon and shutting the place by late evening - something that really kills the convenience factor of life.

Thanks for the wishes!

Originally Posted by ampere

Cities like Pune, Cochin are themselves big. I think the context the OP wanted to discuss was moving two a "real" Tier-2 city. E.g. as he posed Mumbai to Nasik; Or Bangalore to Hubli; Chennai to Salem/Madurai etc.

That's a good point. Pune, for e.g. has almost become a small metro. But then Pune is unique as outlined above :-)

Originally Posted by F150

If you are getting a good package, I think it is OK to move.

It all boils down to your lifestyle and your expectations.

If you are frequent visitor to malls n pubs etc, you will find the tier 2 city, an alien world.

On the other hand, if you are inclined towards a calm and relaxing life, there is nothing like it.

In the end,it is all about your expectations.

As pointed out above by amit, I would find out if there is a major hospital in the town and find out few good doctors.

Second is the connectivity when you want to travel to someplace from this tier 2 city.

Rest everything should be OK. Good Luck !!

A friend of mine, moved from PUNE to NAGPUR, he is very happy in NAGPUR as it happens to be his hometown.

My hometown - if you can call it such - has been Mumbai and I have never been away from it too long. However there's no logical reason why I wouldn't consider moving away.

Fortunately or unfortunately I don't visit malls and pubs that often. Of course my current lifestyle doesn't allow for that either! But if I can relax at home, maybe work on fitness levels and do some studies I think I should be good enough. That's the whole purpose of considering the shift - more time for myself and my family. Visiting friends would be a difficult proposition since I have no relatives or close friends in the city - will have to make new ones I guess.

I am sure Nashik has ample week-end travel destinations around where you could start in the morning and return by night. They should be good enough for a while because I don't think in the first six months I would have time to make long drives.

There are major hospital brands such as Apollo, Wockhardt - but I need to check if there are good doctors. So that's an unknown for now.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Solitude is a great place to visit but a horrible place to stay

That's something I shall remember always. Thanks for the beautiful quote.
Yes, all stakeholders must buy into the decision. However this thread is more for finding out what are the unknowns and whether any light could be thrown onto any of the unknowns. Also as several members have posted, there are many others whose experiences would be invaluable in understanding the challenges in such a transition.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Key question / constraint - what about your wife? I know folks who were from delhi and were working in Surat - their wives had a torrid time getting jobs in their fields, and that was a major source of friction, and their ultimate reason to quit. The jobs available in tier-2 cities for women are a challenge.

True, that's a challenge. However the situation does look better than hopeless. Salary levels may drop a little, but with the plus points of the move, a reduced salary should not be much of an issue by itself.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Pros:
1. Easier and less stress free lifestyle.
2. More savings.
3. ?

Cons;
1. More stressful to travel on vacations etc. ...
2. Schooling for your children: ...
3. Lifestyle: On one hand you will have ample free time at your hands and money too. But what will you do with it? A tier 2 city will not\ give you a mall with all international brands like what you can find in Delhi and Mumbai. There will be no Imax for those 3d movies. No expensive "feel good" restaurants you can go to and so on. These are just few examples but you get the hint.
4. Medical services are surely questionable at best.
5. Overall growth of your family specially kids. ...

This list can go on and on. But then thats me because I love life in a metro. If you think you can live without all of that then go ahead.

In your case you want to move to Nasik. Now I really feel that will be way more backward ( not in a demeaning way) than Mumbai. So involve all your family members in the decision making process.

I have no kids at present, so I can exclude any disadvantages on schooling and bringing them up. Even if I have them now it will be another couple of years at least before I have to seriously think of their schooling.

I seldom visit any restaurants. In my town, every restaurant invariably has a long waiting on weekends, and I hate standing in queue dying of hunger when I have to pay for the food. So if I could visit any decent restaurant on weekends, I would actually consider it a plus!

You are right about the 'feel good' factor and international brands, however I need to test if these really affect my quality of life or are just 'feel good' factor and not essential to living. Only time will tell.

The medical services surely wouldn't be bad - surely people need doctors and we can't really call them sub-par just because they are in tier 2. Also since there are branded hospitals in the city, one may have access to good medical equipment too - maybe at higher rates perhaps.

The spare time could be spent in upgrading my professional knowledge or indulging into a hobby which I could cultivate. My immediate priority would, however, be to lose weight and become fitter - further improvement to the quality of life.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

...
There might be many more than one meets the eye. Take your call judiciously. My Inlaws who just y'day returned to Pune from Nashik were raving about the low cost of living esp the veggies part.

True, only time and experience will tell if the pros outweighed the cons. It's comforting to know veggies are cheaper in Nashik. I have been hearing conflicting stories about this matter and it puts my mind to rest to hear firsthand account of it.

Originally Posted by jhaji

e
I think the kind of move you are contemplating is not so unusual in our day. A lot of people living abroad now-a-days also return to India to live here and the kind of questions and doubts they face is similar to the one you are facing. I think the most problematic aspect of move from a metropolitan city to a smaller city is the difficulty of getting jobs for both husband and wife. If that is not there the rest is not so difficult.

True. Well I could spend time listening to songs and reading books, no doubt. But as I have mentioned above, the free time could actually be spent in learning something new.

Originally Posted by amtak

...
Apart from that, Nashik has most of the things that one can ask for; for starters - Good quality roads and decent housing options. It is only a matter of time before Nashik starts offering facilities like Pune and be offer luxuries of life.

My pick - If the money is good, grab the opportunity; buy a decent flat there (you would get a 2-3 BHK apartment at almost half the price of Mumbai) and be merry. In case if you don't want to live there in the future; you can certainly keep the house as a weekend destination or even sell at a premium in the future.

Edit - the cost of housing is similar to Dombivali! http://www.pscl.in/residential-proje...n-nashik/price

Dombivali is gradually becoming costlier for the real estate options! Schooling at present is not an issue since I have no kids at present. The option of buying property and then using it as a weekend home in future is also attractive.

Originally Posted by the-rare-one

I am from Nashik and currently settled in Pune (for last 15 years).

I had considered shifting back to Nashik 4 years ago for these reasons:

1. I was getting a job in smaller company (IT Prof) at the same salary
2. Savings big time & advantage of my folks and other extended family around all the time
3. Better climate than Pune (almost 80% less pollution) - even today it takes me less than 30-40 mins to traverse from 1 end of Nashik to another and that too in so called traffic zones/ peak times
4. Comfort zone - I probably know atleast 1 person at every nukkad in there

I really do not see any compeling reason for you other than SAVINGS and better CLIMATE (I know few people who shifted due to health reasons).

You will have to startover again. Ofcourse there is fun in that and you will have loads of time to do it too, but the below reasons need to be considered before you take that call:

1. Dead slow pace of life as compared to Mumbai - that includes all the infra and other facilities you are so used to. (Today I find it really difficult to go back and spend beyond few days back there - have got so used to life in Pune)
2. Let me assure you it is not cheaper city - barring exception of travel and rent costs, most other things are priced in similar range as compared to Mumbai and Pune - above all there are certain things that are not readily available like Metros and sometimes cost more to procure out there.
3. Property rates have been rising cosistently and buying a apartment in good location (Gangapur Road / College Road) would work out in the similar range of Mumbai and Pune suburbs.

Given todays situation and offerings in Tier 2 city like Nashik, even I will have to rethink my options. No doubts these cities are growing very fast, but so are the Metros and probably at double the speed. If you can live with that - wish you very best ! Please PM me if you need help.

Best, Sameer.

Thanks Sameer - that's as close to a firsthand account as it gets, I guess.
For accomodation, if the location is closer to the office I wouldn't mind paying a bit higher rent/price. Alternatively if there's a good deal where I save considerable money I might opt for a location which is farther from office and drive to work.
Could you give specific examples of what is not readily available? Also how are the day to day consummables like dairy products, fruits and veggies priced? I am sure they must be cheaper than Mumbai since transportation costs would be less?

Originally Posted by carwatcher

Let me first congratulate you on starting a thread which is very relevant for many of us. It has the potential to become very big and informative and will help in solving the dilemma faced by many of us just like "Migrating to foreign land" thread.
...
Vicious circle, indeed.

That is an interesting thought process. I am glad you find it relevant and would indeed like everyone in a similar situation to post their views here.

Originally Posted by amitpunjani

Buddy many thanks for starting this thread!
...
I see people living in Tier 2 & 3 cities are actually earning more when compared to Metro cities. People living in Tier 2 & 3 cities are cash rich as they don't believe in concept of plastic money.

So true about the rat race. I have quit travelling by suburban trains years ago, and would probably only take it up as a recreational activity once in a few years now. The crowds, the monotony, the inefficiencies get on my nerves.
Also your point about plastic money too is worthy of consideration. With no attractions to spend huge monies on, you may be right they are 'saving' more than the urban folks who don't mind reaching the credit card limits for something of fancy.


Many many thanks to all of you for sharing your thoughts, advice and suggestions. I have tried to answer some of the questions and have asked a few more - in the hope someone can answer them - not just for myself but also for any other like-minded people out there.