[alpha1]

I have lived in Delhi (school), Chennai (college), Visakhapatnam (work), Hyderabad (work), Pune (work). You can count in Bangalore as a very very frequented place (during Hyd stay), and Mumbai currently (because of extended work related visits).

In my experience - if you are into Pubs/Discotheques/similar extra curricular activities (glamorous and fashionable) - you will sorely miss the Metros. Yes even going from Mumbai/Delhi/Bangy to Pune/Hyd will piss you off. (No, the malls are not a part of this, unless you count the current phenomena of mall + theatre + disc/pub in the same complex)

If you are into other non mainstream activities like music (bands)/adventure sports etc - again you will miss the Metros + semi metros. The small town usually are not bustling enough to cater to such (informal) markets.

If you are a global foodie (which means you like trying cuisines from around the world, and you hate the regular chicken/paneer butter masala fare), you will again sorely miss the Metros. The semi metros are catching up on this. The non metros are still decades behind.

Health care? Fortunately except for fever/cold I (and my friends/acquaintances) have never faced a real trauma - so I cannot reveal the true picture. But from what I have known (talking to the locals) - the health care segment works properly only in the Metros. In smaller places, the urgency is lacking, and so it the qualified staff. (No not the one you get by paying for a degree, I am talking about real knowledge and experience).

Housing? Definitely cheaper in non metros. Considerably.
Transport - same story (check out the Rs/km of taxi fare in non metros - it is jaw dropping sometimes!). Also the distances are not large.

Time available for yourself will be very high in non metros. There are two reasons for this.
First is that you won't waste hours commuting from home to office. Second is that for some reasons (I have observed) the people in non metros are generally not as aggressively competitive. They don't like to put up a show of staying late in office - which becomes a trend in metros. Also the life in general flows much slowly and people + culture is geared more towards "chilled". This may irritate you when you are the customer :-D

As an outcome of the above - the schooling is not to the level of metros - because the competitiveness is slightly lacking.
But these differences get blunted out once you reach college. Doesn't matter then.

Oh I forgot, if you love to travel in busting-at-seams local trains of Mumbai and the noise/sight of countless people always around you - you will miss Metros.




The funny thing is that most people who like living in Metro's don't have the above mentioned indulgences. They are simple folks who prefer 9-5 office life and rest at home/relatives/friends. I still can't fathom why they would put themselves in pain and endure the bustling metro life ...
Looks to me more like a crowd draws more crowd phenomena

[roy_libran]

All the pros and cons have already been listed in this thread, so nothing more to add.
The most important consideration, for me personally, would be to consider alternative job options and career growth opportunities in a Tier 2 city. It's quite risky to depend on only one employer for your career.
If the above consideration weighs favorably, then all said and done, I'd want to consider a move to a Tier 2 city myself, and exit Delhi NCR (& the madness) for good!

[avisidhu]

Very surprised to see Pune being mentioned as tier 2 city here

I have spent 3 years each in Pune, then Delhi and now Chandigarh. From the perspective of opportunities in IT, education, night life/outings etc, Pune is far ahead of the NCR region. A place like Chandigarh can be called Tier 2 in the true sense.

Deciding to shift to a city like Chandigarh was very challenging. Professional opportunities almost dry up and you are at the mercy of your employer, which is not a very good feeling. There is this persistent thought at the back of your mind that God knows how long I will be able to stick to this city if the situation changes.

But without a doubt, the quality of life in general improves considerably. And I don't agree with people who think medical facilities are not good. For 90% of ailments, you will find competent doctors in most tier 2 cities.

And may I add, sometimes the "jaan pehchan" factor is of such immense help that you wonder how you would have managed in a metro where no one knows you. This is true not just for medical facilities, but most facets of our daily life. Bottom line, it's very important to have a support system of friends/family around you wherever you decide to stay.

Originally Posted by alpha1

The funny thing is that most people who like living in Metro's don't have the above mentioned indulgences. They are simple folks who prefer 9-5 office life and rest at home/relatives/friends. I still can't fathom why they would put themselves in pain and endure the bustling metro life ...
Looks to me more like a crowd draws more crowd phenomena

Nice post Alpha, agree with most of your points.

As for what you have mentioned above, I cannot think of any other major reason than a general inertia. You have a set routine, why break it? And like Phamilyman mentioned, many a times your spouse makes sure you don't act on any such indulgence Again, if that metro has been your home town then all the more reason you will not leave that place no matter how much inconvenience you may face.

But all things said, there is a certain charm in the hustle bustle and energy of a place like Delhi or Mumbai. I can understand when someone says he doesn't want to leave a metro.

PS: To put things in perspective, many people in Tier 2 cities from our parent's generation migrated from villages. They still have a very strong urge to return back to their village post retirement. Many of them do, and usually regret the decision.

[ritz3645]

Dear Honeybee, reporting from ground zero, ie Nashik.

Do whatever you wish but do not sell your Dombivali property, rent it, and then experience Nashik or Pune or your choice.

I have lived on a Cruise Ship 2000 to 2004 Disney Wonder, also lived in Toronto 2008-2010, apart from Lucknow 94-97 study, and Pune/Mumbai for work.

First is work, finding work before landing is the right way.

Nashik is not at all happening and fatigue sets in after few months, traffic is chaotic, lately.

You can make money in Mumbai and have a small weekend place in Nashik or Igatpuri.

Flight from/to Nashik are none since the only Kingfisher closed with it.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by avisidhu

Very surprised to see Pune being mentioned as tier 2 city here

I have spent 3 years each in Pune, then Delhi and now Chandigarh. From the perspective of opportunities in IT, education, night life/outings etc, Pune is far ahead of the NCR region. A place like Chandigarh can be called Tier 2 in the true sense.

But without a doubt, the quality of life in general improves considerably. And I don't agree with people who think medical facilities are not good. For 90% of ailments, you will find competent doctors in most tier 2 cities.

+1. Pune and may I say even chandigarh are these days quite developed and hence you cannot really label them as tier 2 cities. But the OP is considering moving to Nashik which surely is still a tier 2 city and will stay so for some time to come. So people who are saying that life in tier 2 city is great and then quote pune as an example are not really painting the true picture!

As far as medical facilities go, we are not talking about basic ailments. Even that I feel lags behind in non metro cities. I have seen it happen with so many of my relatives where they are prescribed a cocktail of antibiotics for the minutest of infections without any thought of narrowing down the diagnosis. But still if we choose to ignore this for a second, the real challenge comes in those 10 % of serious ailments including things like heart conditions and stroke to relatively minor but equally serious diseases like Dengue fever. In such ailments one usually seeks the best possible medical advice and infra structure, something which a tier 2 city may not be able to match. Once again this still might differ from city to city. For instance chandigarh is quite advanced with the reputed PGI institute being there. But the same is not true for a place like Nashik.

[honeybee]

A specific question: I already stay in an owned flat. Should I rent out a house in Nashik and let out my own house here, or should I invest in buying a house - resale or new?

The rent after letting out the own house would have to be shared, because I am not the sole occupant. However the bigger question is - would it make sense to invest in buying a house at Nashik.

If things are moving northwards, in a few years the Nashik property could also give me decent returns, in case I decided to sell it off or let it out - in the eventuality that I return back to Mumbai. Worst case it would fetch me some decent rent income, without appreciation.

[SoumenD]

Have been going through the same turmoil 2 years back and that's when I started jotting down the pros and cons. Now I am based/settled in Bangalore.

Reason :

1. Being in IT ample job opportunities.
2. The CLIMATE. I dont think any metro city beats the amazing climate here.
3. No useless political/regional tension here(Though lately reading about the road-rage incidents with locals saddens/worries me a bit).
4. English/Hinidi works here effortlessly.
5. Due to high concentration of young IT junta the culture suits our busy lives where neighbors don't keep bugging you for petty issues. Basically I like the 'mind-your-own-effin-business' attitude here among people.

Made sure I get a house in a big society with all modern amenities in a not-so-busy area closer to my office(Begur road i.e. 7kms from EC and you can avoid the main traffic laden roads). That way I have easy access(read 15-30 mins drive) to main city/office & peace of mind when needed. Plus the rates are decently affordable.

This is once-in-a-lifetime decision, so please be very careful. Wish you all the best mate

Cheers
Soumen

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

+1. Pune and may I say even chandigarh are these days quite developed and hence you cannot really label them as tier 2 cities. But the OP is considering moving to Nashik which surely is still a tier 2 city and will stay so for some time to come. So people who are saying that life in tier 2 city is great and then quote pune as an example are not really painting the true picture!

.

I don't know if it's directed at my post, but I did mention about my moving to Pune from Delhi. So in case your post and the one you quoted are directed at mine, and even in case it is not, just to clear up.

The whole intention of the post was not to compare Pune to Nashik, nor was it to imply that Pune is a tier 2 city. All I wanted to point out was that irrespective of whether you move from a tier 1 to tier 2,3,4 or 100 city and vice versa, it requires a great deal of adjustments. That is why I quoted my example and added that I could not have adjusted to a shift to Mumbai ( the best tier1 to tier 1 comparison).

As long as the basic necessities like good medical care, schooling for kids and maybe basic infrastructure is available, everything else is just down to priorities, be it IMAXes, malls, discs, branded clothing, travel convenience(out of the city). That is where the due diligence comes in, to try and find out whether Nashik or any other place has those things that 'You' consider basic.

I don't know if Pune is tier 1 or 2 nor did I imply it by my post. Apologies if it appeared so.

[ritz3645]

Originally Posted by honeybee

A specific question: I already stay in an owned flat. Should I rent out a house in Nashik and let out my own house here, or should I invest in buying a house - resale or new?

The rent after letting out the own house would have to be shared, because I am not the sole occupant. However the bigger question is - would it make sense to invest in buying a house at Nashik.

If things are moving northwards, in a few years the Nashik property could also give me decent returns, in case I decided to sell it off or let it out - in the eventuality that I return back to Mumbai. Worst case it would fetch me some decent rent income, without appreciation.

Dear honeybee,

Why I said rent in Nashik or Pune is as Dombiwali is stable and you can always come back if things don't work out.

Their are things like forward integration or back ward integration. Visiting a farm for a weekend is fun but living on a farm is different.

If you plant trees you also have days when people just steal without asking.

Btw its more about people, type, environment in which you grew up.

Their is no perfect world or city or house/flat, you make one or life makes one, and we all are experimenting.

[honeybee]

True, but apart from people and environment, sometimes materialistic and measurable things like property prices do matter sometimes too. So the very first question would be "Does it make economic sense?"

The biggest cost increase if I moved would be accomodation. It could be compensated by way of letting out the existing house or by going for a salary hike.

The biggest loss of income would be of my wife's. Again it could be compensated by going for a salary hike.

The biggest savings would be on the commuting cost and time. If I were to calculate my hourly rate (monthly salary divided by an average of 40 hours a week), the travelling time saved in a month is equal to working for a week extra. In monetary terms it's a couple of day's salary extra. While money-wise it's not too big to offset any of the losses/expenses outlined above, it does help. And the time saved can be invested in something other than work - not always a monetary benefit but intangible benefits like better health, higher studies and certifications etc.

Again on the plus side if I could actually invest in a house there, it doesn't matter if I relocate permanently or just for a few years.

Then is the cost of living there - in terms of fruits/veggies/milk etc. The daily consummables. Are these prices comparable to Mumbai or cheaper than Mumbai? I am guessing cheaper - since there may be no transportation involved. This too is money saved from the monthly budget.

Once we are done with the economic part vis-a-vis the current life, we also have to factor in the additional career options I shall get if I am able to get a couple of professional certifications in my spare time (also the company has shown an interest to sponsor me). So the potential earning after a few years would be much higher.

Once we debate the economic side of it, then we can debate the non-economic or the non-tangible part which cannot be measured in money.

Any thoughts to fill in the gaps in the above analysis?

[noopster]

Mumbai born and raised, I still have deep ties with that city but sadly I don't think I can live there any more. The quiet suburb I grew up in is now a quagmire of malls and mulitplexes, clogged and broken roads, unbelievable pollution and complete breakdown of civility. It has become so bad that nobody follows traffic signals anymore, which was unthinkable when I was growing up.

Pune where I live now is definitely better but is inexorably moving the same way. Indians have a lot to learn about urban planning. I dread what this city will look like in 10 years.

Recently visited Belgaum for a wedding and was pleasantly surprised how quiet and beautiful it looked. It is my mom's hometown and when we speak about it there is always a tinge of regret that we didn't buy a place there when we could. Having said that, Belgaum may be an exception. I can't imagine moving to a true second tier city and fitting in. You need money and connections to live the same way you do in a metro. Not to mention the boredom factor.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by noopster

The quiet suburb I grew up in is now a quagmire of malls and mulitplexes, clogged and broken roads, unbelievable pollution and complete breakdown of civility.

Originally Posted by noopster

Pune where I live now is definitely better but is inexorably moving the same way. I dread what this city will look like in 10 years.

Originally Posted by noopster

Recently visited Belgaum for a wedding and was pleasantly surprised how quiet and beautiful it looked.

These statements highlight a very important consideration. True, the Tier-II city one is looking at right now may seem a haven of peace and affordable living, BUT for how much longer?! At one time, not so very long ago, Bangalore was also a Tier-II city and very, very peaceful. Now look at it.

Remember, the 'still-developing' phase of an Indian city is the nightmare phase. Roadwork all over, small town attitudes struggling to come to terms with a big city life, long term residents trying to reconcile with new migrants. Massive infrastructure projects in various stages of completion. After some time, while it doesn't get very much better, at least it stabilizes somewhat and some sort of public infrastructure gets into place (Delhi Metro, Mumbai Metro, Bangalore Metro, completed flyovers/Sea Link-type projects that somewhat help traffic flow, gradual increase in citizen awareness and some early shoots of citizen activism like lake clean ups, etc.)

So take care that you don't get caught in the still-developing phase every time you move to a smaller city. Then, it would be better to remain in the metro that you know, IMHO.

A significant reduction in the number of job opportunities when you shift to a smaller city, is a concern. While everything may work out well and you may be perfectly happy in your new job, all it takes is one lousy manager hired/promoted at anytime to make you want to quit. Then, not having the chance to leave quickly really bites. It's not really easy to head back to your home metro either. A lot of recruiters simply discard your resume when they see you are based outside the city, assuming a higher re-location cost for the company. You can certainly explain that you don't need re-location, but you need to get shortlisted to that stage first.

I've faced all these when I moved from Bangalore to Hyderabad and back. Hyderabad is a fantastic city. But to me, it just wasn't Bangalore and I really wasn't happy there. I'm sure, for someone born and raised in Hyderabad, the same would apply if they moved to Bangalore. So, when you move to a Tier-2, think about that as well.

Finally, I know a lot of young people from my parents' state who have moved to Bangalore for work and swear that they never want to go back ever to any of even the cities in their home state, forget the smaller towns, simply because of the lack of the 'mind-your-own-business-and-let-me-live-my-life-the-way-I-choose' attitude that we take for granted in any metro. It's also a very important consideration.

Originally Posted by honeybee

...we also have to factor in the additional career options I shall get if I am able to get a couple of professional certifications in my spare time (also the company has shown an interest to sponsor me). So the potential earning after a few years would be much higher.

Did you mean to say you will be able to do additional certifications in the spare time you save because of the reduced commute in a smaller city? Well, I don't know you personally, but most times I've seen that if one really wants to study, one will find the time somehow. Conversely, if one can't find the time in their present situation for part-time studies, it is pretty unlikely that shifting to a smaller city will automatically make one utilize spare time more efficiently, even if there is a marginal increase in that spare time.

The statement that your potential company is willing to sponsor you, to me, indicates that you are looking at this more from the point-of-view of the positives to be gained from the move. While that is certainly what one looks at when considering a move, IMHO the way to go about making the actual, final decision whether to move or not is by using the 'devil's advocate' process- consider all the negatives more and then see if all of them can be overcome and it still is worth it. (Just my opinion.) You can surely find a new company in your present city that will be as willing to sponsor additional certifications. And, btw, a HR 'promise' to sponsor additional certifications during the job interview and an actual translation of that promise are 2 very, very different things it just takes one bad quarter to have all of the training budget put on hold, in even the largest of corporations these days.

[amtak]

Guys, what do you think of Nagpur as a city to live in? I love Nagpur so much that I plan to retire here in the future

[honeybee]

Well, so far we are only considering moving to cities for careers, not for retirements. That would be a wholly different consideration I guess.

Noopster's post has something very important: Do we carry over the habits of a metro with us or do we try to adjust to the ways of life in a non-metro? Do we have to "live the same way you do in a metro" when you move to a non-metro? Or a different location for that matter?

In what ways can one adapt oneself for the differences when changing locations?

[mallumowgli]

I moved to a tier 3 city five years back, after having lived my complete adult life in Metros. Apart from the 'hard' factors like career opportunities, education and medical facilities (these are already well discussed in this thread), what affected me most were the so called 'soft' factors

- friends : I missed my friends. The people in small towns attitude-wise do not compare to the big city people. Their view of life is very narrow - what we look at as important is often laughed upon. Cars, photography, travel are something the people think about onle after all their daily chores like standing in queue for electricity bills etc are completed. Am talking about any active hobbies - no passion other than just raising a family!! Even after five years, and lots of attempts, all my friends remain outside of this town, from Tbhp and other forums!!

- lifestyle : Easy lifestyle has a tendency to make you a bit lazy. One has to take a very conscious effort and get involved in some activities.

Do I love living in this town? Yes I do. My personal interests are very well satisfied. There are forests all around . Weekend getaways hardly requires any planning. Have lot of free time to actively pursue my interests

May be because I am in Kerala - medical facilities are not that bad and even the specialty ones are not very far off