Bengaluru’s ‘pigeon-hole’ 2 BHKs fuel debate over whether the city is going the Mumbai way
As property prices rise across East Bengaluru, a growing number of homebuyers are raising concerns over what they describe as ‘pigeon-hole’ 2 BHK apartments, homes that offer expansive open spaces and amenities on the outside but cramped, poorly designed interiors within. A Reddit thread has highlighted the struggles of first-time buyers and tenants who say shrinking room sizes are making homes increasingly unlivable despite crore-plus price tags, prompting a broader question: Is Bengaluru going the Mumbai way?
Unlike Mumbai, buyers argue this trend is not driven by land scarcity but by deliberate design choices. In 2025, Bengaluru homebuyers received noticeably smaller apartments as developers reduced carpet areas to manage rising land and construction costs while keeping overall unit prices within reach.
“While visiting flats for my friends, I am seeing one common pattern. All the projects have so much open space, a handful of useless amenities. But as soon as you enter the 2bhk flats, you will feel depressed. The living area will make you question your life choices. The master bedroom feels more like a housekeeping room,” the post said.
Redditors argued that as long as buyers continue to pay premium prices for smaller homes, developers have little incentive to reverse the trend. Many pointed to North Bengaluru, where per-sq-ft prices of ₹12,000– ₹15,000 are being quoted despite incomplete infrastructure and limited public transport connectivity.
Also Read: Bengaluru real estate: Apartment sizes shrink 8% as developers cut space to keep homes affordable
Are Bengaluru apartment sizes going the Mumbai way?
Buyers argue that this is not a land-scarcity issue like Mumbai but a deliberate design choice. Some allege that builders use amenities to distract from shrinking private spaces, while pricing units as though premium infrastructure, metro lines, tech parks, and arterial roads already exist.
“East Bengaluru isn’t land-starved like Mumbai, but pricing psychology has become similar. Builders know smaller 2BHKs sell faster at lower entry prices, even if day-to-day livability suffers,” one of the Redditors wrote.
An analysis by CRE Matrix reveals how drastically buying power is changing across Mumbai’s housing market. With a ₹1 crore budget, a buyer would be able to purchase only about 73 sq ft of space in Malabar Hill, one of South Mumbai’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. In Bandra, the same amount stretches slightly further to roughly 124 sq ft, and in Andheri it increases to around 278 sq ft.
Real estate brokers say Bengaluru is likely to head the Mumbai way when it comes to shrinking apartment sizes, with rising land prices and premium branding pushing developers to cut internal layouts while keeping ticket sizes attractive. They note that in key corridors such as Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Hebbal, and Thanisandra, the average usable area of a 2BHK has compressed significantly over the past five years, mirroring Mumbai’s trend of high prices and compact living.
Also Read: Bengaluru resale market sees ‘sell-and-stay’ trend as sellers seek to continue as tenants for 6–12 months
Flat ‘shrinkflation’ in Bengaluru
Bengaluru homebuyers received noticeably smaller apartments in 2025, as developers reduced carpet areas to manage rising land and construction costs while keeping unit prices within reach, a new report has found. Data from NoBroker shows that the average apartment size in the city shrank by roughly 8% year-on-year, dropping from 1,094 sq ft in 2024 to 1,008 sq ft in 2025, one of the steepest declines among major metros.
Experts say the trend reflects a broader shift toward higher pricing with lower livable space, driven by escalating input costs and sustained demand in mid-income segments. Developers are redesigning floor plans, trimming room sizes and tightening internal layouts to maintain marketable ticket sizes amid affordability pressures.
According to Saurabh Garg, Chief Business Officer at NoBroker, the compression is most visible in mainstream housing categories. “Carpet areas in 2BHK units have reduced by 9% and in 3BHKs by about 5% in Bengaluru,” he said, noting that builders are restructuring configurations to balance profitability with consumer expectations. This densified approach, he said, is becoming a preferred strategy in a market where budget constraints are increasingly shaping buying decisions.
Also Read: Will Bengaluru mirror Mumbai’s housing boom? Redditors say ‘Who wants 500 sq ft flats?’
Real estate experts say that some grade-A developers continue to offer larger-format homes, typically priced from ₹2.5–3 crore, but this is not reflective of the broader market. “Across most mid-range projects, we are seeing noticeable reduction in sizes as developers adjust to rising input costs and changing demand patterns,” Garg said.
Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
