Expats living guide in Bangalore
While Bangalore’s growth has resulted in more choice in terms of housing, what it has also created is a highly congested traffic situation, resulting in long commutes to work. It is advisable to look for housing relatively close to the area in which you work if you do not wish to have a long and stressful commute every day.
If you work in the IT or industrial sector, there are many housing developments around the major IT work hubs and industrial zones, many of which are a fair way out of the city centre. These tend to be fairly self-sufficient gated communities, with recreational facilities, and often supermarkets, schools and hospitals in or around the housing complex, but the choice is often limited to giant apartment blocks or gated villa complexes. These are family-friendly, and those with children especially will find it safe and comfortable.
Within the city itself, there is a wider variety of housing in the older residential areas, from independent bungalows to smaller apartment complexes (12 to 24 units) and high-rise towers that have hundreds of units. The traffic situation means though, that neighbourhood streets can be crowded, and not safe for children. If that is a consideration for you, your home either needs to be large enough for a play area, or your apartment block comes with this included.
Bangalore is in general a safe city. There is not a lot of violent crime, but burglaries and petty theft have been on the rise as the city expands, and you would want to make sure that you are in an apartment building that has security, or make arrangements for a security guard if you opt for a private house. None of these guards is armed (there is really no need for them to be), but they act as a deterrent and make sure that anyone visiting your house is cleared before they ring your doorbell.
