Why This Entrepreneur Couple Quit Bangalore After Two Years: A Contemplation on City Life, Dreams, and Difficult Decisions

 Rahul was full of passion, desire, and hope when he and Priya departed for Bangalore two years ago. Like most of startup business owners, they saw the city to be a thriving place to start their own businesses. With its tech parks, coffee-fueled networking sessions, and a thriving startup culture, Bangalore seemed like the space where ideas could really take off.

 

However, in 30 days, the pair quietly moved out of their Indiranagar apartment, turned over keys to their co-working office, and abandoned the city for good.

 

Their rationale? A flagging quality of life that, while the years went by, wore down their optimism and energy.

 

This was not an overnight decision. It was a gradual burn—of traffic congestion that made 5 km become a 90-minute ride, of increasing rents that did not come with the quality of accommodation, of power outages, water problems, and a feel of disconnection from the city that was again so full of potential.

 

The Move to Bangalore: Hope and Hustle

Rahul and Priya came to Bangalore in mid-2022 with stars in their eyes. After leaving corporate positions in Hyderabad and Pune, respectively, they founded a digital-first health company that aimed at integrating Indian ideas into modern lifestyle practices. They picked Bangalore given its status to be India's startup capital, and for the start few months, the feel was contagious.

 

"Every cafe was a conference room, every night was a pitch," Priya remembers. "You were surrounded by peoples who were creating something, solving things, thinking big. It was inspiring."

 

Their brand accelerated fast. Initial traction came from social media, and they raised a seed fund of small size. They had a small team, partnered with local laboratories & wellness specialists, and felt like they were part of something larger.

 

But in the background, city life was already producing challenges.

 

When City Life Becomes a Daily Struggle

The early thrill usually began to lose shine under the pressure of daily problems.

 

"By eighth of the period, the little things had turned big things," Rahul says. "Water was a daily worry. Private tankers were costing us a fortune. Power outages in the middle of team Zoom calls. It felt like we were paying a premium price to struggle."

 

Bangalore's notorious traffic was but another daily migraine. Mundane chores or meetings around town became logistical challenges. A 7-kilometre taxi trip to Whitefield took more than two hours in peak hours.

 

And then there was the living cost. Their two-bedroom flat, which at first seemed quaint, had mold problems and dodgy plumbing—all for a price equally to suburbs of Mumbai.

 

"We weren't looking for perfection," Priya says. "But the city's infrastructure just isn't holding up to its growth. It felt like we were using more energy just trying to make it through Bangalore than putting into building our company."

 

The Tipping Point

For the pair, the last straw came earlier this year when one of Bangalore's waves of water shortages hit. For three days, there was no water in their village. Offices shut down, showers were a luxury, and team productivity plummeted.

 

"We came to the realization that this was not sustainable—neither for us nor our team," Rahul adds. "We were burning out in a city that was meant to make us succeed."

 

They started looking at other cities—quieter ones with improved planning and quality of life. After several visits, they decided to make the move to Coimbatore, attracted by its clean air, improved civic infrastructure, and emerging startup scene.

 

What They're Gaining by Leaving

Since they moved, Rahul and Priya report that their mental well-being has turned around, and they've regained a sense of company in their daily lives.

 

"In Coimbatore, we found space—to think, to breathe, to plan for the long term," Priya says. "We're not jammed in traffic, we're not spending all our time fire-fighting. We have the bandwidth to creativity again."

 

Remarkably, the change has been liked by their employees. With hybrid pop-ups in tier-2 towns, the company is now fully remote-based. And to their astonishment, they've found a new clientele lining up from these smaller towns—areas that metro-focused enterprises usually avoid.

 

A Larger Trend?

Rahul and Priya are not alone. Over the past year or so, many mid-stage startups and solopreneurs have stepped out of metro cities like Bangalore and Mumbai, opting for cities like Ahmedabad, Kochi, Jaipur, and Indore. The reasons are more or less the same—improved infrastructure, reduced costs, and a slower lifestyle that encourages long-term thinking.

 

Even though Bangalore is still a hub for talent and technology, incidents like this raise concerns about diversity, infrastructure, and sustainability. If a town's main processes are always under stress, can it really promote creativity?