Nawabi city Hyderabad, which is set amidst south India, has been known for its wonderful hospitality for the past 400 years. The city, which was named Bhagyanagaram earlier, was a city of wealth, richness and royalty. While the wealth was said to be vanished in the long run, the richness and royalty of the city still remains the same despite the invasion of the information technology.
The advancement in information technology might have attracted many from every nook and corner of the country and even globe for that matte, but the same has turned out to be a curse to sweet Hyderabadis. With salaries of software professionals touching the sky, they are supposedly giving a damn when it comes to shelling out money. This in turn affected the cost of living.
Until 2006-07, Hyderabad was undoubtedly a better option compared to Bangalore in terms of cost of living. But, now the situation altered. Bangalore has become cheaper compared to Hyderabad except in entertainment. Today, Hyderabad has become one of the costliest cities in the country. Right from rents to wine and dine, everything demands deep pockets.
Today, an average mess in Hyderabad will charge a person Rs. 50 for plate meals while the same would be served at Rs. 25 in Bangalore, which is half of the price. In 2005, the cost of full meals in Bangalore was Rs. 18 while it was Rs. 12 in Hyderabad. A 2BHK flat in a normal area in Hyderabad is costing around 20,000 and the cost is same in Bangalore. But, in 2008 the cost of 2BHK in Hyderabad was Rs. 5,000 while it was Rs. 15,000 in Bangalore. Sipping Irani chai at local cafe in Hyderabad was something very common for Hyderabadis as chai was just Rs. 3 till 2008 and now the same tea costs Rs. 8. The entertainment is the only exception when we talk of cost of living as movie tickets are always costly in Bangalore.
All in all, Hyderabad has become the costliest city of the country. Government should take steps to reduce the cost of living in the city otherwise people might fear to visit this beautiful city in near future and even if they visit they might end up returning without tasting yummy biryani.
AW Phani
