Published rates in November 2026 run from about ₹1,705 per square foot at Shadnagar to ₹11,262 at JP Nagar. But the advertised rate is never the price: PLC, floor rise, parking, clubhouse, corpus, maintenance, GST, stamp duty and registration all sit on top of it.
Key facts
- Cheapest locality in this sample: Shadnagar, Hyderabad — median ₹1,705 per square foot, but it is a plotted market on the NH 44 corridor, not an apartment one.
- Most expensive: JP Nagar, Bengaluru — median ₹11,262 per square foot, with Kukatpally and KPHB close behind at ₹11,150.
- Best value against job access in this sample: Siruseri at a median ₹5,800 per square foot, beside the SIPCOT employment cluster.
- The base rate is typically 70–85% of what you actually pay once every charge is added. Ask for all nine as separate lines.
- No GST on a completed property with an occupancy certificate. On under-construction, there is.
- These are asking prices, not transacted prices. Sub-registrar records give the real ones and are usually lower.
- Medians here come from small samples — two to six projects per locality. Treat them as an order of magnitude, not a valuation.
What does property cost per square foot, locality by locality?
The table below is built from named projects in each locality, with the per-square-foot rate each listing publishes. Localities with fewer than two rate-bearing listings are excluded rather than guessed at.
| City | Locality | Sample | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | Kanakapura Road | 6 projects | ₹7,147 | ₹10,999 | ₹22,664 |
| Bengaluru | JP Nagar | 4 projects | ₹7,292 | ₹11,262 | ₹15,600 |
| Chennai | Poonamallee | 4 projects | ₹3,000 | ₹5,159 | ₹7,000 |
| Chennai | Thirumazhisai | 3 projects | ₹4,500 | ₹5,500 | ₹7,080 |
| Chennai | Siruseri | 3 projects | ₹4,000 | ₹5,800 | ₹6,000 |
| Chennai | Guduvanchery | 4 projects | ₹4,499 | ₹6,038 | ₹6,130 |
| Chennai | Kelambakkam | 4 projects | ₹4,239 | ₹6,530 | ₹8,972 |
| Chennai | Medavakkam | 4 projects | ₹6,050 | ₹6,700 | ₹7,950 |
| Chennai | Tambaram | 2 projects | ₹6,500 | ₹6,737 | ₹6,975 |
| Chennai | Mahindra World City | 2 projects | ₹7,600 | ₹7,750 | ₹7,900 |
| Chennai | Porur | 3 projects | ₹5,324 | ₹7,900 | ₹13,251 |
| Chennai | Madhavaram | 5 projects | ₹6,998 | ₹7,999 | ₹10,546 |
| Chennai | Sholinganallur | 6 projects | ₹4,800 | ₹8,599 | ₹13,946 |
| Chennai | Padur | 2 projects | ₹7,700 | ₹9,200 | ₹10,700 |
| Chennai | Thoraipakkam | 4 projects | ₹8,500 | ₹9,527 | ₹14,957 |
| Chennai | Pallavaram | 5 projects | ₹5,999 | ₹10,200 | ₹11,400 |
| Hyderabad | Shadnagar | 4 projects | ₹1,500 | ₹1,705 | ₹4,300 |
| Hyderabad | Bachupally | 5 projects | ₹5,600 | ₹6,000 | ₹6,500 |
| Hyderabad | Ameenpur | 2 projects | ₹5,800 | ₹6,025 | ₹6,250 |
| Hyderabad | Nizampet | 5 projects | ₹5,000 | ₹6,500 | ₹7,000 |
| Hyderabad | Miyapur | 5 projects | ₹6,749 | ₹7,299 | ₹8,500 |
| Hyderabad | Kondapur | 5 projects | ₹7,600 | ₹9,000 | ₹10,699 |
| Hyderabad | Kukatpally | 3 projects | ₹10,950 | ₹11,150 | ₹12,595 |
Compiled from Square Yards, Housing.com and Chennai Properties locality listings, plus developer project pages, read 3 November 2026. These are asking prices, not transacted prices. Sample sizes are small — two to six projects per locality — so read the median as an order of magnitude, not a valuation.
- Compare the median, not the lowest. The lowest is usually one compact unit on a bad floor.
- A wide low-to-high spread means the locality sells across segments, not that pricing is irrational. Sholinganallur's ₹4,800 to ₹13,946 is a genuine range of products.
- If a quote you are given sits well above the high figure here, ask what justifies it. If it sits well below the low figure, ask what is wrong.
Why is the advertised rate never the price you pay?
Because nine separate charges sit on top of it, and most are disclosed only when you ask. Here they are, in roughly the order they appear on a cost sheet.
| Charge | What it is | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Base rate | The advertised rate × saleable area | The only number most buyers compare. It is not the price. |
| Preferential location charge (PLC) | Corner, park-facing, lake-facing, low-floor premium | Ask for the PLC grid for the whole tower, not just your unit, so you can see what is actually scarce. |
| Floor rise | A per-floor or per-sq-ft escalation above a base floor | Ask which floor the base rate applies to. Sometimes it is the second floor, not the ground. |
| Car parking | Covered, open, stack or podium | Ask whether a second parking space is available at all, and at what price, before you need one. |
| Clubhouse and amenity charge | A one-time fee for the amenity package | On a 200-amenity community this is not small. Ask for it as a separate line. |
| Corpus or sinking fund | A one-time deposit held for major future repairs | Ask what happens to it at handover and who controls it afterwards. |
| Maintenance advance | Typically 12 to 24 months paid upfront | Ask what the rate becomes after the developer hands over to the association. It usually rises. |
| GST | On under-construction property only; none on a completed property with an OC | Confirm the current rate with your own lawyer. This has changed before. |
| Stamp duty and registration | State rates on the registered value | Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka all differ. Check the state portal, not a national average. |
Across this market the gap between the advertised base rate and the all-in figure commonly runs into double digits as a percentage. That is why comparing two projects on base rate alone is close to meaningless: a project with a lower rate and a heavy amenity charge can cost more than one with a higher rate and none.
How do Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru compare on price?
Three different shapes, and the shape matters more than the average.
Chennai has the widest spread and the most legible logic: price falls almost monotonically as you move out along a corridor. On OMR, Thoraipakkam sits near ₹9,527 and Siruseri near ₹5,800 — roughly a 40% discount for moving a few clusters south. For a buyer willing to commute, Chennai offers the clearest trade in the three cities.
Hyderabad is bimodal. The western IT belt — Kukatpally, KPHB, Kondapur — sits between ₹9,000 and ₹11,150, while the outer belt of Bachupally, Ameenpur and Nizampet sits between ₹6,000 and ₹6,500. There is relatively little in between, so the decision tends to be binary: inside the belt or outside it.
Bengaluru in this sample is represented only at the premium end — JP Nagar at a ₹11,262 median and Kanakapura Road at ₹10,999, with a very long tail upward to ₹22,664. That tail is the thing to notice: Bengaluru's top end runs considerably higher than either other city's.
A caution about comparing cities at all: stamp duty, registration charges and the convention for what counts as saleable area differ by state. Two identical rates in two states are not identical prices.
What should I budget beyond the flat itself?
Four costs that land within the first year and almost never appear in anyone's spreadsheet.
- Interiors and fit-out. A bare-shell 3 BHK needs wardrobes, a modular kitchen, light fittings and often air conditioning. On a 1,200 to 1,500 sq ft home this is commonly several lakh rupees. A handful of projects — Urbanrise Spring Tide at Mahindra World City, for instance — hand over furnished and air-conditioned, which is a genuine saving that never shows in a rate comparison.
- Moving and overlap. Rent and EMI running together for a month or two.
- The first special levy. In older resale stock especially, ask what the sinking fund holds against lifts, pumps, painting and waterproofing. A thin fund means a levy, and it lands on the current owner.
- Property tax and utilities deposits. Small individually, not nothing together.
A reasonable planning rule: assume the real cost of getting into the home is meaningfully above the agreed price, and find out exactly how much before you commit rather than after.
What can this data not tell you?
Three honest limits.
These are asking prices. Listing portals publish what sellers want, not what buyers paid. Transacted rates are typically lower and are available from the sub-registrar in each state. If you are deciding at the margin, get those — they are the only figures that reflect an actual meeting of minds.
The samples are small. Two to six rate-bearing listings per locality. A median of three numbers is an indication, not a market rate. We publish the sample size in the table precisely so you can discount accordingly.
Saleable area is not a standard. Carpet, built-up and super built-up differ, and the loading factor between them varies by developer. A ₹7,000 rate on carpet area and a ₹7,000 rate on super built-up area are entirely different prices. Always ask which basis a quoted rate uses.
Questions buyers ask
Answered from this page's own research. Last reviewed 3 November 2026 by the PropIQ World research desk.
What does a 3 BHK cost per square foot in Chennai in 2026?
It depends sharply on corridor position. In this sample of listings read in November 2026, median published rates run from about ₹5,800 per square foot at Siruseri and ₹6,700 at Medavakkam, through ₹8,599 at Sholinganallur and ₹9,527 at Thoraipakkam, to ₹10,200 at Pallavaram. These are asking prices, not transacted prices.
Which is the cheapest locality in this comparison?
Shadnagar in Hyderabad, at a median ₹1,705 per square foot — but that is a plotted market on the NH 44 corridor rather than an apartment one, so it is not comparable with apartment rates. Among apartment localities, Poonamallee (₹5,159), Thirumazhisai (₹5,500) and Siruseri (₹5,800) are the lowest medians here.
Which is the most expensive?
JP Nagar in Bengaluru, at a median ₹11,262 per square foot, with Kukatpally and KPHB in Hyderabad close behind at ₹11,150. Bengaluru also has the longest upward tail in this sample: Total Environment on Kanakapura Road is listed at ₹22,664 per square foot.
How much is added on top of the base rate?
Nine charges: PLC, floor rise, parking, clubhouse and amenity charge, corpus or sinking fund, maintenance advance, GST on under-construction property, stamp duty and registration. Across this market the gap between advertised base rate and all-in cost commonly runs into double digits as a percentage, and most of it is disclosed only on request.
Do I pay GST on a flat?
On an under-construction property, yes. On a completed property with an occupancy certificate, no. On a large ticket that difference is material and it never appears in a rate comparison. Confirm the current rate with your own lawyer, since the rules have changed before.
Are these the prices I will actually pay?
No. Every figure here is a published asking price from a listing portal or developer page, read on 3 November 2026. Transacted prices are usually lower and are available from the sub-registrar's records in each state. Use this table to sanity-check a quote, not to value a property.
Why do the same cities show such different price ranges?
Because each city has a different shape. Chennai's prices fall steadily as you move out along a corridor, so the discount for commuting is legible. Hyderabad is bimodal — the western IT belt at ₹9,000 to ₹11,150, the outer belt at ₹6,000 to ₹6,500, with little in between. Bengaluru in this sample appears only at the premium end.
What is the difference between carpet, built-up and super built-up area?
Carpet is the usable floor inside your walls; built-up adds the walls; super built-up adds your share of common areas. The loading factor between carpet and super built-up varies by developer, so a ₹7,000 rate on carpet area and a ₹7,000 rate on super built-up area are entirely different prices. Always ask which basis a quote uses.
What should I budget beyond the price of the flat?
Interiors and fit-out, which on a 1,200 to 1,500 sq ft home is commonly several lakh rupees; an overlap month or two of rent and EMI; the first special levy if the sinking fund is thin; and property tax and utility deposits. A few projects hand over furnished and air-conditioned, which removes the largest of these.
Can I compare rates across Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru directly?
Not quite. Stamp duty and registration charges differ by state, and so does the convention for what counts as saleable area. Two identical per-square-foot rates in two states are not identical prices. Compare within a city freely; across cities, compare all-in costs rather than rates.