by THO
The FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, the origins of which date back to the early 2000s, initially emphasised on extreme saving to reach financial freedom and embrace early retirement. However, it has since evolved to also include people who wish to exit the work force on their own terms and at an age of their choosing as opposed to hustling for a paycheck all the way into their 60s.
One such adherent of this philosophy, a 38-year old male currently settled in the US, is seeking suggestions on Reddit for “best cities to FatFIRE in India”. FatFIRE is a FIRE retirement variation which involves higher levels of savings and passive income during retirement.
“I am planning to shift base to India in a year and continue working on my business for the next 4-5 years… I prefer living in bigger spaces so any place where I can get a good 4,000-5,000 sq ft apartment or villa for ₹8-10 cr would be great,” the social media user wrote.
With a five-point checklist including bullets like good nightlife, infrastructure, quick commute, connectivity for international travel and moderate temperature, the Redditor is leaning towards Chandigarh and Goa.
Internet community hails Tirupati, Vizag, Kochi
Contrary to popular expectations of suggestions such as Delhi-NCR, Mumbai or Bengaluru, netizens presented a strong case for offbeat destinations such as Tirupati in Tamil Nadu, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala, among others.
“Tirupati has good connectivity to Bangalore and Chennai and (a) 40 min flight to Hyderabad. It has access to 3 sea ports within (a) 2 hour drive and is a supply chain hub,” one of the Redditors wrote.
The social media user likened the popular pilgrimage site to Denver/Jacksonville in the US which is home to many retirees and boasts high tourism income and expensive real estate.
“Infra has developed a lot in (the) last 3 years. All new roads being made are mostly 100 ft roads. Master plan to connect many small villages and there are plans to have an Air cargo drop from north India and make it a supply chain hub for the south,” the Redittor added.
One social media user amongst those presenting a case for Kochi wrote: “Kochi certainly fits your requirements. Kochi has better international connectivity than any other city except the top 3, good infra, both physical and social, metro is available, never gets above 38 (degree celsius) though a bit humid , Fort Kochi side gives the retro vibe , but many of India’s biggest shopping malls present.”
Hyderabad, Pune lead Tier I city recommendations
Among Tier I cities, Pune and Hyderabad appeared as popular recommendations.
“Hyderabad. Excellent international connectivity. Advantage of being a capital city. Excellent weather for 9/12 months. Large influx of young crowd, so nightlife is great. Not as good as Mumbai or Bangalore though. Excellent roads in places that you will likely settle down and may commute to. To add to all this, a HUGE number of returnees from (the) US. So culturally, you’ll not feel out of place,” one respondent to the post remarked.
Also read: New parent seeks suggestions on buying versus renting home in Bengaluru; Redditors weigh in
Another Redditor advocating in favour of Hyderabad wrote: “Property prices are not crazy like Mumbai or Bangalore. Can buy/build a nice villa in a location that is 30 mins from the tech hub.”
Yet others presented a compelling case for Pune, highlighting the city’s proximity to Mumbai and relatively more affordable yet quality lifestyle.
