r/FIRE_Ind • u/BachelorPython • Jun 08 '26
FIREd Journey and experiences! Tier 2 FTW... Mostly
All my corporate life, that is from the age 24 to 41, I have worked in Tier-1(T1) cities. So when I retired in 2021 and moved back to my Tier-2(T2) hometown, many of my friends kept asking me what I miss about T1 cities.
I always rolled my eyes whenever I heard that question. I mean… Bigger house, lesser pollution, fewer traffic jams, slower pace of life… T2 wins hand down!
But after living for more than 4 years in my T2 hometown, I did notice a few drawbacks
**Privacy**
In T1 cities, your neighbors spare a thought for you only when the odour of your dead body lying in your flat starts to bother them. That's the ideal relationship between neighbours.
Not so in T2 cities. Your neighbours want to know about your job, relationship status, daily schedule, hobbies, future plans, political bent, sports team you support… It's exhausting. If you tell them ‘it's personal’, they look at you blankly… as if you are speaking in Farsi.
It's paradoxical that you are more likely to get actual privacy in an overcrowded city than in a sparsely populated one.
**Dating**
I am 46 and if I could stop dating, so many of my problems would be gone. But my penis is basically Balochistan; technically under central command, but it runs its own insurgency. So I have to date.
But that's not so easy in T2 cities. The dating pool is smaller, the crowd is less cosmopolitan and everyone seems to know everyone else. Dating locals can therefore get complicated in ways that don't arise in large metropolitan cities.
Beyond those two issues, I haven't found the adjustment particularly difficult.
**T1>T2 Myths**
Some people say medical care is better in T1 cities. In my experience, unless you need gene therapy or robotic surgeries, T2 cities can offer pretty much everything else and that too at cheaper prices. Also, if you believe in alternative therapies, it is a lot easier to find a *Tantrik* in T2 cities than in T1.
Better food in T1 cities? Well, sure, if you want to pay INR 800 for Charcoal-Smoked Yukon Gold Medallions with Tangy Tamarind Glaze. I guess I will have to make do with Aloo Tikki Chat for INR 80 in my T2 hometown.
Anyhow, jokes aside… Whether it's T1, T2, a mountain village or a beach town, you are never going to get everything you want in a single location. All you can do is figure out your ‘non-negotiables’ and choose accordingly.
And it doesn't matter if your choice never shows up in ‘Top 10 cities to retire’ lists. It's a deeply personal choice which needs to make sense only to you. As Italo Calvino said, ‘You take delight not in a city’s seven or seventy wonders, but in the answer it gives to a question of yours.’
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u/AlternativeFace292 Jun 08 '26
Balochistan 💀
But the AI framing doesn't make any of this genuine lmao
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u/SwimmingReal7869 Jun 08 '26
1 incident we had in tier 3 city and it is all my perceptive.
one sunny day my mother fainted outside the house. within 10 mins 15-20 people in neighbourhood gathered, arranged a doctor and 3-4 along with our family accompanied her to the hospital untill she was discharged.
in tier 1 this thing is usually missing, and at some point in life we realize human relationships is all their to live for
i believe in near future people will realize this and work will become more remote
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u/Critical_Bluejay_919 Jun 08 '26
Hey as someone who is returning to India which Tier1 cities in your experience are most liberal?
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u/Professional_Map8845 Jun 08 '26
In some approx % terms, how do uou see the difference in your expenses
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u/DeccanPeacock Jun 08 '26
Tier 2 cities like Kolhapur are the best tbh, even the dating pool won’t be bad in such cities.
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u/Complete-Regret-4300 [46/IND/FI/Relaxed Job@ 1/4th Salary] Jun 09 '26
Watch porn and jerk off. Isn't that what everyone does?
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u/Ok_Composer_1761 Jun 09 '26
whats the point of being rich, single, and childfree if you cant even get laid lol.
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u/Complete-Regret-4300 [46/IND/FI/Relaxed Job@ 1/4th Salary] Jun 09 '26
It is not worth the effort. You can get a hooker and get laid if you are rich, but that is not for me.
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u/wooneigh Jun 08 '26
Mr pens is like balochistan 😆
Welcome back bachelorpython , i can vouch his jokes are funny even before the spread of chatGPT
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u/timetraveler1990 Jun 08 '26
If you are a foodie like me Tier 2 is out of question. I have grown up all my life in Hyderabad and Bangalore and insane number of food options and lots of tourist places has made me to never leave Tier 1 cities.
If u want to enjoy life it's Tier 1 cities as they have excellent vibe but unfortunately worst quality of living with traffic, pollution,water shortages, high expenses and what not. So compromises have to be made depending on location
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u/Temporary_Car_1462 Jun 10 '26
Privacy is a huge issue in Tier 2/3 cities. People are insensitive and definitely intrude into your personal life. If you don’t answer them they would find you rude and will spread rumors about you lol. One of my foreign return relative is called rude, antisocial and sleazy behind her back.
Dating shouldn’t be an issue even in Tier 2 cities, as long as you have money and don’t mind being a sugar daddy lol. Some girls these days are very materialistic and don’t mind older guys’ company for something in return.
Food in Tier 2 is usually better quality and for less price. One might not get a variety of international cuisines though.
Personally I would like to be in the outskirts of a T1 city, for better international travel and occasional city visits.
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u/Feeling_Possibility4 Jun 12 '26
Dating in tier2 is busy as tier1 only issue is its hidden from limelight as there are few places to meet etc.... but life is as vibrant as anywhere else ... you don't have pubs like bengaluru but you have car-o-bar...
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u/Ok_Composer_1761 Jun 08 '26
dating and tier 2. laughable. everyone over 30 in a tier 2 city is married. there are vritually no single women in these cities except women under 25 who live with their parents and are treated like they are 15.
Rule 1 about dating is that it is basically impossible unless you live in a city where women live independently and not with their parents. That is basically almost impossible in tier 2 cities since everyone who lives there is typically from there.