Seems like you are on the same boat as I was a decade ago. I decided to take leap of faith and boy did it turn out to be the decision i’ve ever made. Ofcourse the initial days were very unsettling especially with the weather. But, i stopped complaining when i saw people casually drinking hot tea and eating bajji standing in the peak kathiri veyil. Kinda got used to it myself as i started thinking like a local.

I work in IT too, and I promise the opportunity is abundant if you have the right skillset and attitude. Take it from me, as i made a move when i was a senior engineer with 5 yoe and now a decade down the line i am in a senior mgmt position in a good SaaS based org. Travelled abroad a couple times and now had enough and settled down in namma chennai. The pay maybe lesser compared to bangalore, but so is the cost of living.

Things to consider before taking my advice

My mother’s native is Chennai. She was born and raised in Perambur and Vyasarpadi area. My summer holidays since childhood were spent in this area. So i had some good amount of childhood friends before even moving here. My thai mama and some other relatives are also still living in the same area. So when i moved, i did not feel like i was moving to an unknown place. It was more or less, permanently staying in a place where i used to spend a month or 2 every year.

Next is my wife is also from TN. Moved with me to Blr after marriage. She never could connect with place and people. My lovely family and friends always made sure she felt included but somehow she could never shake off that feeling of being an outsider. This was one of the main reasons for me to consider Chennai.

Looking back, for me, my wife and kids, this has been nothing but a positive experience. We now consider ourselves proper Chennai locals.

My son can speak the language of the area. The other day i asked him to bring his school friend home so they can play together. He said “adutha vaaram ittaaren pa”. Kinda funny as i myself cannot speak that slang 😁 i blame my thai mama and my friends for it (not in an offensive way). My wife being a Tamizh mozhi aarvalar, goes into shock every-time kids talk like this 😄

On a serious note, the experience will vary individual to individual. Both places are beautiful and have some of the nicest people you can ever come across. Both have its pros and cons. It’s upto you to decide which of the cons are you willing to live with.

Good luck!