Compare the rate, not the ticket
A ₹2.7 crore home and a ₹3.46 crore home are not two prices for the same thing. They are two prices for different quantities of the same thing. Comparing them directly tells you only which one is larger.
The comparable figure is rate per square foot:
Starting price ÷ published size = indicative rate per square foot.
₹2.7 Cr ÷ 1,635 sq ft = about ₹16,514 per sq ft. ₹3.46 Cr ÷ 2,115 sq ft = about ₹16,359 per sq ft. The second home costs ₹76 lakh more and is priced slightly lower per square foot.
That is the whole method. What follows is the same arithmetic applied across four communities, and then the question of whether a lower rate is a reason to buy.
Worked example from published price sheets
Every configuration below is published on this site with a size and a starting price. The last column is those two figures divided, rounded to the nearest rupee.
| Community | Configuration | Size | Starting price | Indicative rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Residences | 3 BHK, 2 toilets | 1,635 sq ft | ₹2.7 Cr* | ~₹16,514 |
| Capitol Residences | 3 BHK, 3 toilets | 1,810 sq ft | ₹3.0 Cr* | ~₹16,575 |
| Capitol Residences | 3.5 BHK (4 BHK) | 2,115 sq ft | ₹3.46 Cr* | ~₹16,359 |
| Edition | 3 BHK | 1,136 sq ft | ₹2.47 Cr* | ~₹21,743 |
| Edition | 4 BHK | 1,866 sq ft | ₹3.3 Cr* | ~₹17,685 |
| Folium | 3 BHK Refined Living | 1,660 sq ft | ₹2.7 Cr* | ~₹16,265 |
| Folium | 4 BHK Grand Living | 2,420 sq ft | ₹3.0 Cr* | ~₹12,397 |
| Solace | 3 BHK Regal | 1,705 sq ft | ₹2.7 Cr* | ~₹15,836 |
A starting price is the entry point for a configuration, and it maps to specific units, floors and facings rather than to every unit of that type. Dividing it by the smallest published size gives an indicative entry rate, useful for comparison. It is not a quote, and the unit actually available to you may price differently.
Sizes shown are the smallest published for each configuration. Prices are indicative, exclude GST, registration and other charges, and change with inventory. Ask the project team which units the entry price currently applies to.
Two readings stand out, and both run against the ticket price intuition:
- At Edition, the 4 BHK works out about 19% lower per square foot than the 3 BHK entry. About ₹17,685 against about ₹21,743. The 3 BHK entry is the smallest home in this comparison at 1,136 sq ft, and small units in a 20 acre community with a 66,000 sq ft clubhouse carry the amenity cost across less area.
- At Folium, the 4 BHK works out about 24% lower per square foot than the 3 BHK. About ₹12,397 against about ₹16,265, on a 2,420 sq ft home against a 1,660 sq ft one.
- At Capitol Residences the three configurations sit within about 1.3% of each other. Roughly ₹16,359 to ₹16,575. That is a flat rate card, where you are paying for area and little else, which makes the decision purely about how much space you need.
Why the bigger home can be cheaper per square foot
This looks like a pricing error. It is not. Four ordinary forces produce it:
- Buyer pool size. The 3 BHK is the mainstream Bengaluru configuration, so it faces the widest demand and supports the firmest rate. Fewer buyers shop for a 2,400 sq ft home, so entry prices there are set more keenly.
- Inventory share. Larger configurations are usually a small minority of units in a tower. A developer with a handful of them to sell prices them to move.
- Fixed amenity cost spread over area. The clubhouse, landscaping and infrastructure cost is recovered across the project. Measured per square foot, a small unit carries more of it than a large one.
- Absolute ticket resistance. Past a certain number, the monthly EMI rather than the rate decides whether a buyer can transact at all. Pricing has to respect that ceiling.
Which means a low rate per square foot is evidence about the market, not advice to you. It tells you the larger home is harder to sell. That is useful in both directions: better value going in, a smaller buyer pool coming out.
The costs that scale with size
The rate comparison is incomplete, because several costs rise with the home and none of them appear on the price sheet.
| Cost | How it scales | When it hits |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp duty and registration | On consideration or guidance value, so a higher price means a higher amount | At registration |
| GST, where applicable | On the consideration for an under construction purchase | With payment tranches |
| Interiors and furnishing | Quoted per sq ft, so it scales almost directly with area | Right after possession |
| Monthly maintenance | Usually per sq ft per month, for as long as you own it | From possession, forever |
| Property tax | Rises with built up area and value | Annually |
| Electricity and cooling | More rooms to light, cool and ventilate | Monthly |
| Loan servicing | A larger principal on the same tenure and rate | Monthly, for the tenure |
Interiors is the one that catches people. It is quoted per square foot, it is not financed by the home loan, and it falls due in the same months the EMI starts. A home several hundred square feet larger carries a proportionally larger interiors bill at exactly the wrong moment.
Maintenance is the one that compounds. A per square foot monthly charge on a larger home, every month, for decades, is a real difference in the cost of living there. Ask for the estimate per square foot and multiply it out over ten years for both configurations.
Want a cost sheet for both configurations on the same unit?
Tell us the project and the two configurations you are weighing. The team sends current prices, the floor plans, and the charges that sit outside the base price.
When the 3 BHK is the better buy
- The fourth room has no named occupant. If you cannot say who sleeps or works in it in the next three years, you are buying storage at the rate per square foot above.
- You want the shorter exit. The 3 BHK has the largest buyer pool in Bengaluru, so it is typically the more liquid configuration.
- The rate gap is small. Where configurations price within a percent or two of each other, as at Capitol Residences, you are paying almost purely for area. Buy only the area you will use.
- Your budget is tight after the base price. Interiors, registration and the first year of maintenance arrive together. A 3 BHK with finished interiors beats a 4 BHK with three empty rooms.
- Location matters more to you than area. Trading area for a shorter commute is usually the better quality of life purchase. The 3 BHK options near ITPL under ₹3 Cr covers that trade directly.
When the 4 BHK is the better buy
- Two adults work from home. Two people on simultaneous calls need two doors that close. This is the most common genuine case, and it is worth more than the rate analysis.
- Parents live with you, or will. A ground adjacent or lift adjacent bedroom with its own bathroom is not a nice to have once mobility is a factor.
- Children are approaching their own rooms. Two children sharing at seven are two children needing separate rooms at thirteen, and the home purchase horizon is longer than that.
- The rate gap is large and real. A 19% to 24% lower rate per square foot, as the published Edition and Folium entry figures work out, is a meaningful discount on area you have a use for.
- You are buying for a ten year hold. Over a decade a household usually grows into space. Over three years it usually does not.
The test that works: describe the fourth room's occupant and function out loud. If the sentence needs the word maybe, buy the 3 BHK.
What to ask before you decide
- Which specific units does the starting price apply to right now, for each configuration?
- What is the carpet area for each, not the super built up area?
- What is the rate per square foot on the actual available unit, floor and facing?
- What is the estimated maintenance per square foot per month?
- What do stamp duty, registration and GST work out to in rupees for each configuration?
- What would interiors cost per square foot for the standard of finish you want?
- In the 3.5 BHK or 4 BHK layouts, what are the fourth room's actual dimensions?
Point two matters most. RERA requires carpet area to be the basis of sale, and two homes with the same super built up number can differ in carpet area. Checking the RERA filing is where you confirm the approved plan matches the flat you are being sold. For density and amenity load across these same four communities, see what low density really means.
Should I buy a 3 BHK or a 4 BHK?
Decide on rate per square foot and on a named use for the fourth room. Compute the starting price divided by the published size for both configurations in the same project. If the larger home carries a similar or lower rate and you can describe exactly who uses the fourth room, the upgrade is usually worth it. If the room has no named occupant or function, the 3 BHK is the better buy.
Why is a 4 BHK sometimes cheaper per square foot than a 3 BHK?
Larger configurations are a smaller share of inventory and sell to a smaller pool of buyers, so entry prices for them are often set more keenly. Smaller units face the most competition from the widest buyer pool, which supports a firmer rate. Floor, view, facing and stage of launch also move the rate within a single configuration.
Does a 4 BHK resell more easily than a 3 BHK?
Generally not. The 3 BHK has the largest buyer pool in Bengaluru, so it is usually the more liquid configuration. A 4 BHK sells to fewer buyers, which can mean a longer time on market. Size alone is not a liquidity advantage.
How much more do interiors cost for a 4 BHK?
Interiors are usually quoted per square foot, so the cost scales roughly with area. On a home several hundred square feet larger, that difference is substantial and it falls due immediately after possession, when your loan has already started. Get an interiors estimate for the actual size before you choose the configuration, not after.
Do stamp duty and registration scale with the size of the flat?
They are calculated on the consideration or guidance value rather than on area directly, so a higher priced larger home attracts a higher amount. Treat them as a percentage of price rather than a fixed cost, and ask for a worked figure for the specific unit you are considering.
Is a 3.5 BHK the same as a 4 BHK?
Not quite. A 3.5 BHK usually means three full bedrooms plus a smaller fourth room that works as a study, a nursery or a guest room rather than a full bedroom. It can be the right answer when you want the extra room without the full area and price step, but check the fourth room's actual dimensions against a bed and a wardrobe before you accept the label.