As AQI levels hit sky-high levels, urban Indians gravitate to getaway homes

Affluent Indians are increasingly buying second homes not as weekend getaways but as critical health guards as cities turn into gas chambers, thanks to ever-increasing air pollution levels

Even as Delhi’s air turns toxic and Mumbai’s famed sea breeze fails to clear air pollutants, India’s affluent are no longer just escaping noxious air pockets for the weekend — they’re relocating for months. A growing number of urban professionals, entrepreneurs and well-off retirees are now treating their second homes as seasonal primary residences, spending anywhere from one to six months in cleaner, calmer destinations like Goa, Kasauli, Dehradun, Alibaug, and Coorg.

 

Basically, any place they can enjoy the most fundamental right of all: a breath of clean air.

 

Second Home: A Seasonal Survival Strategy

 

As climate volatility worsens and pollution spikes intensify, India’s affluent are effectively reorganising their lives around the air they breathe. The second home is no longer a discretionary splurge, but increasingly a seasonal survival strategy — one that blends wellness, convenience, investment potential and emotional security.

 

What began as a weekend getaway is now evolving into a six-month home. And as developers, investors and families all respond to this reality, India’s second-home market is not just expanding — it is being completely redefined.

 

For Abhishek Malhotra, a Delhi-based corporate professional who owns a second home in Sirmaur in mountainous Himachal Pradesh and tries to stay the two critical months of winters there, the choice is obvious. “My logic is simple: if work is hybrid and health is non-negotiable, why stay in a polluted metropolis when you can live and work from a greener one?”

 

Malhotra's logic is part of a wider, more decisive shift from the traditional idea of a holiday home. Today’s buyers are deliberately acquiring second homes as what may be best described as 'AQI shelters': places they can move to during peak pollution months, while still maintaining their professional and social base in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru or Gurugram. In many families, the staycation has evolved into a semi-annual migration cycle: six months in a clean-air destination, and six months back in the city for work, school and other commitments.

 

This is also why developers and real estate consultants are launching projects near top-tier cities to meet a demand curve that is no longer purely luxury-led, but driven by health concerns.

 

Gaurav Mavi, the co-founder of BOP Realty, recently collaborated with a private developer in Rajasthan to launch a second-home project. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen families wanting more than just a holiday home — they want a healthier life system. That’s exactly why we created 922 Emblica Estate in Rajasthan. With consistently low AQI, a 30-year-old organic amla orchard and resort-like amenities, it allows people to slow down, breathe clean air and live closer to nature for months at a time."

 

Increasingly, he adds, buyers are choosing a second home for wellness, sustainability and long-stay living.

 

Goa: The original second home market gets a makeover

 

Traditional second-home destinations like Goa have witnessed a surge like never before. Vianaar, the design-led developer credited with transforming Goa’s villa market, says buyer behaviour has changed dramatically post-pandemic.

 

According to Varun Nagpal, founder, Vianaar Homes, the Covid years reshaped the psychology of second-home buying. “During and after Covid, the surge in interest for Goa homes was unprecedented. Year after year the demand has only grown. Nearly 40–45 per cent of our buyers are from Delhi, another 25–30 per cent from Mumbai, and every few months a new city gets directly connected to Goa — Indore, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur.”

 

The new Mopa airport has turbocharged demand further. “What used to be a 90-minute drive to areas like Mandrem or Assagao is now just 30 minutes. Accessibility has fundamentally changed the market,” he notes. “Every Vianaar launch gets sold out almost instantly.”

 

What buyers want: Wellness, services and connectivity

 

Developers and brokers note that rising AQI anxiety has reshaped what buyers look for. The modern second-home buyer demands fully-serviced homes with housekeeping and security, high-speed internet, private workspaces and hybrid-work infrastructure, proximity to airports for quick shuttling, wellness amenities such as walking trails, organic farms, yoga decks and forested views, and communities instead of isolated villas, offering neighbourhoods that support long stays.

 

This demand is no longer confined to ultra-HNIs. Upper-middle-class families, NRIs and dual-career couples in their 30s and 40s now also see a second home as both a lifestyle necessity and a health investment. As one consultant summed up: “People used to ask about sea views or hill views. Now they ask: What’s the AQI in November?”

 

The rise of managed homes: Yield + ease of ownership

 

One of the biggest enablers of long-stay living is the shift toward managed second homes. Vianaar, for instance, has built an entire ecosystem to support absentee ownership. “Our property management business handles everything when the owners are away — housekeeping, estate managers, maintenance,” says Nagpal. “That naturally led to hospitality and short-term rentals, because owners wanted yield. Today, we manage over 250 properties on a 70:30 home-share model where 70% of earnings go to the owner.”

 

Equally important is Vianaar’s design philosophy. The company insists on Goan-inspired architecture, sloping roofs, verandahs, cross-ventilated spaces, limited ground coverage (capped at 35%) and indigenous landscaping that encourages biodiversity. The goal, Nagpal says, is to create homes “we would personally want to live in,” while preserving Goa’s charm and ensuring sustained capital appreciation.

 

Where India is buying second homes

 

According to Santhosh Kumar, vice chairman, ANAROCK Group, second-home budgets vary widely: Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore for the mid segment, Rs 2 crore and above for premium buyers. Accessibility, weather, heritage value and wellness-led living are major triggers. Demand patterns are also strongly city-linked. For example, Bengaluru buyers look to Nandi Hills, Coorg (Kodagu), Chikmagalur, and Mysore outskirts. In Chennai, they prefer Mahabalipuram, Kodaikanal, and Ooty. Mumbai buyers stick to tried-and-tested Alibaug and Karjat, while Punekars prefer Lonavala or Mahabaleshwar. Delhi-NCR buyers, the most affected of all by high AQIs, head for Neemrana, Kasauli, Nainital, Dehradun, and Rishikesh for a second home.

 

Prasun Kumar, chief marketing officer, Magicbricks, notes a “distinct behavioural shift” in metro buyers. “AQI concerns, restorative living and weekend accessibility are all influencing demand. Our data shows strong traction in Dehradun, the Mussoorie Road corridor, and Kasauli,” he says. The move, he stresses, is not purely investment-led but driven by wellness, hybrid work, and emotional comfort.

 

The luxury lens: Design, wellness and long-term value

 

The luxury segment is seeing a pronounced shift toward design-led, wellness-driven second homes. Rishi Raj, CEO, Conscient Infrastructure, notes: “The highest demand today comes from ultra-HNIs and an aspiring middle class with rising disposable incomes. Wellness, environmental consciousness and long-term lifestyle planning are now as important as luxury.”

 

Conscient’s Goa portfolio reflects this. The company is delivering Vista Arrozal in Candolim and launching Asaya in Assagao, a super-luxury villa development with 4–5 BHK villas that cost about Rs 20 crore. “Our vision,” he says, “is to create design-forward, limited-edition developments that embody quiet luxury while staying true to sustainability and long-term trust.”

 

Meanwhile, Alibaug, with its beaches, greenery and proximity to Mumbai, continues to be a Mumbai favourite. Mohit Malhotra, founder & CEO, Neoliv, says: “The demand for luxury staycation homes is redefining India’s second-home market. Alibaug offers coastal serenity, exclusivity and strong rental potential. As travel patterns shift toward flexible, short-term escapes that can eventually become primary homes, serviced villas are offering both privacy and high yields.”

 

What Homebuyers Must Be Careful About

 

While second homes are booming, experts warn buyers to proceed with caution. Santhosh Kumar of ANAROCK outlines essential checks:

 

· Legal verification is critical, especially since many second homes are outside city limits. Confirm district jurisdiction, land-use classification and conversion from agricultural to residential where applicable.

· For under-construction projects, assess the developer’s past record and monitor progress regularly.

· Coastal properties require extra caution. Under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2018 norms, activities up to 50m of the high-tide line are permitted, but permissions vary by zone (CRZ I–IV).

· Check construction quality, especially in high-moisture or flood-prone belts.

· Insurance, higher maintenance costs and long-term upkeep must be factored in.

· Given the higher cost of ownership, buyers must be prepared for both the premium and the long-term responsibilities.