Family and friends will have strong opinions. Here is a quieter way to decide.
1. How long will you stay?
Buying has one-time costs: stamp duty, registration, legal fees, moving and furnishing. They make more sense the longer you stay. If you may move cities in two or three years, renting keeps you free.
2. Is your income steady?
An EMI arrives every month, good month or bad. If your income is steady and you have savings set aside for emergencies, buying is safer. If not, wait a little and build that cushion first.
3. Compare the EMI with the rent, honestly
Put the rent for a similar home next to the EMI for buying it, and add maintenance and property tax to the buying side. Use the EMI calculator on any property page with your real numbers.
4. What does owning mean to you?
For many families a home is not just a number. That is a perfectly good reason to buy, as long as the first three answers don't say "not yet".
The right time to buy is when you can pay the EMI comfortably, keep an emergency fund, and plan to stay.