Mangalore is one of the worst place to live and settle down. The cost of living is same as all metros like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad etc. with none of the amenities. I did the biggest mistake of my life by accepting an employment with Infosys Mangalore. Their office is 25 kms outside the city in some "middle-ages" village. There are no amenities next to the new Infosys office in this village - no schools, colleges, hospitals, malls, jobs for your better-halves.
So, the only option is to stay in the city, a small and congested place 5 km in radius. This has resulted in cost of living being jacked up by the locals in the city. Helplessness of outsiders is a major source of livelihood for these locals. They charge heavily for everything - house rent, rickshaw, school donations etc. With limited supply available of these rental flats and school seats, the outsiders are forced to accept these demands and pay heavily through their nose.
Add to this, the roads to the new office is so pathetically maintained that it takes more than 1.5 hrs each way to travel to office. There is no good connectivity to other metros and cities - You always have to transit through Mumbai or Bangalore. Even air travel takes 12+ hrs to north India.
My recommendation - STAY AWAY FROM MANGALORE.