Luxury villas in Mumbai: Huma Qureshi rents ₹10 lakh villa – Here's where you can find more premium options

Mumbai real estate update: Five prime locations to explore for renting or owning a villa, bungalow, or a row house

Mumbai, renowned for its ultra-luxurious apartments, also offers a few villa options—hidden gems in stark contrast to Delhi, where bungalows and villas are more commonplace. Recently, Huma Qureshi and her brother Saqib Qureshi rented a spacious 3,370 sq. ft. villa in the upscale Juhu area for a staggering ₹10 lakh monthly rent.

Mumbai, renowned for its ultra-luxurious apartments, also offers a few villa options. (Picture for representational purposes only)(Pixabay)

However, for most, renting or purchasing a villa in Mumbai remains an elusive dream, hindered by the city’s limited space and skyrocketing property prices. Nevertheless, a few exclusive villa options are in gated communities and independent bungalows scattered across premium locales like South Mumbai, Bandra, and Juhu.

Here are five prime locations in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, where one can explore renting or owning a villa, bungalow, or a row house.

Before exploring these areas, it's important to understand the differences between a bungalow, villa, and row house. While the terms are often used interchangeably, they have distinct characteristics in structure, layout, and style of living.

Villas and row houses are typically part of gated communities that offer shared amenities such as clubhouses, security, landscaped gardens, and recreational spaces. On the other hand, bungalows are independent homes where buyers acquire a plot of land and have the flexibility to build multi-story houses according to their preferences.

Regarding private outdoor spaces, bungalows and certain villas offer exclusive access to gardens, backyards, and swimming pools. Row houses, however, often share these amenities with other residents. Many luxury villas are designed with private features such as swimming pools, jacuzzis, and landscaped courtyards, offering homeowners a more exclusive and premium living experience, as local real estate brokers explain.

1) South Mumbai

According to local brokers, South Mumbai has several bungalows, many of which are heritage structures. "There are numerous old and heritage bungalows in South Mumbai, but many are dilapidated and require urgent repairs," a real estate consultant from Grant Road told HT.com.

"Bungalows in areas like Malabar Hill, Colaba, and near Babulnath Temple are available for rent or sale. The capital value of these properties can range from ₹100 crore to ₹200 crore, but the rent typically doesn't exceed ₹20 to ₹25 lakh per month, considering their size and condition. The size of bungalows in South Mumbai varies, but they typically start at around 5,000 sq. ft.," the consultant added.

One such iconic property, Mumbai's Laxmi Nivas bungalow on the prestigious Nepean Sea Road, made headlines last week. Documents accessed by Zapkey revealed that the bungalow, which served as a secret hideout for freedom fighters during the Quit India Movement in the 1940s, was sold for ₹276 crore.

The property, which spans 19,891 sq. ft., was sold by the Kapadia family to Vageshwari Properties Private Limited. Notably, one of the company's directors is Elina Nikhil Meswani, wife of Nikhil R Meswani, executive director of Reliance Industries Limited.

2) Bandra

According to local brokers, Bandra, the home of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, is another prime location for those seeking to live in a bungalow.

In Bandra, small bungalows can be found in areas such as Pali Village, Chapel Road, Bandstand, and Perry Road. These bungalows, typically ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 sq. ft., can be rented for anywhere between ₹15 lakh to ₹25 lakh per month. The selling price of these properties varies depending on the size of the land and structure, but available options in the market generally start at ₹50 crore, as local brokers told HT.com.

3) Juhu-Santacruz

According to local brokers, Juhu, home to Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Varun Dhawan, is a prime location for owning villas in gated communities.

"The monthly rent for gated villas in Juhu ranges from ₹10 lakh to ₹15 lakh, depending on the size. The purchase price for these properties can vary between ₹10 crore and ₹50 crore, based on market availability. Of course, if Amitabh Bachchan were to sell his bungalow, the price would be limitless due to its prestigious background," a local broker from Juhu told HT.com.

Brokers also noted that sea-facing villas along Juhu Beach command a premium, with properties typically ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 sq. ft. in size.

Huma Qureshi and her brother also rented a villa in Juhu last week. The two rented over 3,300 sq ft villa in a gated community named Dheeraj Equest Condominium. The project also has apartments and villa projects with several amenities like club house, swimming pool, gym, green space, among others.

In addition to Juhu, brokers mention a similar inventory of bungalows and villas in Santacruz East, near Mumbai Airport, priced within the same range as those in Juhu.

4) Goregaon East

According to local brokers, Goregaon East, which houses the Film City, offers a range of villas within gated communities. Rent for a 2,000 sq. ft. villa in the area can start from ₹3 lakh per month, and several villas are available for sale in the ₹6 crore to ₹7 crore range.

5) Malad, Gorai-Uttan Beach Belt

Local brokers also highlight that areas near Aksa Beach, Madh Island, Gorai, and Uttan Beach feature bungalows frequently used for film and TV serial shoots. As a result, a good inventory of bungalows and row houses is available in these localities.

"Apart from this, MHADA sold row houses in Juhu, Gorai, and Charkop many years ago, so many row houses in these areas measure around 900 to 1,000 sq. ft.," a broker from Gorai told HT.com.

Ravi Kewalramani, director at RK Mumbai Realtors, a real estate consultancy, added, "The pricing of bungalows, villas, and row houses is subjective, depending on size and location. However, generally, the rent for a bungalow, with few exceptions, does not exceed ₹500 per sq. ft. as they are primarily for residential use, not commercial purposes. As for capital value, in Juhu, small bungalows can be priced around ₹15 crore, while in South Mumbai, bungalows can go for ₹100 crore or even ₹200 crore."