A Reddit post claiming that a 650 sq ft 2BHK apartment in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, near Mumbai, is being offered at a monthly rent of ₹1.2 lakh has triggered a debate over the rising cost of housing in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The post questioned how rental and property prices in the region have reached levels that many users find increasingly difficult to justify relative to local incomes.
According to the Redditor, the rent per sq ft is more than in Europe and the US. "What the hell is happening to rentals in Mumbai! 650sqft isn't even the carpet area, or built up area. It's a super built-up area. Btw this is costlier than most Europeans and Americans real estate rates on per sqft basis, while income is many times lower in Mumbai," the user posted.
Netizens react on social media
The post attracted hundreds of upvotes and comments, with the discussion quickly moving beyond the quoted rent to the broader affordability of real estate in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
One commenter pointed out that the 650 sq ft mentioned in the post was not necessarily the carpet or built-up area, but described the rate as being more expensive on a per-square-foot basis than property rates in several European and American markets. The commenter also highlighted the disparity between Mumbai incomes and property costs.
Some users questioned the quoted rent, saying such prices were difficult to justify, while others pointed to the increasing demand for homes in established Navi Mumbai locations. Earlier discussions on the Navi Mumbai subreddit have similarly highlighted rising rents in Vashi, with users attributing increases to factors including redevelopment, connectivity and the broader expansion of demand across the region.
{{/usCountry}}Some users questioned the quoted rent, saying such prices were difficult to justify, while others pointed to the increasing demand for homes in established Navi Mumbai locations. Earlier discussions on the Navi Mumbai subreddit have similarly highlighted rising rents in Vashi, with users attributing increases to factors including redevelopment, connectivity and the broader expansion of demand across the region.
{{/usCountry}}This is what experts have to say
According to real estate experts, a ₹1.2 lakh monthly rent for a 2BHK apartment in Vashi would be an exceptional case and does not represent the broader rental market in the area.
"Premium apartments may command rents of ₹60,000– ₹90,000 a month, the predominant rental range for 2BHK homes in Vashi is around ₹40,000– ₹60,000. Rents of ₹1 lakh to ₹1.2 lakh per month are extremely rare and may be limited to a very small fraction of the market, depending on the apartment’s location, specifications, amenities, and overall positioning. Such a listing could also reflect an over-quoting by the landlord rather than the prevailing market rent," said Bharat Shinde, a real estate consultant from Navi Mumbai.
Cost of living in urban Maharashtra vs Europe and the US
According to the Government of India’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure in urban Maharashtra was ₹7,363, while the national urban average was ₹6,996. The survey also shows that rent accounted for 8.04% of urban household consumption expenditure in India.
In the European Union, Eurostat’s 2025 housing report found that households spent an average 19% of their disposable income on housing in 2024, although the share was as high as 36% in Greece and 26% in Denmark.
In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2024 Consumer Expenditure Survey found that housing accounted for 33.4% of average household expenditure, with average annual housing spending at $26,266. The figures are not directly comparable because the datasets use different methodologies and definitions.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)