Is mumbai too expensive ?

Yeah. They listen hindi songs. But all things they do in malyalam. I always speak in English and they know English very well. And i understand English well. But in official meeting. They should at least speak in english. Commissioner is a person who clears IRS. He know very well that few people in department are north indians. Still je chooses malyalam And they crack jokes in malyalam. And all i do is fake laugh. And whenever they needs my help. They will speak english to me. And whole day i feel like i am outsider. For example two malyalis are sitting there and i am sitting with them. They talk in malyalam. That's why i am leaving the department. I feel like outsider here.
Not your problem. I've noticed this mentality with such south indian people even in IT companies. disclaimer - i'm south indian too, but i hate such people with small minds who block other people socially. Ive seen these guys talk in malyalam or tamil to each other in office whole day and make no effort to talk in englsh or hindi properly in mumbai. They always stay in their own groups and talk amongst themselves. they get away with such things because there is always some south indian guy in top vp or avp position who prefers hiring his people rather than local people or people on merit.

I think - either they are socially akward or do such things becuase they have been brainwashed by politicians or in initial schooling of an inferiority complex where learning a new language means end of the world to them or having a misunderstanding that their language will get decimated. i've learnt to read and write kannada in bangalore and then forgot it soon after. i would have learnt gujarati too but its too similar to hindi. tried malyalam but gave up since i found no one to teach me the basics. indian languages are not hard to master once you know abcd properly. if you get a chance to learn a new language, take it. It opens the mind to that language's people's cuture and traditions. it's easier to connect or see others point of view if you know their language or can understand their language.
 
You haven't yet revealed where is your office and where you would be staying. Life could easily become miserable in Mumbai depending on the locality and commute.

Office
For mumbai its old cgo building m.k road
For kolkata it is council house street.
And about quarters i Don't know it will be nearby or not.
 
Office
For mumbai its old cgo building m.k road
For kolkata it is council house street.
And about quarters i Don't know it will be nearby or not.
Very Close to the heart of the cityof joy (Dharamtala )... You will be in BBD bagh area. Hundreds of food options...from fruits vendor to South Indian to North Indian . All in the vicinity of 5 -10 mins walking.
You will find easy transport ( bus, taxis, metro ) but also very busy area .
Crowded bus most of the time.
 
Office
For mumbai its old cgo building m.k road
For kolkata it is council house street.
And about quarters i Don't know it will be nearby or not.
A Mumbaikar here..
48k is a good take home esp. considering you will be staying in an allocated quarter so you will be literally saving 30-45% there (if you were to stay with a group of people in pvt. rented apartment) or saving 50% (if you wanted to stay alone and again depending on the parts of city you choose to live in)

Eastern suburbs and western suburbs esp. beyond Andheri is cheaper. And anything from Andheri towards south Bombay will cost a bomb.

Travel is dirt cheap and literally the autos, cars and buses will always care to return you your balance Re.1 or any chutta so no looting or eating your money here unlike other cities.

People who complain about crowded locals, metros and buses are someone who prefer to live in a private fort commuting in vintage cars and elephants & so this city is not for them. In short, they want an effortless and clutter free life.
If you want to make it big the city has it, no wonder thats how biggies are born here, make careers and so are their testimonials.. you have to get dirty messy and still make it big.

I know people who churn beyond 80 lacs p.a. to even 1cr and prefer to travel in locals only to save those precious 2-3hrs of driving and yeah that always makes sense..saves time, efforts both physical and mental. No doubt why they call the local the Mumbai lifeline. One has to travel in and understand it to feel it.. People have made businesses inside, families, relations, got jobs and hat not just by daily commuting for as short as 15-20mins.. Its a fortune for many.

Roadside food is cheap and trustworthy too. Popular eatery chains have same prices across India. Hotels again you need to choose in which locality it falls but in most of the hotels you will get reasonable food rates esp. for popular items like pav bhaji, south indian, punjabi and common chicken stuff.
But you are better off with a nearby monthly mess or hire a cook or a fulltime maid as eating outside everyday will easily spike your medicine and hospital bills esp. during rains which creates a havoc here.

Rest, except for housing of course. its a cheaper city to commute, eat, explore and spend time. People too are extremely helpful.
 
Last edited:
@Mukeshmeena,

wait for other Mumbai members comments ...

In Mumbai there are TWO SIDE, divide by Western Railway Line/Tracks,
  1. East Side
  2. West Side
I will suggest you, go any where in Mumbai, 99.99% time for Residency PREFR West Side area, may be little costly compare to EAST SIDE but better (in all facilities) than East area, also avoid area that pass or near to juggi / jopdi / chawl / single or two storey roof type very old buildings.
 
@Mukeshmeena,

wait for other Mumbai members comments ...

In Mumbai there are TWO SIDE, divide by Western Railway Line/Tracks,
  1. East Side
  2. West Side
I will suggest you, go any where in Mumbai, 99.99% time for Residency PREFR West Side area, may be little costly compare to EAST SIDE but better (in all facilities) than East area, also avoid area that pass or near to juggi / jopdi / chawl / single or two storey roof type very old buildings.
Actually, you are telling only half the story.
Mumbai lives on the local trains, hence the rail tracks determine the areas. There is Western railway line, Central Railway line, Harbour Railway line that one would encounter.
Western railway line is the most congested, Central is less, Harbour is least (Harbour line also connects to Navi Mumbai).

Now on each of these railways lines, there is a west side and east side (which are not so easily connected, because how would you cross the railway line?). Historically, the west side has been more affluent, with better levels of facilities; the east side has been more gareeb with mostly slums or lower end houses. This is slowly changing due to redevelopment projects etc, but there is still a stark difference that you will encounter.
But the flipside is that in terms of road connectivities the East sides are better than West sides (due to Eastern and Western Express Highways). So if you are more of road person, it may save about 1 hour of your life's spent on road commute.
People who complain about crowded locals, metros and buses are someone who prefer to live in a private fort commuting in vintage cars and elephants & so this city is not for them. Ins hort, they want an effortless and clutter free life.
Thanks for clarifying this, I always felt there is a masochist streak in Mumbai people. You have only confirmed it.
Office
For mumbai its old cgo building m.k road
For kolkata it is council house street.
And about quarters i Don't know it will be nearby or not.
Your office is near Churchgate station, which is on Western Line, however South Mumbai's width is like a large sized park and one can walk (20-30 min :D) from Churgate State to CSMT station which is on Central + Harbour line. So, you can stay pretty much anywhere in Mumbai and be connected to your office.
I believe your govt quarters should be in the vicinity, even if not you would definitely have a bus service since many people would be commuting on the same route.
In any case, I would advise you against finding and staying independent.

You mentioned earlier that you would get 48K (I hope all the numbers you told are post-tax in-hand amount). However, if you stay on your own, you will get 55K. That means 7K as HRA for accommodation. This amount is peanuts in Mumbai, and you may well have to stay at "juggi / jopdi / chawl / single or two storey roof type very old buildings" that @Emperor was advising against. OR maybe you will have to stay 50 km away from your office and be prepared for daily grind (during office hours) in the local trains that @nRiTeCh is so glamorizing above.

Kolkata life would be super relaxed and easy going (I have been to Kolkata quite frequently before covid period). Cost of living is much lesser compared to Mumbai. People (e.g. workers) are less willing to work (and you may get fed up with their attitudes). Weather is equally bad as Mumbai (hot and humid most of the times, but yeah it has winters at least; no winters at all in Mumbai)
 
@Mukeshmeena,

wait for other Mumbai members comments ...

In Mumbai there are TWO SIDE, divide by Western Railway Line/Tracks,
  1. East Side
  2. West Side
I will suggest you, go any where in Mumbai, 99.99% time for Residency PREFR West Side area, may be little costly compare to EAST SIDE but better (in all facilities) than East area, also avoid area that pass or near to juggi / jopdi / chawl / single or two storey roof type very

@Mukeshmeena,

wait for other Mumbai members comments ...

In Mumbai there are TWO SIDE, divide by Western Railway Line/Tracks,
  1. East Side
  2. West Side
I will suggest you, go any where in Mumbai, 99.99% time for Residency PREFR West Side area, may be little costly compare to EAST SIDE but better (in all facilities) than East area, also avoid area that pass or near to juggi / jopdi / chawl / single or two storey roof type very old building

Actually, you are telling only half the story.
Mumbai lives on the local trains, hence the rail tracks determine the areas. There is Western railway line, Central Railway line, Harbour Railway line that one would encounter.
Western railway line is the most congested, Central is less, Harbour is least (Harbour line also connects to Navi Mumbai).

Now on each of these railways lines, there is a west side and east side (which are not so easily connected, because how would you cross the railway line?). Historically, the west side has been more affluent, with better levels of facilities; the east side has been more gareeb with mostly slums or lower end houses. This is slowly changing due to redevelopment projects etc, but there is still a stark difference that you will encounter.
But the flipside is that in terms of road connectivities the East sides are better than West sides (due to Eastern and Western Express Highways). So if you are more of road person, it may save about 1 hour of your life's spent on road commute.

Thanks for clarifying this, I always felt there is a masochist streak in Mumbai people. You have only confirmed it.

Your office is near Churchgate station, which is on Western Line, however South Mumbai's width is like a large sized park and one can walk (20-30 min :D) from Churgate State to CSMT station which is on Central + Harbour line. So, you can stay pretty much anywhere in Mumbai and be connected to your office.
I believe your govt quarters should be in the vicinity, even if not you would definitely have a bus service since many people would be commuting on the same route.
In any case, I would advise you against finding and staying independent.

You mentioned earlier that you would get 48K (I hope all the numbers you told are post-tax in-hand amount). However, if you stay on your own, you will get 55K. That means 7K as HRA for accommodation. This amount is peanuts in Mumbai, and you may well have to stay at "juggi / jopdi / chawl / single or two storey roof type very old buildings" that @Emperor was advising against. OR maybe you will have to stay 50 km away from your office and be prepared for daily grind (during office hours) in the local trains that @nRiTeCh is so glamorizing above.

Kolkata life would be super relaxed and easy going (I have been to Kolkata quite frequently before covid period). Cost of living is much lesser compared to Mumbai. People (e.g. workers) are less willing to work (and you may get fed up with their attitudes). Weather is equally bad as Mumbai (hot and humid most of the times, but yeah it has winters at least; no winters at all in Mumbai)
That's why i am little confused between kolkata and mumbai. And now i am inclined towards kolkata. And within three years i will be going to delhi with promotion and pay raise to 75k. And i am planning to write state PCS exam. So i want to live near office so i can have good time for studying
 
And now i am inclined towards kolkata.
As someone, who has stayed in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and now Bengaluru, I will echo what others have already said about Kolkata.
It's the cheapest, with little or no language barriers but it is really tough to get folks to focus on productivity instead of the ahem activities.
If you are looking to get out some spare time daily for studying, Kol is the better option. Summers will be harsh and very humid though; it is tough to survive without an AC.
 
Yes, it is too expensive, living in Mumbai. But for you with that salary, hardships are much less. You can afford it. But for people like us who have to visit the place twice a year for treatment of critical illness related issue, it takes a toll on us, even for just a week.
What you will absolutely enjoy in Mumbai is public transport, trains namely. They are so frequent that you wouldn't believe. You can literally skip a bunch to get a less crowded one and still be on time. If you mainly use your own pvt car the point is irrelevant.
What you will absolutely dislike is the food however. As someone living in Kolkata and if you fancy phuchkas, please don't even try them. Their street foods (not that i eat them often) are really not good. Food was a major concern for us, but again, might not be for you.
English only would not work there, so do speak Hindi whenever possible. They love it.
People have OCD wrt to rat race of competition. I mean the leisurely or relaxedly approach won't work there whatsoever, if you are one of those people anyway.

Good luck. Not a terrible place. And even spmeone who has spent whole life in Calcutta, I'll still prefer Mumbai if it were an option for me. Less lobbybaji. Efficient functioning.
 
Kolkata life would be super relaxed and easy going (I have been to Kolkata quite frequently before covid period). Cost of living is much lesser compared to Mumbai. People (e.g. workers) are less willing to work (and you may get fed up with their attitudes). Weather is equally bad as Mumbai (hot and humid most of the times, but yeah it has winters at least; no winters at all in Mumbai)
you mean people work with their own pace and leisure unlike Mumbai, yes Mumbai is running on Railway Time Table, so all is as fast as local train, yes life also is fast in Mumbai. Few of our relatives who visit us from villages are complaint about fast life of Mumbai.

one should also consider political regime in area where need to spent life's 3 years.

Yes, Mukesh may get time to study in Mumbai as people here are workaholics and never will be in Super Relaxed but on toes.

Mumbai .... Efficient functioning.
+1, No Knowledge without Pain (fast life may be pain for you if you prefer more/extra leisure).
Mumbai will teach you best & with that you can survive efficiently & professionally in any part of the world. If want Sea of Opportunities, Skill, Experience Mumbai Welcomes you with Open Heart.
 
Last edited:
The office location as well as staff quarters are in good locations of Mumbai and not 50 odd kms its in proper Mumbai. The staff quarters too are adequate in size as per Mumbai standards and i guess room allotment happens as per the scale. don't even thinking of renting in Mumbai.

One Con is after Mumbai every other city might feel slow .And on the work front you being in IT how could you say no to a posting in financial capital of the country you might have work under immense pressure but learning difficult things would be fun and people will guide you.

Regarding train culture if you are allotted house in the western suburbs you will often hear Marwari ,jains,gujjus talking market and trade and often fun things .They more or less have fixed trains so they roll in groups and you too might have colleagues in same quarters so that too will be in a group.

Mumbai locals will teach you people/crowd management ,communication skills across various kind of people caste creed different socio economic backgrounds etc ,quick decision making ,alertness ( we still have pick pockets / mobiles etc)

yes mumbai is crowded but after work you might be treated to this in a crowded train :p



 
A Mumbaikar here..
48k is a good take home esp. considering you will be staying in an allocated quarter so you will be literally saving 30-45% there (if you were to stay with a group of people in pvt. rented apartment) or saving 50% (if you wanted to stay alone and again depending on the parts of city you choose to live in)

Eastern suburbs and western suburbs esp. beyond Andheri is cheaper. And anything from Andheri towards south Bombay will cost a bomb.

Travel is dirt cheap and literally the autos, cars and buses will always care to return you your balance Re.1 or any chutta so no looting or eating your money here unlike other cities.

People who complain about crowded locals, metros and buses are someone who prefer to live in a private fort commuting in vintage cars and elephants & so this city is not for them. In short, they want an effortless and clutter free life.
If you want to make it big the city has it, no wonder thats how biggies are born here, make careers and so are their testimonials.. you have to get dirty messy and still make it big.

I know people who churn beyond 80 lacs p.a. to even 1cr and prefer to travel in locals only to save those precious 2-3hrs of driving and yeah that always makes sense..saves time, efforts both physical and mental. No doubt why they call the local the Mumbai lifeline. One has to travel in and understand it to feel it.. People have made businesses inside, families, relations, got jobs and hat not just by daily commuting for as short as 15-20mins.. Its a fortune for many.

Roadside food is cheap and trustworthy too. Popular eatery chains have same prices across India. Hotels again you need to choose in which locality it falls but in most of the hotels you will get reasonable food rates esp. for popular items like pav bhaji, south indian, punjabi and common chicken stuff.
But you are better off with a nearby monthly mess or hire a cook or a fulltime maid as eating outside everyday will easily spike your medicine and hospital bills esp. during rains which creates a havoc here.

Rest, except for housing of course. its a cheaper city to commute, eat, explore and spend time. People too are extremely helpful.
Very neatly explained. I was in a similar dilemma couple of years ago during college days when I was having a choice of studying in Mumbai, Bangalore or Delhi and glad I selected Mumbai. Most of the people were trying to make me nervous by saying the usual things about Mumbai crowd, locals, climate, expensive stuff and what not.
During my 5-year stay I explored a lot, enjoyed food, locals and people. Except for the harsh rains which are extremely worse here rest everything is supercool. The city welcomes everyone with open arms provided you are ready to blend.
 
Bombay is one crowded town. Choose carefully. It's bursting at the seams and exploding. Totally exploited and at the end of its run. Calcutta in not any better. Old cities, with hardly any infrastructure upgrade and politically abused since they are power centers. Not good places to live in.
 
Bombay is one crowded town. Choose carefully. It's bursting at the seams and exploding. Totally exploited and at the end of its run. Calcutta in not any better. Old cities, with hardly any infrastructure upgrade and politically abused since they are power centers. Not good places to live in.
totally agree but its a metro ,but we do have a housing problem /slum problem , i think the dharavi makeover and mumbai metros might fix the mumbai problem
 
you mean people work with their own pace and leisure unlike Mumbai, yes Mumbai is running on Railway Time Table, so all is as fast as local train, yes life also is fast in Mumbai. Few of our relatives who visit us from villages are complaint about fast life of Mumbai.
Quite frankly I don't understand the "fast paced" life in Mumbai that every Mumbaikar brags about; I have stayed in Delhi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad with very frequent visits to Bangalore, Pune, and now Mumbai. Except perhaps the pace of people walking towards the local railway stations or from their stations towards office during the office hours :D
But there is a big difference in terms of professionalism of the labor/worker class. Huge difference between Mumbai and any other city.
In Mumbai they will complete their job because they want to rush to somewhere off for new business.
Rest of India they will drag on for ages - take huge breaks, actual work for very less time. Most of time may not even turn up. You get fed up since you are paying money and still not getting your work done on time.
The office location as well as staff quarters are in good locations of Mumbai and not 50 odd kms its in proper Mumbai. The staff quarters too are adequate in size as per Mumbai standards and i guess room allotment happens as per the scale. don't even thinking of renting in Mumbai.
Eh, how do you know where the staff quarters are going to be?
Also, that 50 km comment was with respect to the HRA that his office is giving, not his staff quarters. He was in doubt about whether to stay at office provided place or find on his own. I mentioned that he will have to stay 50 km away if he wants to live on that HRA, or maybe some slum/chawl.
That's why i am little confused between kolkata and mumbai. And now i am inclined towards kolkata. And within three years i will be going to delhi with promotion and pay raise to 75k. And i am planning to write state PCS exam. So i want to live near office so i can have good time for studying
Then please determine exactly where your staff quarters are going to be before you take the decision. It will matter a lot.
 
Quite frankly I don't understand the "fast paced" life in Mumbai that every Mumbaikar brags about; I have stayed in Delhi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad with very frequent visits to Bangalore, Pune, and now Mumbai. Except perhaps the pace of people walking towards the local railway stations or from their stations towards office during the office hours :D
But there is a big difference in terms of professionalism of the labor/worker class. Huge difference between Mumbai and any other city.
In Mumbai they will complete their job because they want to rush to somewhere off for new business.
Rest of India they will drag on for ages - take huge breaks, actual work for very less time. Most of time may not even turn up. You get fed up since you are paying money and still not getting your work done on time.

Eh, how do you know where the staff quarters are going to be?
Also, that 50 km comment was with respect to the HRA that his office is giving, not his staff quarters. He was in doubt about whether to stay at office provided place or find on his own. I mentioned that he will have to stay 50 km away if he wants to live on that HRA, or maybe some slum/chawl.

Then please determine exactly where your staff quarters are going to be before you take the decision. It will matter a lot.
Jan hit mai jaari

 
Back
Top