Moving to Mumbai can be exciting, especially for people arriving in the city for work and new opportunities. But the realities of living in India’s financial capital can extend well beyond finding an apartment and paying the monthly rent.
From commute times and deposits to transport costs and limited living space, several everyday decisions can have a major impact on a newcomer’s budget and quality of life.
Jahnvi Shah, a Mumbai-based founder who has spent nearly three years in the city, recently shared a list of things she wishes someone had told her before she moved there. Her advice focuses on the practical side of settling into Mumbai and building a lifestyle that does not constantly stretch the wallet.
1. Pick Your Home Based on Your Commute
Shah’s first recommendation is to prioritise location over appearance when searching for a home.
A beautiful apartment may not feel like a good deal if getting to work and returning home takes hours every day. Mumbai’s traffic and transport network can make relatively short distances surprisingly time-consuming.
Her point is that prospective residents should calculate the daily journey to work before signing a lease rather than choosing a home solely because of its interiors, amenities or neighbourhood appeal.
In Mumbai, a few kilometres can translate into a substantial difference in travel time depending on the route and time of day.
2. Your Moving-In Budget Is Bigger Than Your Rent
Newcomers often focus heavily on the monthly rent when calculating the cost of moving to Mumbai. Shah suggests looking at the upfront expenses as well.
A security deposit, brokerage, agreement charges, transportation, furniture, appliances and basic household setup can all add to the initial cost.
That means someone moving to Mumbai should ideally keep a separate buffer for the expenses that arrive before the routine of monthly living has even started.
3. Start Thinking About Distance in Minutes
One of Shah’s observations about Mumbai is that residents gradually stop describing distance simply in kilometres.
Instead, conversations often revolve around how long it takes to reach a particular neighbourhood.
A place that appears close on a map may still require a long journey depending on traffic, train connections or the availability of public transport.
For anyone new to the city, understanding commute times can therefore be more useful than simply looking at the distance between two locations.
4. Learn to Use Public Transport
Shah also recommends getting comfortable with Mumbai’s public transport system.
Taking a cab for every journey can be convenient, but doing so regularly can become a significant recurring expense. Learning when to use local trains, buses, metro services or other affordable transport options can help residents control their monthly spending.
Her advice is particularly relevant for newcomers who initially rely on cabs because they are unfamiliar with the city’s transport network.
The more comfortable someone becomes with public transport, the easier it can be to balance convenience and cost.
5. Mumbai Can Completely Change Your Definition of Space
Another adjustment Shah highlighted is the amount of living space available for the price.
Compared with homes in smaller cities, Mumbai apartments can make residents rethink what they consider a “small” or “comfortable” home.
A balcony, for example, can feel like a significant luxury in a compact Mumbai apartment.
For newcomers, this means it may be useful to decide early which features are genuinely essential and which ones can be sacrificed in exchange for a better location or manageable rent.
6. Don’t Build Your Lifestyle Around Instagram
Shah’s most serious financial advice is to avoid confusing Mumbai’s social-media image with everyday Mumbai life.
Regular brunches, expensive coffees, dinners and nightly plans can quickly turn into a sizeable monthly expense. Trying to replicate the lifestyle frequently displayed online may put unnecessary pressure on someone who is still establishing themselves financially.
Instead, she encouraged newcomers to develop a routine that fits their income, find people with similar priorities and discover affordable places they genuinely enjoy.
Mumbai Is Expensive, But It Can Also Be Rewarding
Shah’s overall message is not simply that Mumbai is expensive. She described the city as crowded, chaotic and sometimes exhausting, but also suggested that its appeal lies in the opportunities it can offer to people willing to put in the effort.
After nearly three years in the city, her advice is essentially about finding a sustainable balance: choose a practical home, understand your commute, use public transport when possible and resist the pressure to spend simply to match an online version of Mumbai life.
For anyone planning a move, those small decisions can make the difference between merely surviving the city and actually enjoying it.
Social Media Users Relate to Shah’s Advice
The video resonated with several people online, particularly those familiar with Mumbai’s high living costs and lengthy commutes.
Users agreed with her observations about budgeting and transportation, while the comment about having a balcony as a luxury became one of the more relatable takeaways from the discussion.
Her post also captured a reality familiar to many Mumbai residents: the city does not measure life only in kilometres or rent figures. Time, convenience and everyday spending can be just as important when deciding where and how to live.
