Ahmedabad native calls Mumbai 'insanely overrated' after moving from Delhi

An Ahmedabad native who studied in Delhi and recently moved to Mumbai for an internship has triggered a discussion online after sharing a Reddit post comparing the two metro cities.

The post, shared on the subreddit Reddit r/Delhi, described the user’s disappointment with Mumbai after arriving in the city around a week-and-a-half ago for a three-month internship.

“I’m from Ahmedabad and I studied at Delhi University, so I’ve already lived in different cities,” the user wrote, adding that they had expected Mumbai to be “much better” because of the way people hype the city online.

“My first impression was honestly horrible,” the post read.

Describing their overwhelming feeling while travelling from the airport, the Reddit user said: “Tiny apartments stacked on each other, barely any balconies, old buildings, dirty roads, old crusty buses - the whole city just felt visually exhausting.”

They finally felt some relief after entering Navi Mumbai, where the roads appeared wider and the surroundings more open.

The post also highlighted Mumbai’s high rental costs, with the Reddit user saying they had struggled to find accommodation within budget.

“In Delhi, I had a fully furnished 1RK near my college in a decent area for around Rs 16,000. Here in Mumbai, people are asking Rs 30,000 for tiny pigeon-hole rooms that literally look like storage units,” the post read.

Their internship stipend itself was Rs 30,000, making the housing situation even more frustrating.

“Marine Drive was nice, I’ll give Mumbai that. But apart from that, I genuinely don’t understand the hype yet. Maybe locals get used to it over time, but as a first impression, this city feels insanely overrated,” the user concluded.

The post drew reactions from other users, many of whom compared the two cities on affordability, infrastructure, traffic and safety.

“So true. Delhi is really a great budget-friendly metro city as compared to Mumbai,” one comment read.

Another user wrote, “Difficult to adjust in Mumbai if you have spent the majority of your time in Delhi. Now, it’s even worse – so much construction everywhere, hardly any space, narrow roads, traffic, humidity and so crowded.”

Some users also pointed out that even Mumbai’s most popular spots become difficult to access because of traffic and long travel times.

“Marine Drive is nice, yes, but for people living in the north, it’s also way too far and too much of an effort,” another comment read.

Others, however, argued that Mumbai still fares better than Delhi in terms of safety.

“Had this discussion with a friend living in Mumbai and a valid point she raised was safety. On most parameters, Delhi has the upper hand. Both are good, and I wish Delhi was safer than it is,” one user commented.

The viral post has once again reignited the long-running online debate over Delhi versus Mumbai and which city offers a better quality of life.