'Earning ₹2.5 Lakh Monthly In Mumbai But Still Can't Buy A Home', Reddit User Says City Unlivable For Those Running It

Mumbai, also called the city of dreams, has long been a symbol of opportunity, glamour, and ambition. But for many professionals working hard and earning well, the dream is beginning to feel like a trap, especially when it comes to the most basic human need: a home.

Behind the struggle of living in Mumbai...

A Reddit user recently opened up about this harsh paradox, highlighting how even a seemingly high salary is no match for the city’s soaring real estate prices. "I earn ₹2.5 lakh per month, which most people would say is a really good salary in India. Still, living in Mumbai with my small family, I can’t even afford to buy a decent home," the user shared.

And by "decent", they don’t mean lavish. The goal is simple: a safe, spacious apartment in a good location with basic amenities. But in today’s Mumbai, even that modest dream comes with a price tag of ₹5 crore or more. "Even if I try to settle for something around ₹3 crore, the EMI comes out to over ₹1.5 lakh per month. That’s basically most of my salary gone. No space to take risks, no backup, no freedom. Just keep working to pay the bank."

The frustration is not just personal; it reflects a growing sentiment among middle- and upper-middle-class professionals who feel squeezed despite their incomes. They are neither poor nor struggling by traditional standards, yet the pressure of sustaining a life in Mumbai leaves them with little room to breathe. “This is not just my story. This is happening to a lot of working professionals who are earning well but still stuck renting or forced to live far away from the city in average places after paying crores. What’s the point of earning so much if you still feel insecure about something as basic as a home?”

The financial pressure of homeownership in Mumbai has become a long-term burden. With average property rates continuing to rise and little relief in sight, the dream of owning a home remains out of reach for many, even those earning more than ₹30 lakh a year. "It honestly feels like we’re trapped in a system where you’re expected to spend your whole life working just to afford a roof over your head. You take a loan, work non-stop to pay EMIs for 20–30 years, and by the time you’re done, you’ve spent your best years just 'managing'. No freedom, no break, no second chances.”

What’s even more concerning is the gap this exposes; if this is how life looks for someone in the top 2% income bracket, what hope does the average salaried worker have? “And the scary part is this is the reality for someone in the top 2% income group. So just imagine how bad things are for the rest of the working class. How are they even surviving? What kind of future are we building here?”

It’s a sobering reminder that Mumbai’s real estate market may not just be expensive; it may be structurally pushing out the very workforce that keeps it alive. The Reddit user ends with a powerful thought: “I think people really need to talk more about this. It’s not just ‘oh Mumbai is expensive’ — it’s becoming unliveable for the very people who keep the city running. Maybe it’s time we stopped normalising this lifestyle trap and started asking tougher questions about how broken this system really is.”

As more professionals voice their realities, the hope is that the conversation around housing, affordability, and urban planning in Mumbai evolves from just numbers to people, real people, with real lives and real struggles in the city of dreams.