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A viral video comparing Mumbai and New York salaries versus housing costs has reignited debate online, with many saying owning a home in Mumbai now feels impossible
The rising real estate prices are making even a basic 2BHK apartment unaffordable in Mumbai (Image-Instagram/@guneetstalwar)
Amid skyrocketing property prices and stagnant salaries, owning even a modest home in Mumbai feels out of reach for many middle-class families. The issue has once again sparked a major conversation online after entrepreneur Guneet Singh Talwar shared a viral Instagram video discussing the widening gap between salaries and property prices in Mumbai.
His remarks struck a chord with social media users, many of whom said the city’s housing market now feels completely disconnected from the financial reality of ordinary earners.
The video, posted with the caption “Broken Systems”, focused on the soaring prices of apartments in Mumbai. Talwar said he was stunned after learning how much a regular 2BHK flat now costs in the city. “Today I came to know that a 2BHK is between 2 to 3 crore rupees,” he said in the clip.
He then highlighted what he believes is the biggest concern: the mismatch between earnings and property prices. According to Talwar, individuals earning Rs 3 lakh or more per month fall within India’s top 1% income bracket. However, he argued that even those high earners would struggle to purchase a home comfortably in Mumbai.
“If you just enter India’s top 1% and you saved 100% of what you earn, no food, no rent, no petrol, no clothes, you will still take 10 to 12 years to afford it outright,” he explained.
His calculation quickly triggered discussion online, with several users pointing out that salaries have not kept pace with rapidly increasing real estate prices.
Talwar also drew a comparison between Mumbai and New York City to explain why he feels the situation is alarming. Referring to housing costs outside premium areas like Manhattan, he said, “Whereas, a 2BHK in non-Manhattan, New York, the non-Colaba Mumbai prices so there, 2BHK is generally 5 crores.”
He further compared the income levels of top earners in both cities. “In New York, the top 1% salary is 8 crores per year. In Mumbai, the top 1% is 36 lakhs per year,” he added.
The entrepreneur argued that the housing crisis is no longer limited to the middle class alone. “This is not a middle class struggle bro. This is a top 1% struggle I am talking about,” he said.
He also reflected on how impossible home ownership may feel for lower-income workers in the city. “Think since that that swiggy delivery boy who is driving for 12 hours that teacher who is teaching children for 35,000 rupees, for them, Mumbai’s 2BHK is a mathematical impossibility. It is not difficult. Not, it will be in a day. Impossible,” he said.
The video drew thousands of reactions online, with many users agreeing that Mumbai has normalised financial struggle in the name of ambition and success.
“The way Mumbai has glorified struggle needs to be studied in psych classes tbh coz WTH,” wrote one user.
“The elephant in the room is no one is accepting the fact that flats are overpriced also the entry level jobs are under paying,” commented another.
“Kyu lena hai Mumbai me 2BHK? Is this the height of dreams,” said a third user.
“We will face the same economic fate that Japan faced back in the 1990s. First the IT sector, then the stock market and real estate, and eventually everything will collapse,” another user warned.
“Sab inflated pricing hai apne desh me … prices europe jaise aur experience africa jaisa,” read another comment.
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