A viral Reddit post by a Delhi NCR resident who recently lived in Mumbai has reignited the Delhi vs Mumbai debate. Calling Delhi more livable, the user criticised Mumbai’s high cost of living, strained infrastructure, expensive healthcare and overrated food. The post drew mixed reactions online, with users from both cities agreeing and disagreeing sharply.
Mumbai: A detailed post shared on Reddit by a professional who recently lived in Mumbai for a few months after spending most of his life in Delhi NCR has gone viral. The post has reignited the long-standing Delhi vs Mumbai debate. In the viral post, the man called Delhi far more livable than Mumbai, comparing it over the cost of living, infrastructure, healthcare and the much-discussed “spirit of the city.”
The post was shared on Reddit’s ‘Delhi Community’, where the man called the cost of living in the city as biggest shock. Calling the city insanekly expensive, he said, I was quoted Rs 25k for a single-sharing room barely big enough to stand in. Friends in NCR pay Rs 12–15k for an entire massive 1RK/1 BHK. In Mumbai suburbs, not even South Mumbai, 1BHKs easily cross Rs 40k. For the same money in Delhi, you can get a spacious 3BHK or an independent house.”
He later mentioned that despite staying in a premium neighbooh like Juhu, “daily commuting meant traffic jams, bad smells, and general chaos.” Speaking on traffic, he added, “Traffic is exhausting on normal days and miserable during monsoons,” adding that “flooding affects slums, middle-class areas, and even premium societies.”
In the post, he also criticised Mumbai’s healthcare system, claiming that consultation fees are significantly higher than in Delhi, despite doctors in the national capital appearing academically stronger on average.
He claimed that the city lives in denial, as long-time residents often refuse to acknowledge flaws and instead romanticise everything. “Overcrowded local trains are sold as ‘love’ and ‘spirit.’ Crushing rents are portrayed as a badge of pride. Slums are framed as resilience.”
Social media reaction on the viral post
The post received mixed but intense reactions online. Several users agreed, with one commenting, “Finally someone said it. Those in denial stay in denial. I went to Mumbai few times and long ago as well. Never liked it compared to Delhi but people will simply deny it.”
Another Delhite said, “There’s absolutely no comparison to Delhi’s infrastructure, food, public transport in India.”
A Mumbaikar also agreed to the post and said, “As a Mumbai person who stayed in delhi for a year last year, I wholeheartedly agree with you.”
A user called people in Delhi as fake, “In Delhi, people are fake. In Mumbai, except for people, everything feels fake. That’s how I’d describe these two cities as a dilliwala who interned in Mumbai last summer.”
On people calling Delhi people as fake, one user stormed and said, “Delhi people are fake? Lmao. Delhiites are probably the most straight forward people I’ve ever met. They won’t sugarcoat you and will speak the truth even if you feel bad. I agree that some of them are rude”
