Mumbai 1BHK with ₹45,000 rent sparks amusement: ‘Sir, that’s a chawl’

Just days after a viral property listing showcased a washing machine placed above a commode in a cramped Mumbai apartment, highlighting the city's skyrocketing rents and severe space crunch, another unusual flat in the Maximum City has caught the internet's attention.

Located in Matunga, the one bedroom apartment (or 1BHK, as it is called in common parlance), features a small living/drawing room, a bedroom where the bed takes up most of the space, and a kitchen. From the living room, a small staircase leads up to a loft that can be used as extra storage space.

The rent for this property? ₹45,000 per month.

The video of the 1BHK was shared on Instagram with the caption: “Old vibe 1BHK on rent only 45K.” The caption explained that the apartment is located in Mumbai’s Matunga East neighbourhood.

Why the fuss over the 1BHK?

The video of the property has gone viral on Instagram and also reached X (formerly Twitter). People who saw the clip took issue with two things - first, the rent, which many felt was too high for such a small apartment; and second, the description of the apartment as “old vibes” - with people pointing out that it is actually a chawl.

“Purani chawl ko old school/old vibes bolkr 45k rent pr de rhe capitalism has commodified poverty to a next level (Advertising an old chawl as old vibes, and then putting it on rent for ₹45,000. Capitalism has commodified poverty to the next level),” read one post on X.

A chawl in Mumbai refers to a type of residential building that is unique to the city. These buildings are typically multi-story structures with narrow corridors, where small, single-room apartments are lined up next to each other. Entire families usually lived in each single-room apartment.

Chawls were originally constructed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to house the influx of migrant workers who came to Mumbai (then Bombay) to work in mills, factories, and docks.

In the comments section on Instagram, people took sarcastic digs at the asking rent of ₹45,000 per month - even though some conceded that the the 1BHK is actually quite spacious by Mumbai standards.

“Don’t you feel ashamed asking for 45K?” asked one Instagram user. “The rent should be 1 crore,” another joked.

(Also read: ₹1.35 lakh rent, ₹4 lakh security for a Mumbai flat with washing machine above toilet)