There was a time when this wasn't. The thing is that it _is_ now, especially for people in the upper-middle class and above, who can and do live a WAY better life in Mumbai, however much you try to deny it. There are people who've told me they wouldn't bother living in the Bay Area had it not been for the money, weather and inertia. I am now also seeing a lot of NRIs who are grasping at straws to justify their living in California, something which they didn't even need to bother with 20 years ago.
> The crosswalks in SF and San Jose exist
I find it funny that you have to reach all the way to crosswalks to make a point. The places where you cross the road? What makes you think they don't exist in Mumbai? What about so many places in the US where you cannot even walk on the road if you don't have a car?
You can try and convince people who haven't been to Mumbai at all, or don't live there regularly. People who are well-off, have lived in both places, and especially those who might _now_ consider starting a life in the States: you'll pretty much need to provide a utopia or an extremely high-paying job to convince them to move there. Mumbai is hell, there is no denying that, and even locals will not fight you on it; I personally would not try to convince a non-local to consider Mumbai as a place to live. The problem is that the Bay Area is not the heaven, perceived or real, it used to be any more.
I mean perhaps fair enough. Mumbai is looking really nice these days. Legitimately to the point where i think it would be fun to visit (as opposed to our visits growing up which I dreaded).
> What makes you think they don't exist in Mumbai?
Attempting to walk in Mumbai lol.
> The problem is that the Bay Area is not the heaven, perceived or real, it used to be any more.
Fair enough. It has a lot of problems but the class of problems is different. You are probably correct that those working in tech probably live better in Mumbai than the bay area. I mean having any money at all means having domestic staff and such.
Current status of transport is... quite good. Metros have been built, more are incoming. Sea Link and Atal Setu mean that it's a lot easier to get to the office areas. Taxis, Rickshaws, Buses, Uber/Rapido solve last-mile issues. Populace has genuinely started to fight for cleaner air and better quality of life (Gen Z is publicly calling out companies with a bad work culture). Almost every new home >= 2 bedrooms will have a washer, dryer and a Roomba (some will also have a dishwasher) - significantly reducing the need for most of domestic help (who are increasingly demanding higher wages to offset cost of living). RERA making things at least a bit more transparent when it comes to real-estate activities, RBI in general doing good regulation for at least consumer-oriented finance. The biggest laggard in moving things online (the government) is moving many operations bit-by-bit to online/mobile. There's an explosion of entertainment, food and shopping options. I see a lot more luxury cars on the road than before. Online shopping and payment options are way better than anything in the US. There are enough career options to lead a good life if you're talented - no need to leave the country for that [1]. And I'm talking only about what's already happened, not some imagined future.
> working in tech probably live better in Mumbai
For tech maybe not - you need to go to Bangalore/Hyderabad/NCR for that. Mumbai is better for business and finance-related stuff.
> Attempting to walk in Mumbai lol.
Well, at least one can walk, and can find options to see/shop/do within walking distance. The times I visited the US, outside of NYC, Boston, Chicago and a few college towns, everything else required a car to reach anything important. There were many roads with no sidewalks.
> to the point where i think it would be fun to visit (as opposed to our visits growing up which I dreaded).
I hear you. Not being from this environment for a few years can be a bit overwhelming for people's senses. But locals are used to it.
There was a time when this wasn't. The thing is that it _is_ now, especially for people in the upper-middle class and above, who can and do live a WAY better life in Mumbai, however much you try to deny it. There are people who've told me they wouldn't bother living in the Bay Area had it not been for the money, weather and inertia. I am now also seeing a lot of NRIs who are grasping at straws to justify their living in California, something which they didn't even need to bother with 20 years ago.
> The crosswalks in SF and San Jose exist
I find it funny that you have to reach all the way to crosswalks to make a point. The places where you cross the road? What makes you think they don't exist in Mumbai? What about so many places in the US where you cannot even walk on the road if you don't have a car?
You can try and convince people who haven't been to Mumbai at all, or don't live there regularly. People who are well-off, have lived in both places, and especially those who might _now_ consider starting a life in the States: you'll pretty much need to provide a utopia or an extremely high-paying job to convince them to move there. Mumbai is hell, there is no denying that, and even locals will not fight you on it; I personally would not try to convince a non-local to consider Mumbai as a place to live. The problem is that the Bay Area is not the heaven, perceived or real, it used to be any more.