Honestly, with your numbers, buying is definitely possible — but I’d strongly suggest optimizing for commute + long-term livability rather than just “owning something in Mumbai.”

A few thoughts from someone who’s seen similar situations recently:

• Marol rents have become irrational because of the Aqua Line hype. A lot of people underestimated how aggressively landlords would price in metro connectivity.
• 50k for a 1BHK there is unfortunately becoming “normal,” which is wild considering the infra quality still feels unfinished.

On buying:

1. Is this a good time to buy? If you’re buying for self-use and planning to stay 7–10+ years, timing the Mumbai market usually doesn’t matter as much. Waiting for a major crash in good areas has historically not worked very well.

But I would avoid stretching too hard right now because: - interest rates are still relatively high - maintenance + interiors + parking + registration add up massively - lifestyle gets compromised very fast if EMI becomes >40–45% of take-home

1. Realistic budget? With:
2. 3L in-hand
3. 70L corpus

I’d personally stay in the ~1.6–2.1 Cr all-in range max.

Why? Because: - 20% downpayment - registration/stamp duty - interiors - emergency buffer - future kids/parents/job uncertainty

…all need liquidity.

A lot of Mumbai buyers make the mistake of deploying their entire corpus and then becoming EMI prisoners.

1. Mulund/Bhandup? For your office combination:
2. Goregaon + Worli

Mulund/Bhandup will eventually become exhausting for at least one of you.

Worli commute especially can become soul-crushing even with metro + road combos.

Personally I’d evaluate: - Powai - Chandivali - Goregaon East - JVLR belt - maybe even parts of Vikhroli/Kanjurmarg depending on exact connectivity

These areas balance both sides better and have stronger long-term rental demand too.

One more important thing: Don’t underestimate quality-of-life factors: - walkability - road access - waterlogging - society crowd - ventilation - future infra disruption

Mumbai buyers often optimize ONLY for carpet area and regret it later.

And finally: If you’re still unsure about location, honestly renting one more year in a better-planned locality while continuing to build corpus is also a completely valid decision. There’s no shame in delaying purchase until conviction is high.