Navi Mumbai vs Kalyan-Dombivli: Which is Better?

Navi Mumbai and Kalyan–Dombivli are two important regions of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. While Navi Mumbai was developed to decongest suburban Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli region is being touted as the next real estate investment destination in MMR due to its affordability. Both are however considered excellent regions for real estate investments in MMR. Here is a comparison of the both regions along various parameters that will help you to analyse and make your decisions.

Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai was developed in 1972 to decongest the city of Mumbai. The region has developed into an almost self-sufficient town since then with good infrastructure, business and commercial establishments, industrial areas and residential nodes. It has good connectivity with different regions of MMR. Some of the important roads include Sion-Panvel Expressway, Kalyan-Shilphata Road, Uran Road, Palm Beach Road and Thane-Belapur Road. Navi Mumbai is connected to suburban Mumbai via two bridges: Vashi and Airoli bridge. The railway stations in Navi Mumbai are on the harbour line of Mumbai’s suburban railway.

CIDCO and MMRDA have planned several infrastructure projects in the region. This includes the Navi Mumbai Metro and construction of several roads. Some of the key planned infrastructure projects include the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL), connecting Nhava-Sheva in Navi Mumbai to Sewri in Mumbai. MMRDA is planning to construct an elevated corridor between the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) at Ghatkopar and Navi Mumbai. MSRDC is currently widening the Sion-Panvel Expressway, which is part of NH-4. There are various flyovers and arterial roads being constructed within the region. The Navi Mumbai International Airport too is in pipeline.

Navi Mumbai witnesses a certain disadvantage in real estate in comparison with Kalyan-Dombivli region. Property prices in areas such as Vashi, Nerul and Seawoods have already gone beyond affordability range. The average property values in these localities are between Rs 12,100-16,300 per sq. ft. Areas such as Airoli and Kharghar too are witnessing fast appreciation in property values. Property prices in these areas are in the range of Rs 7,500-11,400 per sq. ft. These property prices are putting a good number of buyers and investors on the back foot. The high property prices also prove less lucrative in the long term.

Kalyan-Dombivli

Kalyan-Dombivli is a twin city on the outskirts of Thane and lies on the east side of Ulhas River. The region is close to the industrial belt of Badlapur. Availability of local trains from Dombivli has made it a prominent suburb of MMR. Dombivli has a big industrial complex developed by MIDC. Kalyan junction is one of the major railway stations on the central line of Mumbai’s suburban railway network. The Dombivli railway station is on the central line and has regular Mumbai local trains. There are important roads that connect the region to parts of MMR, such as NH-4, Kalyan-Shilphata Road and Agra Road.

Several factors drive the real estate in this region. Both Kalyan and Dombivli have an industrial belt up to Badlapur. This provides good employment opportunities for people residing around the region. There are planned infrastructure projects to boost connectivity and accessibility in the region. CIDCO has planned to extend the Belapur-Taloja metro rail up to Kalyan. MMRDA has planned to lay road networks, which include a 29 km Kalyan ring road in Kalyan region. All these are expected to boost the growth and economy of the region.

Another driver for the Kalyan and Dombivli areas are the affordable property rates. The average property value in Dombivli is about Rs 5,400-6,100 per sq. ft. The average property value in Kalyan is about Rs 5,200-5,900 per sq. ft. This attracts a good number of buyers and investors in the region.

However, there are certain challenges the region faces. While the area has a good connectivity to different parts of MMR, the time taken to commute between these regions via road and rail is significant. Moreover, though there are a good number of planned infrastructure projects, it takes time to implement these projects, thus taking a significant time for the region to grow.

The following table summarises the advantages and disadvantages of both the localities.

               Table: Advantages and disadvantages of Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli