Mumbai topped the 'Best City To Find Love' list, but who exactly is finding it?

In Time Out’s 2025 global city survey, Mumbai earned a curious new title: the best city in the world to find love. Seventy-two per cent of respondents from the city described the romantic landscape as “easy,” placing it ahead of traditionally romantic destinations like Paris and Buenos Aires.

It’s an optimistic headline—and one that may feel slightly detached from the lived reality of many Mumbaikars trying to date in a city that rarely slows down. Because if Mumbai truly made love easy, why do so many of us have inboxes full of “hey” followed by silence? And why does dating often feel like navigating a Google Calendar full of half-confirmed plans?

As it turns out, what the survey actually captured was perception. It wasn’t based on data from dating apps or marriage rates, but on how likely people feel they are to find love in their cities. And that nuance matters. It suggests that Mumbai isn’t necessarily the most convenient place to fall in love, but perhaps one of the last places where people still believe they can.

In many ways, that belief isn’t unfounded. Mumbai has a peculiar romantic energy. It's not the grand, sweeping romance of postcard cities—but it’s present in the small, unspoken connection that the city almost shoves you into: sharing an umbrella with a stranger during a sudden downpour, spotting the same person at your local coffee shop for weeks before finally exchanging a smile, or finding a conversation that stretches longer than you expected during a taxi ride home.

The city offers possibilities. But possibility is not the same as ease.

In practice, Mumbai makes dating logistically challenging. Long working hours, unpredictable commutes, and social schedules packed into small pockets of time often mean that relationships start with rescheduling and sometimes end before they begin. Physical distance across suburbs is one thing; emotional distance, even harder to navigate.

And yet, people keep trying. That might be the most telling part. Because despite the pace and the pressure, people in Mumbai are still willing to carve out time for connection, even if it means desperately making space for it in the middle of everything else. That persistence might just be the reason behind the city’s top ranking.

Love in Mumbai may not come wrapped in convenience or consistency, but it often arrives with intent. It’s rarely loud or dramatic. More often, it reveals itself in small gestures: checking in after a long day, showing up despite traffic, or remembering a detail from a conversation you didn’t know mattered.

So, is Mumbai really the best place to find love? Not quite. But it might be one of the few places where, even amid chaos, love still feels within reach. And perhaps in today’s world, that’s a kind of ease worth celebrating.

 

Lead image: Pexels

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