‘Saans lene ke bhi paise lagte hai’: Indian woman in Australia asks why meeting friends in Mumbai almost always means spending money

An Indian woman living in Australia has sparked an online discussion after returning to India and noticing how often spending money is tied to meeting friends or exploring Mumbai. In an Instagram video, Smidha compared her experience in the two countries, saying that in Australia she can spend time with people at parks, beaches or libraries without necessarily buying anything, while plans in Mumbai often revolve around cafes, restaurants or malls.

“I recently went back to India and realised how much money I spent just trying to hang out there,” Smidha said.

She said that while in Mumbai, even simple plans to explore the city seemed to turn into outings that involved spending money.


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‘Every plan either became about a cafe’

Smidha said she had never paid much attention to the cost of socialising in India until she had experienced a different way of spending time with friends abroad.

“Somehow every plan either became about a cafe, restaurant, or a mall,” she said while describing her time in Mumbai.

In Australia, she said, meeting someone does not always require choosing a place where one has to purchase something.

“But here in Australia, I can meet someone at a park, walk by the beach, sit in a library, or just spend an afternoon somewhere without ordering anything,” Smidha said.

She summed up the contrast with a Hindi phrase: “Back home, milna hai toh pehle decide karo coffee kahan peena hai.”

‘You have to be a customer before you can be a person’

The experience led Smidha to question whether Indian cities provide enough places where people can simply spend time without being expected to spend money.

“Somewhere along the way, a lot of our cities became places where you have to be a customer before you can simply just be a person,” she said.

She also reflected the thought more sharply in the caption accompanying the video, writing, “Saans lene ke bhi paise lagte hai.”

Her argument was less about the cost of any individual coffee or meal and more about how frequently commercial venues become the default setting for socialising.

Online debate over India’s ‘third spaces’

The video drew a range of responses, with users debating whether Indian cities really lack affordable or free spaces for socialising, and what factors contribute to that situation.

One user suggested that the weather itself could be part of the reason.

“This is true. I've another theory though - India is very hot, which requires third spaces to be cool. We can hang out in the beach or park but it gets very uncomfortable very quickly. So we're forced to be indoors if we want to be comfortable - maybe we should bring back hanging out at each others houses,” the user wrote.

Another similarly pointed to a combination of weather and the urban environment, commenting, “Summer heat, non existent nature and public infrastructure in the cities force us to limit ourselves to indoor spaces only!”

Some users say Mumbai has free options

Not everyone agreed that the lack of free social spaces was necessarily the main issue.

One user said people can find places to spend time without paying, arguing that the tendency to choose cafes may come from a preference for visually appealing locations.

“Its choice you might have made to go to a cafe. I also came across a similar reel about pune. However, mumbai has priceless places to spend entire day and same goes for Pune. But the problem is with us looking for 'Instagramable spots,'” the commenter wrote.

Another user agreed with Smidha more broadly, saying, “This is so true!!! India has lost its simplicity what abroad still has.”

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‘All we do is plan to meet at a cafe’

The comparison also received pushback from someone identifying themselves as Australian, who said cafe culture exists there as well.

“This is such an interesting take! I absolutely see this for India. But as an Aussie as well, all we do is plan to meet at a cafe or restaurant- chilling at each other's homes, for example, is much less common,” the user wrote.

Another commenter argued that Indian cities need more informal gathering places, saying, “India severely lacks third spaces. No lakes, parks, trees or anything to hangout.”

A further response agreed partly with Smidha’s observation but said food remains an important part of socialising in Indian culture.

“Agree but I do miss the idea of eating a meal with a friend rather than just a walk in a park or a drop in at home. I think in Indian culture socialising is driven over food outside or at home,” the user wrote.