Dutch Woman Who Lived In India For 10 Years Picks Bengaluru Over Mumbai After Motherhood

If you're active on social media, you've likely come across endless debates over whether Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru is India's best metro city. Each has its loyal supporters, and comparisons between their lifestyle, pace and liveability regularly go viral. Now, a Dutch travel influencer who has lived in India for nearly ten years has shared why she ultimately found Bengaluru a better fit than Mumbai after becoming a mother. In an Instagram post, Ivana said that she had long dreamed of living in Mumbai and eventually moved there from Bengaluru, expecting a fresh start. Instead, the transition made her realise how much she valued the slower, greener lifestyle she had left behind.

She explained that motherhood completely changed the way she experienced the city. While Mumbai's energy and fast-paced lifestyle once appealed to her adventurous side, she said it felt overwhelming once she entered a new phase of life and began seeking stability, calm and a sense of safety.

She said Bengaluru was the place that had truly become her home in India, and its slower pace, greenery and spacious environment had given her space to grow and feel secure. "For years, Mumbai was my ultimate dream. But the day I actually moved here? I just wanted to go straight back to Bangalore," she wrote.

Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by IVANA • Travel • lifestyle • 🇮🇳• 🇳🇱• 🧿 (@ivanaperkovicofficial)

Health Challenges Made the Move Harder

The move to Mumbai also coincided with a difficult pregnancy. Ivana revealed that she suffered from placenta bleeding and severe anaemia, leaving her with little energy to explore the city or build a new social circle.

She also struggled with the shift from a large, airy home in Bengaluru to a much smaller apartment in Mumbai, saying the combination of health issues, isolation and adjusting to a new city made the experience emotionally exhausting.

"Suddenly, the fast, hustle energy of the city, that the old version of me loved, felt completely overwhelming. I didn't want to explore. I didn't want to meet anybody. My body was carrying a baby, and managing a scary placenta bleeding with heavy anemia. I was exhausted, stuck in a small apartment that felt nothing like home, and deeply, deeply isolated," she added. 

A Different Phase of Life

Ivana also reflected on the guilt she felt for not enjoying a move she had spent years dreaming about. She admitted she initially dismissed her own feelings because she believed she should be grateful after finally achieving a long-held goal.

Looking back, she said the experience taught her that a city can be wonderful without necessarily being the right place for every stage of life. She also revealed that she and her partner had to legally marry during the same period, adding another major life event to an already emotionally and physically demanding chapter.

Her video resonated with viewers, with some commenting that her story shed light on a rarely discussed aspect of moving: how life circumstances, particularly major ones like becoming a parent, can totally alter how people feel about a city.