By Arosh John
Founder, John Real Estate (MahaRERA Reg. No. A51700001835) | Editor-in-Chief, Thane Real Estate News (TREN)
Thane / Mumbai Metropolitan Region | April 2026
For a long time, the 1 BHK was the usual way into the MMR housing market. It suited first-time buyers, smaller families, and investors who wanted a lower entry ticket. That place is slowly changing.
The 1 BHK is still very much part of MMR. It has not disappeared. But across many newer projects, it is no longer the layout shaping the market in the way it once did. In a growing number of locations, the 2 BHK has moved into that position.
The Shift Is Easier To See On The Ground
This trend becomes clearer when you stop looking at MMR as one single market and start looking at how individual pockets are behaving.
In stronger Thane micro-markets, the shift is already visible. In Kolshet Road, 2 BHK and larger homes account for 72% of the configuration mix. In Majiwada-Balkum, that number stands at 70%. In Kasarvadavali, the story changes. There, the 1 BHK remains dominant, which tells us the segment is still alive where affordability remains the first filter.
That is the real point. The 1 BHK is not vanishing from the market. It is losing ground in stronger, faster-maturing locations while holding its role in more price-sensitive belts.
Buyers Are Starting From A Different Place
The buyer today is not looking at the home in the same way as before.
A few years ago, many buyers were willing to compromise on space just to enter the market. Today, a larger section wants a home that can work for longer. One extra room is no longer seen as a later upgrade. For many families, it has become the more practical starting point.
That extra room may become a child’s room, a work room, or simply make daily life easier. This is one of the reasons the 2 BHK now feels like the more sensible baseline to a wider group of end-users.
That broader shift is also visible in ANAROCK’s city-wise H1 2025 preference data, where Mumbai-MMR shows 20% preference for 1 BHK, 40% for 2 BHK, 36% for 3 BHK, and 4% for 4 BHK and above. The same survey notes that western markets of MMR continue to prefer 1 BHK units, which is why this is a shift story, not a disappearance story.
New Launches Are Following The Buyer
When buyer preference changes, project planning changes with it.
Developers are increasingly building around layouts that feel more usable and support stronger overall ticket sizes. That does not mean affordable housing is gone. It means the centre of planning has moved.
ANAROCK’s 2025 annual report says MMR remains the most active market for launches below ₹40 lakh at 34%, but it also describes a wider move away from lower-ticket housing toward value-driven premium development. Across the top seven cities, the share of launches below ₹40 lakh fell from 30% in 2020 to 14% in 2025, while the ₹40 lakh to ₹80 lakh category fell from 40% to 20%.
That is why the 1 BHK still exists, but no longer carries the same weight in the new-launch conversation.
Thane’s Infrastructure Story Is Part Of This Change
This move toward larger layouts is also tied to how Thane itself is changing.
Thane is no longer being viewed only as a price-led spillover market. Ongoing Metro Line 4/4A works, the Thane-Borivali Twin Tube Tunnel, and wider connectivity upgrades are strengthening its position as a more permanent end-user city. MMRDA’s official material records the technical inspection and trial run on the priority section of Metro Line 4/4A on 22 September 2025, while the Thane-Borivali tunnel project remains under execution with expected completion by May 2028.
When a city starts looking stronger as a long-term residential base, buyers naturally begin leaning toward homes they can stay in for longer. That is one reason the 2 BHK-led mix looks more aggressive in places like Kolshet Road and Majiwada-Balkum than in more affordability-led pockets.
The First-Time Buyer Now Has Fewer Easy Choices
This shift has a direct effect on the first-time buyer.
A buyer trying to stay within a tighter budget may now have to move further out, accept a weaker location, or delay the purchase. A buyer who wants to remain in a stronger micro-market is more likely to be pushed toward a 2 BHK budget from the very beginning.
That changes the path to ownership. It also changes the kind of supply the market keeps producing.
What MMR Is Quietly Telling Us
The real change in MMR is not that the 1 BHK has disappeared. The real change is that it is no longer setting the baseline across as many new projects as before.
In a growing part of the market, that role now belongs to the 2 BHK.
The 1 BHK is still here. It still has a purpose. But in stronger and better-connected pockets, it is no longer leading the market in the way it once did.
Also READ: 10 Golden Rules for First-Time Homebuyers in Thane
Also READ: When Good 3 BHKs Become Hard To Find, The Micro-Market Is Usually Saying Something
About The Author
Arosh John is the Founder of John Real Estate and Editor-in-Chief of Thane Real Estate News (TREN). He is a Thane real estate expert with over 12 years of on-ground experience in the Thane property market, with a core focus on Thane villas, premium homes in Thane, luxury real estate in Thane, resale transactions, and micro-market advisory. Through John Real Estate and TREN, he tracks how infrastructure, pricing, supply shifts, and buyer behaviour are shaping the next phase of Thane real estate for end-users, investors, sellers, and NRI clients.
Disclaimer
This article is intended for informational and editorial purposes only and should not be treated as legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Readers should independently evaluate projects, pricing, and transaction structures before making decisions.
