Mumbai slips to No. 6 on global office rental list

Mumbai, which became the second-most expensive office property market globally one-and-a-half years ago at the peak of a real estate boom in the country, has now slipped out of the top-five list, as per a survey of 170 cities by real estate consultant CB Richard Ellis. The city remained at the sixth position among the world’s costliest office markets.
The cooling realty prices have also brought down New Delhi from the number eight position globally in November 2007 to the 12th slot in the latest ranking released on Thursday.
“The latest ranking highlights the decrease in rentals due to a reduction in demand. However, Mumbai continuing in the top 10 list and Delhi being at 12th place globally reflects the shortage of prime office supply in India,” said CB Richard Ellis South Asia, CMD Anshuman Magazine.
Office rentals in Mumbai fell 31% since November 2007 from $189 per sq ft a year to $131 per sq ft now. Similarly, office rentals in New Delhi also fell 31% from $126.7 to $86.9 per sq ft a year. Mumbai ranked fifth in CBRE’s last survey released in November 2008, while Delhi was placed 13th. CBRE conducts the surveys every six month.
Tokyo (Inner Central) tops the latest ranking with a rental of $183 per sq ft. It over took London’s West End that led the pack in November 2007 with $329 per sq ft rental, just ahead of Mumbai then. London’s West End is placed second with rentals almost half of what they were at their peak.