War, geopolitics, and inflation have combined to create a deadly mix of events that make subsisting in this economy physically and mentally exhausting. While the Iran-US-Israel conflict has driven up fuel and gas prices for a while, the cost hike appears to be an ever-climbing graph rather than a declining one.
Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised saving money rather than spending it, marking an unusual but farsighted recommendation for the economy. In this situation, bills go higher and resources go lower, especially in metropolises like Bengaluru. The tech hub has become known for its expenses more than anything else in the past few years, and a couple's monthly expense report has just revealed how costly it can be.
In a post quickly gaining traction on X (formerly Twitter), a user shared how a married couple survived in Bengaluru. She added that they both were working professionals and still saw their salaries quickly disappear by the end of the month.
The couple paid rent of Rs 56,000 per month, along with electricity and internet adding Rs 15,000, and subscriptions levying another Rs 3,000. They spend about Rs 15,000 monthly on groceries and an additional Rs 10,000 every month on eating out. They spent Rs 6,000 on commuting every month and shopped for Rs 15,000 as well. Moreover, hiring a helper, which is already a luxury in the city, costs them Rs 10,000 monthly.
In total, their monthly expenses amount to ₹1,30,000, without including vacation and luxury purchases. "Bengaluru may offer high salaries, but the cost of living can be just as high. For many people, saving money has become harder than ever," wrote Nalini Unagar. The couple, Radhika and Ekansh, both work full-time as product managers and create content on the side. They originally shared the details on their Instagram page.
Social Media Reactions
Numerous viewers were shocked to learn about the monthly expenses of the couple. But while some aligned with their views, others claimed they practiced a luxurious state of living, which made surviving in Bengaluru difficult with no savings.
"I was talking to a Bengaluru techie who makes over ₹1Cr. He said inflation is killing him, saving money is tough, he wants to be childfree because kids are expensive, life is hard. Meanwhile, I'm just here trying to convince myself that avocado toast isn't a luxury..." shared one user.
"This is nothing but a result of stupid financial decisions and unnecessary high standard of living," commented another.
"Subscriptions 3K per month. LOL. Electricity and internet 15K. You get 100 Mbps for Rs 800. If you get a 1 cr salary again people will find it difficult to save because we have so many options to spend here and there. It's not about Bangalore being costly," added another.
"This is more like poor financial decisions to me. Eating out is 10K a month which is ridiculous, same for shopping. 15K a month?? Maybe better decision and planning on how much shopping should be done and better budgeting could have decreased some of these a lot even in a posh area," one said.
"It's the true reality of tier 1 city like Bangalore, but I think this is not like bare minimum. I mean they can spend, but they can cut down in several places as well if they want to, but yeah compared to normal tier 2 cities or less, it's still high," added another.
