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‘Bangalore can make you feel broke,’ says couple spending ₹1.3 lakh per month with ₹56,000 rent
A couple in Bengaluru shared their monthly expenses of ₹1.3 lakh, sparking debate on social media about living costs in the city.
How much does it take to live ‘comfortably’ in an expensive city like Bengaluru? That is the question social media is busy debating after one couple broke down their ₹1.3 lakh monthly expenses.
Radhika and Ekansh both work full-time as product managers in Bengaluru and pursue content creation as a side hustle. One day ago, they shared a detailed breakdown of what it costs for a married couple to live in India’s largest IT hub, saying that despite earning well, they still “feel broke” by the end of every month.
Spending ₹1.3 lakh in a month
“Here’s exactly how much we spend every month as a married couple living in Bangalore,” Ekansh said in the video.
He revealed that their biggest expenditure was rent, for which they paid ₹56,000 per month. At this point, Bangalore rent is like a second EMI,” he remarked.
The couple spends around ₹10,000 on domestic help and a cook, calling it “the best expense that we make because we both work full time.” Groceries cost another ₹15,000 every month, while utilities such as electricity and internet add up to roughly ₹15,000.
“Commute costs around 6,000 per month since I go to office, petrol and all of those expenses,” said Radhika.
The couple also spends approximately ₹10,000 on eating out and ordering food.
Their subscriptions — including platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime — total around ₹3,000 monthly. On top of that, they budget another ₹15,000 for shopping, personal expenses, and unplanned purchases.
Altogether, the couple says their monthly expenses reach nearly ₹1.3 lakh — and this does not even include vacations, flights, or luxury purchases.
“Seriously, Bangalore is a place where you can earn well and still feel broke by the end of the month,” they said.
A debate on lifestyle
The video of their monthly expense breakdown has gone viral, collecting 1 million views in just a day. The video also racked up hundreds of comments from people marveling at the couple’s expenses.
Users in the comments section were split between calling it a reflection of Bangalore’s rising cost of living and arguing that the expenses simply reflect personal lifestyle choices rather than the city being inherently expensive.
“Only because you choose to stay in high end apartment, rent will be high. Rent in Bangalore depends on locality you are staying. Don’t generalise,” wrote one Instagram user.
(Also read: ‘What exactly am I paying rent for?’: Bengaluru techie earning ₹1 lakh debates moving back home as WFH rules ease)
“Such a useless video. We both are also working and having two kids and don’t spend half of this,” another claimed.
“Yes, this is like the bare minimum in Bangalore for working professionals trying to maintain the same lifestyle as maintained in other cities like Kolkata at 50K,” one commenter countered, saying that Bengaluru’s cost of living makes it more expensive to maintain the level of lifestyle that people are used to in their hometowns.
“The people salty in this comment section clearly don’t know what it costs to live a comfortable life in Bengaluru. I find the video extremely relatable because Bangalore does suck out a lot of money from you. But that’s the cost you pay to live in a good city. + THEY are working to be able to EARN this life so the inferiority complex dripping from some is something they brought upon themselves,” another person agreed.
(Also read: Bengaluru DINK couple breaks down monthly budget of ₹81,600: ‘Most realistic expenses’)
