Bengaluru founder says ‘ ₹2.5 lakh per month is the new 1 lakh’, sparks debate

A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur has sparked a debate by claiming that “ ₹2.5 lakh per month is the new 1 lakh”.

A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur has sparked a debate by claiming that “ ₹2.5 lakh per month is the new 1 lakh”. Niket Raj Dwivedi was trying to make a point about inflation and the rising cost of living in his social media post, but managed to annoy a few people with his claim.

Niket Raj Dwivedi is the Bengaluru-based founder of Medial app.

The founder of the professional social media network Medial took to X two days ago to declare: “2.5 Lac per month is the new 1 Lac.” In a follow-up tweet, he said that this statement is “specially true in Bangalore/Mumbai”.

Post sparks debate

Others, however, agreed with him and noted how the cost of living has skyrocketed.

“Genuinely impressive how detached from reality some people are,” wrote X user Vaibhav Shivrain.

“Inflation, lifestyle creep, and a collapsing job market conspired together. ₹1L felt rich in 2015, ₹2.5L feels survival in 2026,” another countered.

One X account highlighted how a 3BHK in Bengaluru can command a rent of ₹1 lakh. “A 3BHK in Belladur, HSR, Koramangala etc almost costs you 80k-1L in rent only... so now one can calculate... you need 2.5L just to survive…” the account posted.

“Yes, inflation keeps raising the bar for everyone,” a user agreed.

An X user named Aditya Gupta noted how cities like Delhi and Mumbai have a very high cost of living. “I know this is outrageous. Out of touch with reality for 90% Indians. But frankly - cost of living for Metro - Delhi/Mumbai etc is decently high these days,” he wrote. “I will sound like a broken record but Tokyo is cheaper than Delhi in terms of dining out.”