A woman has caught the internet’s attention after sharing a detailed breakdown of her monthly expenses while living alone in Delhi as a first-year lawyer.
In the post, Harshita Agarwal listed her fixed monthly costs, offering a glimpse into the financial realities of early-career professionals in the city. She said that her rent alone was ₹23,500 for a semi-furnished apartment. Since the house did not come fully equipped, she also had to spend on rented furniture - around ₹2,300 per month for her room and ₹1,100 per person for the living room.
Apart from rent, household help formed a significant part of her expenses. She shared that she paid about ₹3,300 every month for a cook and a cleaning lady. Utility costs, including electricity, gas and maintenance, added another ₹2,000 to ₹2,500 monthly.
Daily commuting also took a toll on her budget. Travelling to and from the office cost her between ₹4,000 and ₹5,000 a month. “Even though I always took an auto, it was very expensive,” she said.
Her monthly grocery bill ranged between ₹2,000 and ₹3,000, while Wi-Fi expenses were an additional ₹300 to ₹400. She clarified that these were only fixed costs and did not include discretionary spending like eating out or ordering food.
{{/usCountry}}Her monthly grocery bill ranged between ₹2,000 and ₹3,000, while Wi-Fi expenses were an additional ₹300 to ₹400. She clarified that these were only fixed costs and did not include discretionary spending like eating out or ordering food.
{{/usCountry}}Overall, her fixed monthly expenditure came to roughly ₹39,000 - ₹40,000, excluding any additional lifestyle or leisure spending. “This is just the fixed cost. If you go out, if you order in, that’s an additional cost,” she said, adding that the breakdown reflects how much she spent every month just to maintain a basic lifestyle in Delhi.
Delhi vs Mumbai
Sharing the video, Agarwal compared the cost of living in Delhi with Mumbai, questioning how people manage in the latter. “How do people survive in Bombay?” she wrote, adding that her primary requirement had been a decent house, which she managed to find within her budget.
“My only ask the entire time was a decent house. I got a really beautiful house and within a rent range I was okay spending. This is the bare minimum cost that was incurred by me and I hope I haven’t forgotten to mention any big fixed cost!” Agarwal said.
She further noted that despite careful spending, saving money remained a challenge. “If in delhi one can barely save, how would one survive in Bombay? It’s not like firms pay considerably more to people working in Bombay? It’s crazy!!” she wrote.
HT.com has reached out to Harshita Agarwal. The article will be updated once a response is received.