Gurgaon man with ₹3 cr house breaks down brutal cost of luxury living in city: ‘Need ₹7.5 lakh/month just to breathe’
A man detailed the financial burden of maintaining a premium lifestyle in Gurgaon.
A Gurgaon resident has sparked conversation on LinkedIn after sharing a brutally honest post that breaks down the financial demands of maintaining a high-end lifestyle in one of the city's most expensive neighbourhoods.

(Also read: Gurgaon man roasted for job post: ‘You’ll be underpaid and overstretched’)
The man, identified as Vaibhav J., opened his post with a stark confession: “I own a house in Gurgaon, India. Translation: I need ₹7.5 lakh/month just to breathe.”
What followed was a line-by-line breakdown of his monthly expenses:
“Here’s what you really signed up for:
₹2.08 lakh EMI for a ₹3 crore house
₹12,000 per month maintenance for the fountain
₹60,000 car EMI – because you can’t roll up in a Swift
₹65,000 per month for IB school for kids
₹30,000 per month for a 'foreign trip proof-of-life'
₹30,000 monthly for domestic staff – cook, maid, driver
₹20,000 for club nights and dinners you don’t even enjoy
₹12,000 for grooming and dressing ‘DLF Phase 5 ready’
₹10,000-plus on random purchases
₹15,000 for birthday gifts and wedding envelopes – a ‘fake smiles tax’”
Adding up to a monthly spend of ₹5 lakh, he concluded with a sobering reality check: “Now factor in income tax at 30 percent. To spend ₹5 lakh a month, you need to earn ₹7.5 lakh (~ ₹90 lakh/year pre-tax). We had neither done savings nor bought insurance. And I haven’t even eaten yet. That’s not top one percent income — that’s top 0.1 percent burn rate.”
Check out the post here:
A post that struck a nerve
The post garnered several comments, offering a mix of agreement, humour, and constructive critique.
One user wrote, “For those with fixed income in that range, income tax isn’t just 30 percent. There’s a surcharge, so it’s about a third of your income. You’d need at least ₹1.2 crore CTC to support this lifestyle.”
Another observed, “Gurgaon real-estate is an unnecessary hype which people are somehow buying. But jo bhi hai, Gurgaon mein vibe hai — sirf yeh weather aur AQI chhod ke.”
(Also read: Man who ‘earns more than 95% of India’ can’t afford a home in Gurgaon: ‘No car or kids, doesn’t splurge')
A third remarked with amusement, “Foreign trip proof of life… rofl. On a side note, DLF 5 is not for the faint-hearted.”
Others were more critical. “If you're purchasing a flat worth ₹3 crore, you are financially stable. So there’s no point in this melodrama. Lol,” wrote one.
Someone recalled, “Over a decade ago, I was in DLF Phase 2 near JMD Arcade and later moved to Phase 5 near Amex. Things weren’t that expensive back then.”
ABOUT THE AUTHORMahipal Singh ChouhanMahipal Singh Chouhan is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times Digital, with nearly five years of experience in digital journalism and content production. His work primarily focuses on offbeat and trending stories that reflect everyday experiences and evolving conversations on the internet. He has consistently worked on transforming viral content and human interest stories into structured news pieces that engage readers while maintaining editorial clarity. At Hindustan Times, Mahipal contributes to identifying and developing stories emerging from social media trends, online communities, and real-world incidents that capture public attention. His approach involves adding context and journalistic perspective to fast-moving digital narratives, helping present viral moments in a clear and reader-friendly format suited for digital audiences. Before joining Hindustan Times Digital, he was associated with DNA India, where he gained experience in newsroom workflows and digital storytelling practices. Mahipal holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, Delhi. He is particularly interested in tracking emerging trends and understanding how online conversations evolve into broader public discussions. His work reflects a focus on accuracy, readability, and relevance in the rapidly changing digital news environment. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Mahipal takes an interest in history and sports and regularly works on improving his general knowledge, which complements his curiosity as a media professional.Read More

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