A Mumbai-based entrepreneur has broken down her ₹52,000 monthly expenses, saying that rent is not even the scariest part. While most people complain about the high rental prices in Mumbai, Jahnvi Shah begs to differ. The 25-year-old founder shared an Instagram video yesterday where she broke down her ₹52,000 monthly expenses, which does not even include shopping or eating out.
‘Rent is not the scary part’
“These are my major monthly expenses as a 25-year-old founder living in Mumbai, and no, rent is not even the scary part,” Shah said in her Instagram video.
The founder of marketing agency Buzzified explained that she shares a 3BHK with two other people. Her share of the rent is a surprisingly modest ₹16,500 for use of the master bedroom.
“I live in a 3 BHK with two other people, so there are three of us sharing the apartment. I have the master bedroom, and my share of the rent is around 16,500,” she said.
Other expenses
Shah rents her furniture from Furlenco, which costs around ₹2,700 per month.
She also budgets between ₹8,000 to 10,000 for groceries and other miscellaneous purchases on Blinkit, Zomato etc. “Groceries, Blinkit, Zomato together usually comes to around 8 to 10k, depending on how responsible I was that month, which is unpredictable,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}She also budgets between ₹8,000 to 10,000 for groceries and other miscellaneous purchases on Blinkit, Zomato etc. “Groceries, Blinkit, Zomato together usually comes to around 8 to 10k, depending on how responsible I was that month, which is unpredictable,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}The Mumbai-based founder added that commuting for work costs her around ₹5,000 to 6,000 per month. “Then there is commute between traveling for work, meetings, and just existing in Mumbai—that's around 5,000 to 6,000 every month.”
For utilities like electricity, WiFi bill and domestic help, Shah pays another ₹3,500 per month.
At last comes her biggest expense, one that almost rivals rent. The entrepreneur revealed that she pays ₹12,000 every month as EMI for her iPhone. “And then comes to my favorite financial decision, which is my iPhone EMI—that is around 12,000 every month,” she said.
“Then there are those tiny automatic deductions that don't feel expensive individually, like Apple iCloud, Google Drive storage, subscription apps—until you add them all, it comes around 1,500 every month,” she said.
“Worth the independence”
Shah said that her fixed monthly expenses therefore add up to ₹52,000 — and this number does not even include savings or shopping.
“So before I even talk about savings, SIP, shopping, going out, travel, or unexpected expenses, my regular monthly spending is already roughly around 52k,” the 25-year-old said.
While she acknowledged that life in Mumbai is expensive, she also said it’s worth it for the independence she gets. “Expensive? Yes. Worth the independence? Also yes,” she wrote.