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Techie says ₹40,000 in a Tier 3 city felt richer than ₹1.2 lakh in Mumbai: 'Hometown made life feel human again'
The techie said that while his salary in Mumbai looked impressive on paper, a large portion of it disappeared into the cost of simply living in Tier 1 city.
A techie has caught the internet’s attention after sharing why earning ₹40,000 in his hometown eventually felt “richer” than taking home ₹1.2 lakh a month in Mumbai. In a post on X, Shubh Jain said that while his 6-figure salary in Mumbai looked impressive on paper, a large portion of it disappeared into the cost of simply living in a Tier 1 city.
“Why ₹40k in my hometown felt richer than ₹1.2L in Mumbai. I was working in Mumbai and earning around ₹1.2L/month in hand. Honestly, on paper it sounded amazing. But by month end, it rarely felt like six figures,” Jain wrote in an X post, clarifying that he was using Mumbai and his hometown only as example of the differences between Tier 1 and Tier 3 lifestyles.
Jain further broke down his monthly expenses in Mumbai, saying that he spent around R 30,000 on rent for a 1 BHK apartment, ₹60,000 on groceries and daily essentials, ₹3,000 on house help and laundry services, and another ₹3,000 on WiFi and electricity.
Food deliveries from Swiggy and Zomato cost him roughly ₹7,000 a month, while cabs and commuting added ₹5,000. Weekend plans and socialising took another ₹8,000. He said that there were also “invisible spends” such as Amazon orders, quick-commerce purchases, coffee runs and impulse buys.
“The funny part is, even after earning ₹1.2L, a huge chunk quietly disappeared into just existing in a Tier 1 city,” he wrote, adding that although he was saving money, life often felt rushed and expensive.
Jain said that the convenience spending became almost unavoidable. “Cooking? Order food. Grocery store far away? Blinkit. Too tired after work? Cab. Stressful week? Weekend spending,” he said.
(Also Read: 'Cost of convenience in India': Mumbai man compares ₹350 app haircut with ₹60 local salon visit, sparks discussion)
'Mumbai made me grow professionally but…'
At the same time, he credited Mumbai with giving him career growth, exposure, networking opportunities, confidence and independence. “But after a point I realised I was earning more while feeling more mentally exhausted,” he wrote.
Jain said that things changed after he moved back to his hometown, where he initially earned around ₹40,000 a month. “And the weird part is I genuinely started feeling richer here!” he wrote.
He attributed this to having a bigger living space without rent pressure, being close to family, spending time with pets, enjoying home-cooked meals and having slower mornings and more free time. He said the simpler lifestyle also made saving money easier. “Not saying Tier 3 cities are better than Tier 1 cities. Mumbai made me grow professionally but my hometown made life feel human again,” he wrote.
“At some point I realised there’s a huge difference between earning well and living well,” he concluded.
