Earning ₹50K in Pune, Bengaluru or Mumbai? CA Breaks Down Why it Barely Covers Living Costs in India’s Big Cities
Earning ₹50K in Pune, Bengaluru or Mumbai? CA Breaks Down Why it Barely Covers Living Costs in India’s Big Cities
Chartered Accountant Nitin Kaushik has raised concerns about the rising cost of living in India’s major cities. He warned that earning less than ₹50,000 a month in cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, or Pune in 2025 means people are just managing to cover their expenses, with little or no savings.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kaushik explained that rent alone takes up 40 to 60 percent of many people’s income in these cities. Along with transport, food, and utility bills, this leaves almost no money for saving. He said, “Living in a metro today without a strong salary equals financial pressure 24×7.”
If You’re Earning Under ₹50K/Month in a Metro, You’re Not “Surviving” — You’re Struggling.
— CA Nitin Kaushik (@Finance_Bareek) August 10, 2025
Forget saving — you’re barely breaking even.
Let’s talk about the real cost of living in urban India in 2025. 🧵👇#stockmarketscrash #finance #nifty #investingtips pic.twitter.com/PGu4OAdWCT
Kaushik gave Bengaluru as an example. He said rents in popular areas have increased by 70 to 100 percent since early 2022. One-bedroom flats that used to cost about ₹18,000 per month now rent for more than ₹30,000. He said this rise is because of people moving back to offices after COVID, more job relocations, and higher demand from NRIs and investors in real estate.
He also mentioned that prices of essential items like food, energy, and transport remain high. Along with lifestyle expenses, this has made living in cities almost twice as costly in the past three years.
Kaushik estimated that for a comfortable life in 2025, a single person in Bengaluru needs an annual salary of ₹20 to 30 lakh. For a family with one child, the figure goes up to ₹40 to 50 lakh. This would cover good housing, schooling, leisure, and savings.
He added that even people earning ₹1 lakh a month often find themselves living paycheck to paycheck because of their lifestyle expenses. Kaushik advised people to improve their skills to increase their income. He also suggested managing rent and commute costs carefully, investing money early, and considering the real value of take-home pay after adjusting for living costs.
He concluded by saying, “Your ₹50K/month in 2019 was gold. In 2025, it barely pays rent.” This highlights how the cost of living has changed dramatically in a few years, making it harder for many to save money in big cities.
