From gold to mud: Why ₹50K in 2025 leaves you broke in cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai
Chartered Accountant Nitin Kaushik has sparked a dialog on the hovering value of residing in India’s metros, warning {that a} sub-₹50,000 month-to-month revenue in cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, or Pune in 2025 means “barely breaking even” reasonably than saving.
In a publish on X (previously Twitter), Kaushik mentioned rental prices alone eat up 40-60% of earnings for a lot of city residents, whereas transport, meals, and utility bills depart nearly no room for financial savings. “Dwelling in a metro right this moment with no robust wage equals monetary strain 24×7,” he wrote.
Citing Bengaluru for instance, Kaushik famous that prime-area rents have risen 70-100% since early 2022, with one-bedroom flats climbing from ₹18,000 to over ₹30,000 a month. He attributed the surge to post-COVID job relocations, the return to workplace, and actual property demand from NRIs and buyers.
Kaushik additionally pointed to cussed core inflation in necessities like meals, vitality, and transport, which, coupled with life-style inflation, has made metro life almost twice as costly in three years.
For a snug life in 2025, Kaushik estimated singles in Bengaluru want a CTC of ₹20-30 lakh yearly, whereas a household with a baby would require ₹40-50 lakh for high quality housing, education, leisure, and financial savings.
Even households incomes ₹1 lakh a month, he warned, usually stay paycheck-to-paycheck attributable to life-style prices. His recommendation: upskill to develop revenue, optimize hire and commute, make investments early, and assess in-hand pay alongside cost-of-living changes.
“Your ₹50K/month in 2019 was gold. In 2025, it barely pays hire,” Kaushik concluded.
