‘ ₹21,000 rent, ₹10,000 on commuting’: Bengaluru woman's ₹1 lakh monthly budget breakdown goes viral

From salaries and savings to rent and daily expenses, social media users have increasingly been sharing detailed glimpses of what it costs to live independently in India's major cities. Bengaluru, in particular, has become a frequent talking point, with young professionals posting their monthly budgets and sparking debates over the city's cost of living. Now, a Bengaluru-based woman has shared a breakdown of her monthly expenditure, revealing that she spends approximately ₹1 lakh every month.In an Instagram post, Ishita Chaudhary described herself as a "corporate girlie working at Rubrik" and shared a category-wise breakdown of her expenses under the title, “Budget Breakdown: Living in Bengaluru.”Rent, Groceries And Daily EssentialsAccording to the breakdown, ₹21,000 goes towards rent for a 3BHK, including maintenance. She listed another ₹500 for furniture, ₹500 for an air purifier and ₹500 for Wi-Fi.She revealed that her household expenses include ₹7,000 on groceries, ₹2,000 for a cook who prepares lunch and dinner, and another ₹2,000 for a maid handling cleaning and washing.She also spends ₹3,000 on Zomato/Swiggy, ₹5,000 on eating out, ₹5,000 on hobbies and activities, and ₹10,000 on city commuting. These expenses bring the total to around ₹56,500 a month.Lifestyle Expenses Push The Total To ₹1 LakhThe remaining expenses are largely lifestyle-related. She listed ₹15,000 for shopping, ₹20,000 for travelling and trips, ₹5,000 on parlour visits and ₹3,000 on sports, taking her overall monthly expenditure to approximately ₹1 lakh.She also said that she does not spend separately on commuting to the office, weekday lunches or breakfast at work, gym expenses or snacks at the office, listing each of these as zero.Social Media ReactionsThe spending breakdown prompted several humorous reactions from users, with some focusing on how little might be left for savings.A user wrote, "Savings: 500/- Living on the edge."Another user commented, "Itne mein mera do ghar chal jayega.""Rather sharing your spending enlighten us with your saving," the third user wrote."Adopt me," the fourth commented.Earlier, another Instagram user Chahat Yadav posted a video titled "How much I spend in July as a 21-year-old living alone in Gurgaon," where she listed her expenses category by category before asking viewers whether her monthly spending was justified.According to Yadav, rent accounted for the largest share of her budget. She said she pays ₹15,000 a month for a fully furnished 1RK apartment. Her electricity bill stood at ₹2,000, while gym and other membership fees came to ₹1,800.She also spent ₹2,142 on fuel and maintenance for her scooty. Groceries, food deliveries and daily essentials together cost ₹6,879. Shopping emerged as another major expense at ₹12,805, while outings added ₹2,470 to her monthly bill.After calculating all her expenses, Yadav said she spent a total of ₹43,096 in July. Ending the video, she asked viewers, “So, should I be concerned about it, or is it fine?”(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)About the AuthorAnjali ThakurAnjali Thakur is a Senior Assistant Editor with Mint, reporting on trending news, entertainment and health, with a focus on stories driving digital conversations. Her work involves spotting early signals across news cycles and social media, sharpening stories for SEO and Google Discover, and mentoring young editors in digital-first newsroom practices. She is known for turning fast-moving developments—whether news-driven or culture-led—into clear, tightly edited journalism without compromising editorial rigour. Before joining Mint, she was Deputy News Editor at NDTV.com, where she led the Trending section and covered viral news, breaking developments and human-interest stories. She has also worked as Chief Sub-Editor at India.com (Zee Media) and as Senior Corre