'Bengaluru rent is a full-time villain'; Couple spending Rs 1.3 lakh every month shares breakdown; Rs 56,000 goes for rent, Rs 10,000 on maid

A couple living in Bengaluru has accidentally started one of the internet’s favourite debates again: how much money does it actually take to live comfortably in India’s tech capital?

Radhika and Ekansh, a married couple working as product managers in Bengaluru, recently shared a detailed breakdown of their monthly expenses on social media — and the numbers instantly got people talking.

The reason? Their total monthly spending touches nearly ₹1.3 lakh.


And according to them, even that somehow still leaves them “feeling broke” by the end of the month.

“Here’s exactly how much we spend every month as a married couple living in Bangalore,” Ekansh said in the now-viral video.

The biggest hit to their wallet is rent.

The couple said they pay ₹56,000 every month for their apartment, with Ekansh joking, “At this point, Bangalore rent is like a second EMI.”

But the spending does not stop there.

According to the breakdown:

• ₹15,000 goes into groceries
• Around ₹10,000 is spent on domestic help and a cook
• Utilities like electricity and internet add another ₹15,000
• Commuting costs nearly ₹6,000 monthly
• Eating out and ordering food costs around ₹10,000
• Subscriptions such as Netflix and Amazon Prime total ₹3,000
• Shopping, personal expenses, and miscellaneous spending add another ₹15,000

And notably, they clarified that this does not even include vacations, flights, or luxury shopping.

“Seriously, Bangalore is a place where you can earn well and still feel broke by the end of the month,” the couple said.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Radhika and Ekansh (@radhi.and.ekansh)

The internet, naturally, had opinions.

The video crossed one million views within a day, and the comments section quickly turned into a full-blown Bengaluru cost-of-living war.

Some people said the couple’s expenses were completely relatable for working professionals trying to maintain a comfortable urban lifestyle in Bengaluru.

One user wrote “Yes, this is like the bare minimum in Bangalore for working professionals trying to maintain the same lifestyle as maintained in other cities like Kolkata at 50K.” Another commenter strongly defended the couple saying that “The people salty in this comment section clearly don’t know what it costs to live a comfortable life in Bengaluru. I find the video extremely relatable because Bangalore does suck out a lot of money from you.”

But not everyone agreed.

Several users argued that the couple’s expenses reflected lifestyle choices rather than Bengaluru itself being unaffordable. “Only because you choose to stay in high end apartment, rent will be high. Rent in Bangalore depends on locality you are staying. Don’t generalise,” one person commented.

Another wrote “Such a useless video. We both are also working and having two kids and don’t spend half of this.”
What made the discussion blow up online was how familiar the situation felt to many young professionals living in metro cities.

Because somewhere between rent, groceries, subscriptions, deliveries, commuting, and random “small expenses” that somehow become massive by month-end, a lot of people related to the couple’s biggest point:

Sometimes your salary looks great on paper… until Bengaluru starts deducting its share.

(Disclaimer: This article is based on a viral social media post and online reactions. The Economic Times has not independently verified the authenticity of the content and does not claim or endorse it.)