Rs 12,000 iPhone EMI, Rs 16,500 Mumbai rent: 25-year-old Mumbai founder reveals the real cost of living independently in the city

Living independently in Mumbai can come with a long list of monthly expenses, from rent and commuting to food, subscriptions and EMIs. A 25-year-old Mumbai founder has now shared a breakdown of her regular monthly spending, revealing that her expenses add up to around Rs 52,000 even before savings, shopping, travel and unexpected costs.

Jahnvi Shah shared the expense breakdown in an Instagram video, explaining where her money goes each month. She said the figure does not include shopping, eating out, travel or unforeseen expenses.

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Mumbai rent costs Rs 16,500

Shah said she lives in a three-bedroom apartment with two other people and pays around Rs 16,500 as her share of the rent. She occupies the master bedroom.

“I live in a 3 BHK with two other people, so there are three of us sharing the apartment. I have the master bedroom, and my share of the rent is around 16,500,” she said.

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She also spends another Rs 2,700 a month on rented furniture.

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A post shared by Jahnvi Shah | Personal Branding & Social Media Expert (@jahnvi.shah_)

Groceries, Blinkit and Zomato cost Rs 8,000-Rs 10,000

Her monthly spending on groceries and food delivery platforms such as Blinkit and Zomato ranges between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000.

“Groceries, Blinkit, Zomato together usually comes to around 8 to 10k, depending on how responsible I was that month, which is unpredictable,” she said.

Mumbai commute costs up to Rs 6,000

Travelling around the city for work, meetings and everyday activities costs Shah another Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 every month.

“Then there is commute between travelling for work, meetings, and just existing in Mumbai – that's around 5,000 to 6,000 every month.”

Utilities and domestic help add Rs 3,500

Electricity, Wi-Fi and domestic help together cost her around Rs 3,500 each month, according to the expense breakdown.

iPhone EMI costs Rs 12,000 a month

One of the larger recurring expenses in Shah's monthly budget is her iPhone EMI, which she said costs around Rs 12,000 every month.

“And then comes to my favourite financial decision, which is my iPhone EMI – that is around 12,000 every month,” she said.

Subscriptions add another Rs 1,500

Shah also highlighted smaller automatic payments that can be easy to overlook individually. Apple iCloud, Google Drive storage and subscription apps together cost her around Rs 1,500 every month.

“Then there are those tiny automatic deductions that don't feel expensive individually, like Apple iCloud, Google Drive storage, subscription apps – until you add them all, it comes around 1,500 every month,” she said.

Mumbai monthly expenses reach Rs 52,000

After adding her regular expenses, Shah said her monthly spending comes to approximately Rs 52,000. This amount does not include savings, SIPs, shopping, going out, travel or unexpected expenses.

“So before I even talk about savings, SIP, shopping, going out, travel, or unexpected expenses, my regular monthly spending is already roughly around 52k,” the 25-year-old said.

Summing up her experience of living independently in Mumbai, Shah wrote: “Expensive? Yes. Worth the independence? Also yes.”

The Instagram video has sparked discussion around the cost of living in Mumbai and how recurring expenses can quickly add up, even before discretionary spending is taken into account.


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