From gold to dust: Why ₹50K in 2025 leaves you broke in cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai

Chartered Accountant Nitin Kaushik has sparked a conversation on the soaring cost of living in India’s metros, warning that a sub-₹50,000 monthly income in cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, or Pune in 2025 means “barely breaking even” rather than saving.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kaushik said rental costs alone eat up 40-60% of earnings for many urban residents, while transport, food, and utility expenses leave almost no room for savings. “Living in a metro today without a strong salary equals financial pressure 24×7,” he wrote.

Citing Bengaluru as an example, Kaushik noted 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 office, and real estate demand from NRIs and investors.

Kaushik also pointed to stubborn core inflation in essentials like food, energy, and transport, which, coupled with lifestyle inflation, has made metro life nearly twice as expensive in three years.

For a comfortable life in 2025, Kaushik estimated singles in Bengaluru need a CTC of ₹20-30 lakh annually, while a family with a child would require ₹40-50 lakh for quality housing, schooling, leisure, and savings.

Even households earning ₹1 lakh a month, he warned, often live paycheck-to-paycheck due to lifestyle costs. His advice: upskill to grow income, optimize rent and commute, invest early, and assess in-hand pay alongside cost-of-living adjustments.

“Your ₹50K/month in 2019 was gold. In 2025, it barely pays rent,” Kaushik concluded.