‘Just ₹8,000 left to save’: Chennai couple spends ₹70,000 monthly to raise baby on ₹78,000 income

A Chennai couple earning ₹78,000 per month has revealed the tightrope walk of parenting in urban India—where even basic child-rearing costs push families to the brink of financial insecurity.

Sharing their story on Reddit, the couple described a monthly budget that leaves them with just ₹8,000 in savings—a fragile buffer for emergencies. With an 8.5-month-old infant, their largest fixed costs are rent and daycare, which together consume ₹46,500. These are non-negotiables, they stressed, prioritizing their child’s safety and daily care.

Groceries and daily essentials take up ₹10,000, while commuting across Chennai costs another ₹8,500 monthly. Diapers alone add ₹3,000 to their expenses. Utility bills round out the budget with ₹1,000 each for electricity and cooking gas. All told, their monthly outgoings hit ₹70,000—leaving little room for financial breathing space.

Complicating matters is their lack of family support. The couple married against their relatives’ wishes and now navigate parenthood alone. “We are trying to be entirely self-reliant,” they wrote, revealing that the wife has started looking for part-time work to ease the pressure.

Their story isn’t unique. In a viral LinkedIn post, Bengaluru-based startup founder Meenal Goel estimated the total cost of raising a child in Indian cities today at ₹38–45 lakh. From delivery expenses and daycare to school fees and college costs, the numbers climb quickly. Goel noted that even seemingly “decent” middle-class incomes often fall short of covering these demands, pushing many would-be parents to delay or rethink family planning.

For this Chennai couple, raising a child is a daily exercise in compromise and calculation—underscoring the financial grit modern parenting now demands.