Recently, many social media users have been sharing detailed breakdowns of their monthly expenses, offering a glimpse into how much it costs to live in different Indian cities. From rent and groceries to travel and leisure, such posts often spark discussions around spending habits and the rising cost of living. Now, a Bengaluru-based married couple, both working as senior software engineers, shared their monthly expenses, revealing that they spend around ₹1.7 lakh every month on average.
In a video shared on Instagram, user Shubhi Khandelwal said their rent and maintenance cost around ₹60,000 a month. Their grocery expenses come to ₹13,000 – ₹14,000, while their cook and maid cost ₹8,000.
Shubhi shared that they spend around ₹10,000 on weekend outings, while petrol and cabs account for another ₹3,500. They also spend approximately ₹3,000 on shopping and miscellaneous expenses.
“Travel is our biggest variable expense,” Shubhi said in the video. She added that they spend around ₹9 lakh a year travelling together, which averages out to approximately ₹75,000 a month. As a result, their average monthly expenses come to roughly ₹1.7 lakh.
Shubhi said that the rest of their money goes towards savings and investments. She also revealed that they both maintain individual portfolios across both the Indian and US markets.
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Expense breakdown explained
In the caption of the post, Shubhi provided more context about the expenses.
Explaining the ₹60,000 rent and maintenance expense, she said rental prices in Bengaluru vary significantly depending on the society. “A similar flat can cost very different amounts in different parts of the city,” she wrote.
On groceries, Shubhi said a significant portion of their ₹13,000 – ₹14,000 monthly bill goes towards high-protein foods. “A big chunk of this goes towards our high-protein essentials because whey protein, Greek yogurt, paneer and everything ‘high-protein’ adds up pretty quickly,” she said.
She further explained that their travel expenses are based on their spending over the two years.
The couple’s travel expenses are based on their spending over the past two years. “We’ve been travelling together for the last two years and tracking our trip expenses, so this is based on what we’ve actually spent over that period, averaged out monthly,” she wrote.
She concluded the video explaining that they track their expenses to understand where their money is going and make more intentional spending decisions. However, she clarified that tracking expenses does not mean the couple keeps a running tally of who owes whom.
“We do track our expenses, but we’re not tracking every rupee to figure out who owes whom,” she wrote in the caption. “Because we’re not roommates. We’re permanent roommates,” she added.
