Rs 44,000 rent, Rs 60,000 SIPs...: Mumbai couple earning Rs 2.2 lakh asks Reddit how to 'survive' - Moneycontrol.com
Despite earning Rs 2.2 lakh a month, a Mumbai couple say they are left with nothing by month-end. Their Reddit post about rising city costs
Despite earning Rs 2.2 lakh a month, a Mumbai couple say they are left with nothing by month-end. Their Reddit post about rising city costs and poor savings has divided opinion online. Mumbai couple earning Rs 2.2 lakh struggles to save. (AI-generated representative image) Is a monthly income of Rs 2.2 lakh enough to live comfortably in Mumbai and still save for the future? For many people, the answer would seem like an obvious yes. But a Mumbai couple's recent post on Reddit has sparked a wider conversation about the realities of city life, rising expenses and the challenge of balancing spending with saving. Despite earning a combined Rs 2.2 lakh every month, the couple said they often find themselves running short of money by month-end, leaving many online users divided over one question, Is Mumbai really that expensive, or is this a spending problem? The discussion began after the couple shared their situation on the subreddit r/personalfinanceindia in a post titled, “Mumbai is too expensive to live.” Looking for advice, they explained that while they have a stable income and regularly invest money, they are struggling to build additional savings. The user wrote, “My partner and I collectively make Rs 2.2 lakh per month. We stay in a 1BHK, far from our respective parental homes, and are barely saving any money.
Help would be appreciated in helping us budget.” To give a clearer picture of their finances, the couple also shared a detailed breakdown of their monthly expenses. According to the post, Rs 44,000 goes towards rent for their 1BHK apartment in Mumbai. Daily commuting costs around Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 each month, while electricity bills add another Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000. They spend Rs 8,000 on a maid and around Rs 20,000 on groceries, cooking gas and other household expenses. A major portion of their income is already being set aside for investments. The couple contributes a total of Rs 60,000 every month towards SIPs, with Rs 50,000 invested by one partner and Rs 10,000 by the other. They also spend about Rs 5,000 on medications. Social outings and office-related gatherings account for another Rs 12,000 to Rs 13,000 each month. According to the user, many of these expenses come from workplace events where contributing money is often expected. On paper, the numbers suggest that the couple should still have a sizeable amount left over. However, they admitted that the remaining money often disappears through day-to-day spending and occasional purchases. The user explained, “Ideally, after this, we should have approx. Rs 60k towards more savings. However, we constantly find ourselves without any money as the month closes. Some days it's clothes for me, other days it's for her, then a watch, maybe a perfume.” But monthly expenses are only part of the story.
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