Rs 1 lakh a month to live alone in Bengaluru? This woman’s expense list goes viral

Moving to a new city often comes with financial surprises, and one Bengaluru-based woman has laid it all out online. Through a candid Instagram video, Shradha Saini offered a month-by-month look at her expenses after shifting to the city, giving many viewers a relatable snapshot of urban living costs and budgeting struggles.

Breaking down the basics

Saini explained that her essential monthly expenses come to around ₹40,000. This amount covers rent, utilities, maintenance charges, cleaning help and groceries. According to her, these fixed costs form the foundation of her monthly spending as a single professional living in Bengaluru.

Daily commute and weekend travel

For her daily routine, Saini shared that she spends ₹50 each morning on an auto ride to work and chooses to walk back home in the evening. Over a month, this adds up to roughly ₹1,000.

Weekends, however, tell a different story. She mentioned that she usually relies on cabs for outings, shopping trips and meeting friends, which pushes her transport costs up by another ₹5,000 every month.

Eating out and digital subscriptions

Food is another noticeable expense. Saini said she spends about ₹6,000 a month on eating out and ordering food through delivery platforms such as Zomato. Alongside this, she has auto-debit subscriptions, including iCloud and Apple Music, which together cost her around ₹2,000 each month.

Shopping habits and EMIs

When it comes to personal spending, Saini revealed that she spends close to ₹25,000 every month on shopping. This includes clothes, make-up, shoes and other personal items. In addition, she also pays an EMI of approximately ₹18,000 every month.

The final total and saving struggles

Adding everything together, Saini’s monthly expenditure comes to around ₹1 lakh. She reflected that since she has only recently moved to Bengaluru, her finances are still unsettled. She admitted that saving money has been difficult so far and that she is still adjusting to the overall cost of living in the city.

Social media reactions pour in

The video sparked mixed reactions online. Some users related closely to her expenses and shared their own monthly budgets, while others questioned whether such spending was practical or sustainable.

One user shared the view that once saving becomes a priority, many of these expenses might start to feel unnecessary. They suggested that spending on fitness and protein-rich food makes more sense, while frequent shopping, materialistic purchases and unhealthy food habits may not feel worthwhile in the long run.

Other user explained that they live in a small double-sharing room with a rent of ₹12,000 that includes food, though they choose not to eat the provided meals. They detailed spending on gym fees, eggs, milk, protein supplements, oats, dry fruits, fruits, pizza and paneer, and said their total monthly expenses usually stay between ₹25,000 and ₹26,000. They added that they had spent ₹2,500 on clothes that month.