As the cost of living in India's biggest cities continues to rise, more young professionals are sharing detailed accounts of their monthly expenses on social media, offering a closer look at what it costs to live independently.
The latest to join the trend is a 21-year-old woman from Gurgaon, whose breakdown of her July expenses has gone viral after she revealed spending just over Rs 43,000 while living alone.
Rent And Shopping Make Up The Biggest Share
Instagram user Chahat Yadav shared a video titled, "How much I spend in July as a 21-year-old living alone in Gurgaon," in which she listed her expenses across different categories before asking viewers whether her monthly spending was reasonable or not.
According to Yadav, rent was her biggest expense. She said she pays Rs 15,000 every month for a fully furnished 1RK apartment. Her electricity bill came to Rs 2,000, while gym and other membership fees totalled Rs 1,800.
She also spent Rs 2,142 on fuel and maintenance for her scooty. Groceries, food deliveries and other daily essentials cost Rs 6,879 during the month.
Shopping was her second-largest expense at ₹12,805, while outings added another Rs 2,470 to her monthly spending.
After calculating all the expenses, Yadav said she spent a total of Rs 43,096 in July. She concluded the video by asking viewers, “So, should I be concerned about it, or is it fine?”
In the caption accompanying the post, she clarified that the total was “excluding the investments.”
Social Media Users Weigh In
The video sparked a discussion online, with several social media users saying her monthly expenses were fairly typical for someone living independently in Gurgaon.
"No, nothing to be concerned about, it's pretty normal if you're earning and living alone," one user commented.
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Another user noted a similar sentiment, "This is so true and it's just a basic expenses lifestyle. If you do weekend parties, roaming around it would cost more. Living alone in Gurgaon is quite expensive."
However, not everyone agreed. One user said the spending would only make sense if she was also saving or investing, writing, "I think it's good if you're investing some of your money in other expenses, but if not, I think it's a bit of a concern."
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