Rs 13 Lakh A Year To Raise A Child? LinkedIn Post Highlights Growing Financial Burden Of Urban Parenting

A LinkedIn post by a Mumbai-based man has drawn fresh attention to the growing financial burden of raising a child in urban India. According to his post, raising a child in a metropolitan city today could cost as much as Rs 13 lakh a year.

Ankur Jhaveri, who shared his calculation in a post, wrote, “I never realised the real cost of raising kids in India, until I met my cousin last week, who is a teacher at an international school.”

Drawing from that conversation, he estimated that an international school tuition fee alone could be between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 9 lakh annually. That, he said, was just the beginning.

“Add to it the cost of uniforms, books, private tuitions and other stuff — another 2 to 4 lakhs a year,” he added, bringing the total education-related expense to roughly Rs 12 lakh a year.

Jhaveri also factored in a few other expenses. “Now, add to it some additional coaching/extra-curricular activities, clothes, birthday parties, leisure expenses, etc., at Rs 8000-10,000/month (Rs 1 lakh a year),” he wrote, pegging the total yearly cost at Rs 13 lakh.

Jhaveri went further to break down what this expense means in income terms: “Now, assuming you would spend about 30% of your income on your kids — this means your net salary should be about Rs 43-44 lakhs.”

But it doesn’t end there. Jhaveri wrote, “The fun part is still left — Income Tax! Assuming you pay 20% of your salary as tax (blended), this means your gross salary, to afford this lifestyle for your kids, should be about Rs 55 lakhs.”

He added a stark reality check. “So... to send your kids to a good school, an Indian needs to have a gross salary in the range of 50-60 lakhs. And this is if you have ONE kid. Have another one, and these numbers increase substantially.”

He also acknowledged that his figures were a rough estimate and invited input from parents: “Those of you who actually have kids, please tell me what else I'm missing (I'm sure there's something).”

Anticipating counterarguments, Jhaveri addressed suggestions to opt for more affordable schools. “Some folks are commenting, saying ICSE schools charge less. My point here is two-fold: 1) Most parents (at least here on LinkedIn) would want the best education for their kids... 2) The best ICSE schools (the legacy ones) are extremely tough to get into.”

Here’s the complete post:

The post has sparked a wide range of reactions, with many weighing in based on personal experience and perspective. Some users agreed with the estimate, while others argued that such costs are only seen in elite schools.

One user remarked, “I would tag these schools as ‘branded’ schools,” referring to high-end institutions with premium pricing.

Another pointed to societal pressure, writing, “I guess the real problem that needs to be solved first is not the high cost of Education..... It's FOMO,” highlighting how fear of missing out often drives parents to overspend.

One comment added a future-looking concern. “This is present cost. What about the future cost of any professional degree or course, especially if planning abroad?”

Disagreeing with the post, a user commented, “I am shortlisting schools... and you get decent ones within a lakh to Rs 1.5/yr all inclusive,” arguing that the estimate seems skewed by considering only top-tier schools.

Echoing that sentiment, another user said, “The fees in that snap you’re quoting belong to celebrity kids’ elite schools and even that includes everything.”

Yet another wrote, “Not all good schools are 7–9 lakhs/year... There are enough and more good ICSE, CBSE, IGCSE schools which are 1–2 lakhs a year,” suggesting that quality education is still accessible at lower price points.

While views differ, the post has clearly struck a chord with urban parents struggling to provide top-tier schooling for their children with the constraints of their incomes.