A Bengaluru resident’s account of spending Rs 12 lakh over two years highlights the often overlooked cumulative costs of city living, emphasising the importance of expense tracking in India’s tech hub.
A Bengaluru resident’s account of his monthly outgoings has struck a chord online, illustrating how ordinary expenses can mount into a sizeable sum before people fully notice. Harsh Agarwal said in an Instagram video that he spent about Rs 12 lakh over a little more than two years while living in the city as a bachelor, with rent, food, transport and small recurring costs all contributing to the total. According to NDTV, he said the figure only became obvious once he added everything up.
Agarwal said his share of a villa with friends costs about Rs 28,000 a month, while groceries come to Rs 5,000 and cooking plus domestic help add another Rs 4,500. He put internet and minor household spending at about Rs 1,000, fuel at Rs 3,000, food delivery and meals out at roughly Rs 5,000 and trips home at around Rs 4,000. On his calculation, that takes his monthly spending to about Rs 50,000.
His comments fit a broader picture of Bengaluru’s cost of living. Recent budget guides from Wise, Housing.com and Property Pistol all describe housing as the biggest pressure point for many residents, with food and transport also taking a meaningful share of monthly income. Wise’s 2026 breakdown for a single person says property costs make up the largest portion of typical spending in the city, followed by groceries and dining out, reinforcing the point that even modest routines can become expensive in a fast-growing tech hub.
Agarwal’s warning was not that Bengaluru is unaffordable for everyone, but that everyday spending can be deceptively easy to ignore. His post suggests that people moving to the city, particularly those sharing accommodation or working in technology and services, may benefit from tracking expenses closely before fixed costs and discretionary spending start to blur together.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
