Bengaluru data engineer shares ₹3 lakh pay check break-up: ‘ ₹20,000 rent, ₹5,000 on...’

A Bengaluru-based data engineer has sparked conversations online after sharing a detailed account of her monthly income and expenses in a now-viral Instagram video. Posting under the username @thinking.mori, she disclosed that she earns ₹3 lakh per month and spends a little over ₹2 lakh on fixed costs and investments.

In the video, she offered a transparent breakdown of her finances. Her monthly rent stands at ₹20,000, and she pays an additional ₹5,000 to domestic help. The rent covers electricity, water and WiFi, bringing her total essential housing-related expenses to ₹25,000 per month.

EMIs for parents’ apartment

A significant portion of her outgoings goes towards loan repayments for an apartment she purchased for her parents. She said she pays ₹30,000 every month as EMIs.

“I know that a house is a liability but some things are emotional and I wanted to do this for my parents because they have done so much for me,” she explained.

Her regular household spending includes ₹8,000 on groceries and ₹2,000 on dining out. She also allocates around ₹5,000 each month for miscellaneous expenses such as self-care, skincare, gifts, vitamins and bodycare.

When it comes to subscriptions and fitness, she spends ₹12,000 on a gym membership and personal trainer, along with ₹300 for Netflix and Apple TV.

Investments and savings plan

The engineer also detailed her investment strategy, revealing that she channels ₹1 lakh into SIPs every month. “I already have a 6 month emergency fund so I don’t put any money in that at the moment. So, my investments at the moment only include SIPs, some gold when it’s looking good,” the woman added.

In total, her monthly expenses amount to approximately ₹2.12 lakh. This figure does not account for travel costs. She revealed that she spent ₹7 lakh on travel in 2025.

“There are one time expenses as well such as a phone, or going to a wedding. Ohh yes I have to save up for my own wedding also so gotta make a fund for that as well,” she added.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)