Bengaluru: A married couple living in the city has sparked widespread discussion online after sharing a detailed breakdown of their expenses and investments for 2025, offering a candid glimpse into the financial realities of urban life in India’s technology capital.
The details were shared through a video posted on Instagram by Kritagya Nayyar, which has since gone viral across social media platforms. Titled “How much we spent in 2025 as a married couple,” the video outlines how Nayyar and his wife Ruchi allocated their income across essentials, lifestyle spending, travel, and long-term investments over the year.
Housing and daily living costs dominate spending
According to the breakdown, the couple’s single biggest recurring expense in 2025 was housing. Rent and maintenance together amounted to ₹5.5 lakh for the year, reflecting the rising cost of accommodation in metropolitan cities.
Daily living expenses formed another substantial portion of their budget. The couple spent around ₹6 lakh on groceries, eating out, and shopping. This category included routine household purchases as well as discretionary spending, highlighting how food and lifestyle costs in large cities can significantly impact annual budgets.
They also paid ₹1.5 lakh as annual salary to their house help, a figure that drew attention online as many users discussed the growing reliance on domestic help in urban households and the associated costs.
Insurance, healthcare and commuting
Insurance and healthcare-related expenses totalled ₹1 lakh during the year. This included health insurance coverage for Kritagya Nayyar, his wife Ruchi, and his mother, along with term insurance, car insurance, and a corporate medical insurance top-up. The couple noted that while these costs may not feel significant on a monthly basis, they add up considerably over the year.
Commuting and transportation expenses came to approximately ₹1.4 lakh. This covered Uber rides, fuel costs, and car servicing. The figures reflect a mixed reliance on personal and app-based transport, a common pattern among urban professionals.
Travel and lifestyle choices
Travel emerged as another major spending head. The couple undertook three international trips and several domestic holidays in 2025, with total travel expenses of around ₹4 lakh. They explained that part of the cost was offset using credit card reward points.
One international trip to the United States stood out in particular. While accommodation and food expenses were avoided as Nayyar’s sister lives there, the couple spent nearly ₹2 lakh on shopping during the visit. This disclosure triggered online conversations about discretionary spending and lifestyle expectations among young urban professionals.
Fitness-related expenses, however, remained relatively modest. The couple spent ₹24,000 on a gym membership for the entire year, an amount many viewers noted was lower than expected compared to other lifestyle costs.
Big-ticket and one-time expenses
Among the most significant one-time expenses was the purchase of a car worth ₹11.2 lakh, which Nayyar gifted to his father. This single purchase formed a large portion of the couple’s total annual expenditure and prompted discussions about financial support to parents and family obligations.
Additionally, the couple paid ₹3.5 lakh in pending tax dues after filing their income tax returns. This disclosure led to conversations around tax planning and the importance of advance preparation to avoid large lump-sum payments.
Miscellaneous expenses, including app subscriptions, frequent coffee purchases, and leftover wedding-related costs, added up to around ₹1.5 lakh. Viewers noted how small, recurring expenses can collectively form a sizable annual outflow.
Total spending and investments
In total, the couple stated that their expenses for 2025 amounted to ₹38 lakh. Alongside this, they revealed that they jointly invested ₹25 lakh during the year in mutual funds and other private investments.
The disclosure of investments alongside spending was widely appreciated by viewers, many of whom pointed out that the figures showed a balance between enjoying a comfortable lifestyle and focusing on long-term financial planning.
Online reactions and broader debate
The video has generated extensive discussion around household finances, lifestyle inflation, and the cost of living in metropolitan India. Some users described the spending as relatable for dual-income urban households, while others felt the figures reflected a privileged lifestyle not accessible to most families.
Financial commentators online noted that while the absolute numbers may vary, the categories of expenditure—housing, food, transport, healthcare, travel, and family responsibilities—are common across urban households, making the breakdown a useful reference point.
Conclusion
The viral expense breakdown shared by the Bengaluru-based couple has gone beyond personal finance to spark a larger conversation about urban living costs in India. By openly sharing both their spending and investments, the couple has highlighted the financial trade-offs faced by many city dwellers, underscoring the importance of budgeting, prioritisation, and long-term planning in an increasingly expensive urban environment.