In Bengaluru, salaries often sound comfortable on paper. The reality usually gets clearer only when a month is broken down into rent, groceries, fuel, and the small everyday expenses that rarely feel big – until they all stack up together. A breakdown shared by an Amazon software engineer has now put that familiar calculation back in focus.Prem Raj, a software development engineer at Amazon, said his monthly expenses come to around ₹35,000.
Where most budgets begin and end: rent in Marathahalli
For Prem Raj, like many working professionals in the city, the biggest chunk of the month is decided long before the rest of the spending begins.He lives in a 2BHK apartment in Marathahalli and pays ₹15,000 as his share of the rent. The total rent is ₹30,000, split with a flatmate – a setup that has become increasingly common across Bengaluru’s working population.
The rest of the month: small expenses that quietly stack up
Once housing is accounted for, the spending spreads into everyday life in predictable ways.A cook takes up ₹3,000 a month, while fuel for his motorcycle comes to about ₹2,000. Groceries and household essentials add another ₹3,000. On days when cooking doesn’t work out, food delivery adds roughly ₹2,000 more.
Fitness is another fixed layer in the monthly structure – ₹2,000 goes towards gym membership and supplements, while about ₹3,000 is spent on protein-focused food choices such as chicken.Then come the quieter costs: ₹2,000 for internet, electricity, and subscriptions; ₹1,000 for rented appliances like a refrigerator and washing machine; and around ₹2,000 for occasional shopping.
“Rent is usually the biggest expense in Bengaluru”
On what stands out most in the city’s cost structure, Prem Raj told The Times of India that housing is still the toughest part to manage.“Rent is usually the largest expense in Bengaluru, and it can vary significantly depending on location and lifestyle. Beyond that, transportation and frequent dining out can also add up quickly if not managed carefully,” he said.
Spending that stays, and spending that doesn’t
Not every expense is up for adjustment.He said fitness, travel, and time with friends remain important parts of his monthly spending, as they help maintain balance outside work.At the same time, he pointed out that food delivery, café visits, and impulse purchases are areas where spending can be trimmed, since they tend to build up without much long-term value.
A structured salary, a very familiar reality
While he did not share exact savings figures, he said disciplined spending allows him to set aside a significant portion of his income for savings and investments.Nothing in his breakdown is unusual or extreme – and that is exactly why it resonates. It reflects a familiar Bengaluru pattern: shared housing, controlled monthly expenses, and constant small trade-offs between comfort and cost.Because in the end, the math of the month in Bengaluru rarely starts with salary. It starts with rent.