A LinkedIn post revealing the steep cost of maintaining a lavish lifestyle in one of Gurugram’s most upscale neighbourhoods has gone viral, sparking wide discussion online.
Vaibhav J, a resident of a posh area in Gurugram, shared a candid breakdown of his monthly expenses, highlighting the financial strain that comes with living in such a high-end locality. He opened his post with a striking admission that quickly caught people’s attention: “I own a house in Gurgaon, India. Translation: I need ₹7.5 lakh/month just to breathe.”
Vaibhav detailed his monthly outgoings, listing everything from home and car EMIs to school fees, domestic staff wages, travel costs and lifestyle expenses. “Here’s what you really signed up for: ₹2.08 lakh EMI for a ₹3 crore house. ₹12,000 per month maintenance for the fountain. ₹60,000 car EMI – because you can’t roll up in a Swift. ₹65,000 per month for IB school for kids. ₹30,000 per month for ‘foreign trip proof-of-life’. ₹30,000 monthly for domestic staff – cook, maid, driver. ₹20,000 for club nights and dinners you don’t even enjoy. ₹12,000 for grooming and dressing ‘DLF Phase 5 ready’. ₹10,000-plus on random purchases. ₹15,000 for birthday gifts and wedding envelopes – a ‘fake smiles tax’.”
Adding up to around ₹5 lakh a month, he pointed out the post-tax reality: “Now factor in income tax at 30 percent. To spend ₹5 lakh a month, you need to earn ₹7.5 lakh ( ₹90 lakh/year pre-tax). We had neither done savings nor bought insurance. And I haven’t even eaten yet. That’s not top one percent income – that’s top 0.1 percent burn rate.”
The post has drawn mixed responses online. While some sympathised with the pressure of maintaining appearances in elite circles, others criticised the spending choices.
“For those with fixed income in that range, income tax isn’t just 30 percent. There’s a surcharge, so it’s about a third of your income. You’d need at least ₹1.2 crore CTC to support this lifestyle,” commented one LinkedIn user.