₹1.8 crore a year and still in debt? Bengaluru engineer’s viral budget sparks outrage
Posting on LinkedIn, a user identified as Aas Vora Jain described how, even with a take-home pay of ₹8.3 lakh a month, he ends up in a monthly deficit of ₹57,000. His claim instantly set off a flurry of reactions across social media, with some sympathising and many more ridiculing what they saw as an exaggerated account of luxury gone wrong.
“I make ₹1.8 crore per year in Bangalore as a principal software engineer, and it's utterly unlivable,” Jain wrote.
“Let's break it down. After taxes, my take-home is approximately ₹1 crore or ₹8.3 lakh/month.”
₹8.87 Lakh a month—and still in the red?
Jain’s post offered a meticulous account of where the money goes.
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“Rent for a 3BHK in Indiranagar: ₹1.5 lakh. EMI for a luxury car (BMW/Mercedes): ₹80,000. Domestic help & laundry service: ₹15,000. Swiggy/Zomato orders: ₹70,000. Cocktails and fine dining at 5-star hotels: ₹1.2 lakh. Weekend trips to Goa & Dubai: ₹1 lakh,” he wrote.
He continued with details that drew sharp reactions, “Branded white t-shirt: ₹10,000, Premium organic wine: ₹50,000, Gym & fitness memberships (Cult + personal trainer): ₹12,000, Crypto & stock investments: ₹1 lakh. Total costs: ₹8.87 lakh.”
Even after all that, he said, the maths didn’t add up.
“Despite working remotely for 40 hours per week and making ₹1.8 crore per year, I am somehow in a position where I'm losing ₹57,000 per month. What is wrong with this city?”
“This is satire”—But the internet was already triggered
The post, which Jain later admitted was meant in jest, went viral within hours.
“Relax guys, this is satire. The real pain is seeing Swiggy’s ₹20 packaging charge,” he wrote in an update.
By then, however, thousands had already seen—and reacted—to the original post.
