Is cost of living in Indian cities going out of control? Bengaluru-based IITian triggers discussion, netizens agree

Indian Express

05-05-2025

Urban hubs like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi have experienced a sharp rise in housing rents, fuel prices, utility bills, and everyday essentials in recent years. Several affected people continue to flag the inflation on social media. Recently, an IIT Bombay graduate living in Bengaluru raised alarm over the rising cost of living in India.
Monali Dambre, in her X post, mentioned that her grocery bills in Bengaluru are getting 'unusually high.'
'I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that the cost of living in India is getting really expensive—even in smaller, tier-3 cities. And honestly, I'm starting to feel genuinely worried about how the lower and middle class are managing to survive… or how they're going to survive in the next few years,' Dambre wrote on X.
'Even in Bangalore, my grocery bills (which include only absolute staples—nothing fancy or luxurious) are starting to feel unusually high. Just basic fruits, veggies, and daily essentials—and it still feels like thing have got expensive than they should have,' she added.
See the post here:
I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that the cost of living in India is getting really expensive—even in smaller, tier-3 cities.
And honestly, I'm starting to feel genuinely worried about how the lower and middle class are managing to survive… or how they're going to…
— Monali (@monali_dambre) May 3, 2025
Dambre's observation quickly gained traction, racking up over four lakh views. Several social media users agreed with her, sharing their personal struggles living in an urban setup. 'Earn to living cost ratio is really bad in poor countries like India. Rent, medical, transportation, education, food everything is many times more expensive than developed countries when you compare with earning there,' a user wrote.
'Yes the inflation on food and groceries is way too high. In general cost of living has increased bar above the usual 5-6% annual year on year limit,' another user commented. 'In Bengaluru the cost of living with 2 kids will easily cross 2 lpa for a really average life. I think the GST is hiking prices of everything,' a third user reacted.
Retail inflation in India dropped to a seven-month low of 3.61 per cent in February, down from 4.26 per cent in January, driven largely by a significant decline in food prices, according to provisional data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in March.
Food inflation, as measured by the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI), eased to 3.7 per cent—its lowest level since May 2023, when it stood at 3.19 per cent. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks overall retail inflation, showed a broad decline across both rural and urban areas. In rural regions, inflation fell to 3.79 per cent in February from 4.59 per cent the previous month, while in urban areas, it dropped to 3.32 per cent, down from 3.87 per cent in January.