A Bangalore-based professional started a heated debate on urban living costs when he admitted that he feels financially and mentally better off earning ₹40,000 in Udaipur than earning ₹1.4 lakh in India’s Silicon Valley.
The anonymous Reddit user broke down his Bengaluru expenses to explain why he walked away from a high-paying job. And while he was able to pay far more than the average IT salary of ₹75,000, he was stuck in a cycle of burnout and dwindling savings.
The Bengaluru Breakdown
His monthly expenses were a familiar story. Rent on a small 1BHK took ₹30,000. Food delivery apps took another ₹7,000. Add cab trips, weekend trips and utility bills and the six-figure salary evaporated quickly. “I was earning well but saving nothing,” he said. More than that, he felt forever tired.
Life in Udaipur
The change happened when he moved back to Udaipur, staying with family. His salary of ₹40,000 is in line with the local engineer salaries of ₹30,000-50,000. But no rent, home-cooked meals, slower days and minimal commuting have made savings easy.
“I feel richer today on ₹40,000 than I ever did on ₹1.4 lakh in Bengaluru,” he said, and credited this move for restoring his mental peace.
The Remote Work Debate
The post resonated with many, and many agreed that post-COVID remote work has enabled such quality-of-life decisions. No longer do professionals have to deal with metro rents and traffic when their work can be done from smaller cities.
But some commenters also pointed out trade-offs. Tier-2 and tier-3 cities may have lower prices, but they often don’t provide the career growth, networking opportunities, and quality of schools in the metros. For now, the Bengaluru worker’s experience adds to a growing conversation: Is a big salary worth a small life? For him, the answer was clear.
