High earner, zero savings: Bengaluru's cost of living crisis exposed.

High earner, zero savings: Bengaluru's cost of living crisis exposed. A professional earning 70 lakh rupees annually takes home just 4.1 lakh monthly after taxes. Major expenses consume nearly all income: home EMI of 1.7 lakh, car EMI of 65,000, international school fees at 50,000, and domestic help at 15,000. After covering these essentials, the individual has minimal buffer for savings or emergencies. Financial experts recommend housing costs stay within 25-30 percent of take-home income, yet this earner allocates over 40 percent to EMIs alone. The case raises critical questions about lifestyle inflation and financial planning in India's tech hubs, where even six-figure salaries fail to create meaningful wealth accumulation without disciplined expense management.