'More than enough to live': IIT alumnus' viral X post sparks debate on how much money is enough to live in India

Aviral Bhatnagar's post on X (formerly Twitter) has ignited a spirited discussion about the ideal income for a comfortable lifestyle in India. The post, which quickly gained traction, presents a thought-provoking perspective on financial planning and aspirations.

In his tweet, Aviral, an alumnus of IIT Bombay and IIM Bangalore, stated that a monthly expense of ₹1.5 lakh is sufficient to live comfortably anywhere in India. For those seeking additional luxuries like foreign vacations, he suggested raising the figure to ₹2 lakh per month. He further explained that such expenses could be sustainably managed with a corpus of approximately ₹4.8 crore, withdrawing 5% annually while letting the rest compound over time.

1.5L/month is more than enough to live well anywhere in India

If you want more than being in the top 1% and add luxuries like foreign vacations, take it to 2L/month

You can cover this with 5% each year on a ~4.8Cr corpus, the remaining returns compound

More is good, not need

— Aviral Bhatnagar (@aviralbhat) November 23, 2024

He wrote, 1.5L/month is more than enough to live well anywhere in India If you want more than being in the top 1% and add luxuries like foreign vacations, take it to 2L/month You can cover this with 5% each year on a ~4.8Cr corpus, the remaining returns compound More is good, not need." In another X thread, he added, "For those who didn't follow, these are expenses and not income The question of pre-tax/post-tax is irrelevant On the ambition to earn more, please feel free to aspire - though if money is your only ambition you're almost always not going to get it."

Aviral later clarified that his calculations referred to monthly expenses, not income, and pointed out that the distinction between pre-tax and post-tax earnings is irrelevant in this context.

The post has sparked a lively debate, with users sharing diverse perspectives on the feasibility of these figures and the broader implications for financial and personal goals.